After Saturday, Brian Delaney Is Now At Center Of Media’s Attention

Up until last Saturday night, Brian Delaney had never been interviewed after a game. There’s not much demand to speak with the kickoff man.

However, when a guy like Delaney essentially comes out of nowhere, boots three field goals, including the longest for Virginia since 2015, well, just about every media member wanted to learn more about this strong-legged, 5-foot-11 kicker from Westfield High School in Chantilly.

Surrounded after the game by TV cameras and sportswriters with tape recorders and pen and paper, Delaney was living the life. He said he had never been interviewed before, but could get used to it.

“It’s fun,” Delaney said.

He became a less-than-overnight success in the collective eyes of Wahoo Nation for his contributions in helping UVa knock off 16th-ranked Miami. Three field goals, including a 46-yarder just before halftime, and an extra point, plus booming kickoffs for touchbacks, made him a major factor in the upset. Oh, and he had another field goal taken off the scoreboard at game’s end, due to a roughing the kicker penalty on the Hurricanes, icing the stunning win for the Cavaliers.

Virginia fans have been pining for a good kicker for the two-and-a-half seasons that Bronco Mendenhall has directed the football program. Saturday night they got their wish.

Inconsistency and missed “chip shots” have cost Virginia games and forced Mendenhall to gamble on some fourth downs because of lack of confidence in his place-kickers. Perhaps now that is a thing of the past.

By feeling somewhat comfortable on attempting 45-yard field goals, Mendenhall and offensive coordinator Robert Anae can now rethink some of their strategy in certain areas of the field.

“It does a lot for all of us because we know there’s points, and that changes play call, it changes the way the game is managed,” Mendenhall said. “We haven’t had that in place until Saturday, at least in the time I’ve been here.

“Now, whether it will remain in place, that’s still a question,” Mendenhall added. “One game is not enough to then say Brian has arrived and now UVa is strong finally in the field goal area.”

At least it’s a start. The coaching staff can make decisions that they couldn’t make before, and defenses will have to be aware of that as well.

Because Delaney showed consistency and leg strength, it’s his job to lose. Mendenhall said that performance earned the sophomore the job on the condition that he remains consistent.

If he doesn’t, then the job competition reopens.

“It’s his now to lose,” Mendenhall said.

Delaney, who as a highly-touted high school kicker for Kyle Simmons at Westfield, was an All-American punter and was rated the No. 5 kicker in the nation by 247Sports. He was a Virginia High School League all-state punter and kicker in 2016.

His performance against Miami earned him the privilege after the game to “Break the Rock,” a tradition that started in summer conditioning that essentially rewards the player of the game. That player earns the task of taking a sledgehammer over his shoulder and smashing a designated rock/block to smithereens in the Virginia locker room with all his teammates and coaches cheering him on.

Usually it’s a muscle-bound player, bulked up through strength and conditioning, and not a somewhat undersized kicker. So, were there any worries from Delaney when the rock-breaking moment arrived?

“I picked up [the sledgehammer] and looked over at our strength coach and said, ‘This is a little heavier than I thought,’” Delaney confessed with a big smile.

He managed to smash the rock in true football hero style, much to the delight of his teammates. He actually thought that defensive back Juan Thornhill would be the nominee to swing the hammer, but it instead it was Delaney.

“I thought Juan earned it, but everyone in there was yelling my name,” Delaney beamed. “It felt great. I broke it and it felt great.”

Two of his kicks were truly spectacular in nature for different reasons.

The first of those came as time expired to end the first half on his 46-yard boot, the longest by a UVa kicker since Ian Frye’s 42-yarder against Virginia Tech in 2015.

After Miami kicked its own field goal to draw within 10-6 with 3:11 to go in the first half, Virginia regained possession at its own 25 following a touchback kickoff. Mendenhall had not planned on being aggressive, but just advancing the ball conservatively, satisfied with a four-point lead going into the half.

That quickly changed as QB Bryce Perkins gained 11 yards on a run and a first down. Two plays later, running back Jordan Ellis gamed 14 yards and a first down at the UVa 48. On an ensuring third-and-nine from the 49, Ellis bolted for nine yards to the Miami 42, then 10 more to the 32 with nine seconds remaining.

Perkins hit Ellis to get three yards closer at the 29 and UVa called time out with four seconds to go, and Mendenhall called on Delaney to go get him three more points.

It was a 46-yard attempt.

Delaney boomed it square between the uprights and Virginia led the Hurricanes, 13-6 at the half.

“I felt like I hit the ball well, it felt good coming off my foot,” Delaney said. “I’d say my range is a little farther than that, but that’s coming from me. I don’t think we’ll probably kick any farther, but I practice from farther out.”

The kicker didn’t think he would have an opportunity to attempt a field goal on that final drive of the half. It would have been a 60-yarder at one point, and he knew there was no way Bronco would make that call.

However, when Ellis burst through and the ball was at the right hash, the area where Delaney is most comfortable, he began to get excited.

After the boot, he began celebrating with his holder, Nash Griffin, and the long snapper, Joe Spaziani (son of former UVa defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani), then thanked all the linemen for blocking.

His second kick of note was the 30-yarder with 30 seconds left in the game, which gave UVa a 19-13 lead. Miami was called for roughing the kicker, and the ACC official mistakingly said the penalty would be enforced on the kickoff.

However, UVa knew better, declined the penalty, which meant taking points off the board, but gave UVa a first down at the Miami 6-yardline, icing the 16-13 upset.

“Anytime you’re on the ground as a kicker you kind of think it’s going to be roughing the kicker,” Delaney said. “I was down there and thinking, that’s a first down, I’m pretty sure. Either we were taking the points and could get the penalty after that, or it was a first down and I was pretty happy when I saw that.”

Naturally, Mendenhall knew that by gaining the first down, the game was essentially over. Having to kick to the Hurricanes would only give them another opportunity to score and tie or win the game. No way he was taking that chance.

Delaney was solid with all his kicks and Wahoo Nation was most thankful. That has been a weakness in the Virginia program, and some wondered why not give Delaney a chance.

Afterall, one of his kickoffs – yes, kickoffs – against Louisville, soared through the uprights.

Was he trying to send a message to the coaches with that boot?

“Not really,” Delaney chuckled. “The ball was supposed to go a little to the left anyway. I’ll say I was aiming for the goal posts on my kickoff.”

Up until the bye week though, Delaney was kind of on the outside looking in at the place-kicking job. His focus last year and this was his kickoff responsibilties. At one point, there was some discussion about bringing him in for longer field goals.

During that bye week, after the N.C. State game, the competition with Delaney, Hunter Pearson, and A.J. Mejia, heated up. With a higher volume of kicks, Delaney began to impress and midweek of UVa’s prep for Miami, coaches told him he was the guy.

“I definitely had some nerves going (before the game) but everybody did a good job of helping me stay loose,” Delaney said. “I like to have a little bit of nerves. That helps me stay [focused].”

His nerves picked up a little when he was talking on the phone with a friend back home, who reminded him that he was going to be the starting kicker for UVa’s homecoming, at night, and against Miami. Reality kicked in, but his teammates boosted his confidence.

“Hunter was hitting a good ball the week he stepped into the job, and I was happy for him to have the job that week,” Delaney said. “They were happy for me to get the job this week. It’s a bummer when you’re not out there playing but we’re supportive of each other.”

Now, that Delaney has proven he can make 46-yarders under pressure, can “break the rock,” and help Virginia’s offense become more of a threat from greater distances, he could just be the difference in UVa’s quest to win the ACC’s Coastal Division.

With the Coastal truly up for grabs, and Virginia playing five Coastal Division rivals down the home stretch, Mendenhall is expecting a lot of close, down-to-the-wire games where a handful of plays will make the difference.

That’s when field goal kickers earn their keep. That’s when Delaney can become a hero.