Bronco Doesn’t Hold Back About Value Of Perkins, Zaccheaus

As a lifelong sportswriter, I have really come to appreciate Bronco Mendenhall’s candor.

Everyone huddled around the Virginia football coach after Friday night’s first practice, hoping to get some kind of scoop on the Cavaliers, got more than they bargained for.

Yes, everyone who closely follows UVa’s football team already knew that transfer quarterback Bryce Perkins and speedy slot back Olamide Zaccheaus were going to be huge keys to the Cavaliers season. However, for a coach to come out and say it without hesitation on the first night of practice, well, that just doesn’t happen these days.

Most FBS head coaches’ heads would explode if they revealed their most inner thoughts to media and fans. Not Bronco, something Wahoos fans should appreciate.

When addressing a question about the dynamic possibilities of Perkins, a dual-threat quarterback, and Zaccheaus, who broke the UVa single-season record for receptions (85) in 2017, Mendenhall didn’t hide his feelings.

Was he putting too much pressure, too many expectations on the duo?

“I would love to say you’ve got to be too careful, but I’ve chosen not to be [careful] because I want the program to excel, I want it to be better than a year ago, and quite frankly it’s only going to happen if that happens.

“So, I might as well just address it head on,” Mendenhall continued. “We’re not the same team without those two and not the same team if they don’t have phenomenal years.”

Mendenhall spoke the truth. While Perkins hasn’t played as a FBS quarterback (he was injured his first year at Arizona State, and transferred to Arizona Western Community College last season), he brings speed, athleticism and hope to Virginia football because he can beat you with his arm and his legs.

Behind him are two young, inexperienced quarterbacks in Lindell Stone, who lost his redshirt in the Boston College game last season when starter Kurt Benkert was getting the bejesus beat out of him by the aggressive Eagles defense. The other QB is true freshman Brennan Armstrong.

While Perkins is expected to run the ball (UVa has added some option plays designed to keep defenses honest), Mendenhall hasn’t yet figured out how many times he wants his quarterback to carry the mail.

Keeping him upright will certainly be a priority this season, but there’s always a risk as Mendenhall learned at BYU.

How many hits does he expect Perkins to take in one game?

“My ideal is none,” Mendenhall cracked. “Any after that is not meeting expectations.

“I wish I could give you a number, but I do know we are a different team if he’s not our quarterback and we’re all very well aware of it as well as he is. So, we’ll have to manage the best we can. I wish I could give you an exact formula, I don’t have it. I’ll do my best to manage it.”

The Virginia coach, entering his third season in Charlottesville, said he is still learning all he can about Perkins.

“We’ve had one spring together,” said Mendenhall, who is trying to learn his quarterback’s work capacity, his mental capacity and what his durability may be. All of those will be tested early and often. It will also be Perkins’ first year as a FBS quarterback.

“There are still a lot of unknowns,” Mendenhall said. “It’s a work in progress.”

Last season, Mendenhall required quarterback Kurt Benkert to either slide or run out of bounds to avoid injury because there was literally no experience behind him. Those things don’t appear to be something Perkins would be interested in as a running quarterback.

Oh, but not so fast my friend.

Perkins actually arrived to UVa with a strong practice habit of knowing when to slide or run out of bounds to avoid injury, but still capable of picking up significant yardage, and the threat of taking it to the house almost anytime he touches the football.

“We’ve had quarterbacks that [sliding] was so difficult to get them to do,” Mendenhall said. “Bryce came in knowing the value of that.”

Virginia actually spent time in practice Friday night working with all three quarterbacks on their sliding techniques.

COMING SATURDAY: There’s more bodies on Virginia’s offensive line than there has been in years, and that makes the coaches smile.