The 3-2-1: A pivotal game ahead for Virginia at Miami

Virginia players got a subtle reminder of where they’d be playing in two days when Gloria Estefan on the Miami Sound Machine popped up on the music play list late in practice at the McCue Center Tuesday morning.

The Wahoos are a 4.5-5.5 point underdog in Thursday night’s game against the Hurricanes (7:30 p.m., ESPN). Since beating Miami on a Thursday night a decade ago, UVa has lost its last five visits to Hard Rock Stadium—six, if you count the Hoos’ loss to Florida in the 2019 Orange Bowl—including one in each of the past two regular seasons.

It’s a familiar venue for the veterans on the UVa roster, and one that comes with the added challenge of contending with the South Florida climate. The forecast for Thursday night says it will be 75 degrees with 76 percent humidity in Miami Gardens.

“We’ve just got to prepare our minds and prepare our bodies for that change in weather and that change in atmosphere,” UVa linebacker Elliott Brown said this week.

After canceling his weekly Monday afternoon virtual news conference with reporters this week, UVa coach Bronco Mendenhall took questions as he came off the field after Tuesday’s practice. Coordinators Robert Anae and Nick Howell were made available as well.

Coming off those conversations, it’s the latest edition of the 3-2-1:

1. UVa has prepared for D’Eriq King at quarterback.

The Wahoos will head to Miami on Wednesday afternoon unsure of which quarterback they will face on Thursday night.

King’s status is in question because of a shoulder injury that kept the preseason Heisman Trophy candidate out of last Saturday’s 69-0 Miami win against Central Connecticut State. With King’s arm in a sling on the sideline, redshirt freshman Tyler Van Dyke and true freshman Jake Garcia combined to go 21-of-25 for 417 yards and five touchdown passes.

Even with King questionable for Thursday, Mendenhall said the Hoos have prepared with the expectation that he would play. It’s more efficient to prepare for a team’s starting quarterback then adjust if necessary, he explained, particularly with a short week.

“The more you have to change and reduce time, the harder it is to be effective,” Mendenhall said. “So really you try to change as little as possible unless you just have to because the styles are so different.”

Howell said the Hurricanes didn’t make wholesale changes to their scheme when playing without King last week. Miami’s primary goal regardless of who’s at quarterback, he said, is to get the ball to the offense’s speedy playmakers in space.

2. Bronco has been more vocal on the practice field.

Mendenhall has never been much of a screamer on the practice field, and he’s adopted more of a CEO-type approach in recent seasons, with more focus on big picture concerns while delegating additional responsibilities to assistants.

But the head coach has been a more vocal presence at the McCue Center as the defense attempts to correct its issues.

“You’ve heard him a lot more these last couple of weeks,” Brown said with a smile, “but that’s to be expected.”

“He’s been there during walkthroughs, during actual practice reps with the scout team,” the fifth-year senior added. “So we’re seeing him a lot more. We’re seeing him in meetings a lot more.”

When asked on Tuesday, Mendenhall said he wouldn’t consider himself more hands-on with the defense.

“I just think what I do is intentional,” he explained. “Players know, coaches know. And my focus just shifts as I see where our team is.”

But he did agree that he’s been more apt to speak up recently. Much like after Friday night’s loss, Mendenhall conceded on Tuesday morning that he may have taken some things for granted with this team because of the number of program veterans on the roster. He’s felt the need to be more vocal in reminding players of some of the program’s cultural pillars, like effort and hard work.

As Mendenhall candidly admitted, “I missed on the experience kind of winning the day."

3. Penalties have been a point of emphasis in practice.

Mendenhall has said that his over-estimation on the value of that experience can also be attributed to the number of penalties the Hoos have been flagged for the last two weeks.

Heading into Thursday night, Virginia ranks 11th in the ACC and 105th in the country with 30 penalties. Those flags have resulted in 281 yards lost, which ranks next-to-last in the league and 109th nationally.

UVa’s penalty totals have increased in each game. They were called for two against William & Mary, then eight against Illinois, 10 at UNC and 11 last week. Those 11 against Wake were the most for a UVa team since getting whistled for 13 in a loss to Ball State in 2013.

“We can’t be shooting ourselves in the foot like that,” receiver/quarterback Keytaon Thompson said on Monday, “especially when we’re trying to come back or trying to deplete a deficit.”

Following the Wake loss, Mendenhall admitted that he didn’t anticipate the lack of poise and discipline that has led to many of those penalties being a factor with such a veteran team. He added that frustration was often visible among UVa players while playing from behind the past two weeks.

The team has worked to address the issue in practice this week.

“Hold them accountable. Take guys out, make them; restitution,” Howell said. “Holding guys accountable; setting the standard. Making sure they know that’s not okay.”