Bronco talks NC State, and UVA Football notes

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Because NC State and Virginia are in ACC different divisions, the Cavaliers have met the Wolfpack only three times in the previous nine years.

That will change Saturday when State comes to Charlottesville for the first time since 2011. Playing a conference team so rarely presents some problems for both teams. It’s like playing a nonconference game with neither side attuned to one another.

Virginia opened as a 9.5-point favorite according to KrackWins.com, official sports betting site of Billy “Krackman” Krackomberger, considered the top professional sports bettor in the country.

The Wolfpack opened the season with a 45-42 shootout with against Wake Forest, followed by a 45-24 loss at Virginia Tech, but bounced back this past Saturday to upset Pittsburgh on the road, 30-29, in the final minute.

While the two teams last met in 2018 (State won, 35-21 in Raleigh), Mendenhall has watched enough video of the Wolfpack to know what lies ahead.

“I think they’re tough,” Mendenhall said during his regular Monday presser. “I think they’re competitive and certainly they’re well coached. Dave [Doeren] has done a really nice job with changes in personnel and coordinators in his time at NC State, and that’s hard.

“When you bring a staff with you and you get culture and identity and direction set, especially with coordinators, if there’s a change there and if there happens to be new terminology and news systems, and if you still maintain success, regardless of other coaches around you or personnel, it reflects more of a program approach and more of a leadership emphasis. There’s different styles of play on offense and defense from when we played them last time. There’s probably been a change in between there that we just didn’t see because we didn’t play.”

Indeed the Wolfpack has changed coordinators since last playing the Cavaliers. Tony Gibson is in his second year as defensive coordinator for State, having come to Raleigh after three years at West Virginia (this is Gibson’s 26th year in coaching).

Meanwhile, Tim Beck, in his 33rd year in coaching, is in his first season as NC State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Beck was at Texas from 2017-19, then had previous stints at Nebraska and Ohio State (where he coached quarterback J.T. Barrett, who set the Buckeyes record for touchdowns responsibility with 100) from 2008-2016.

“As much reading or as much as you know the head coach, or as much as you think [you know], until you play a team, their true identity, their true character, just kind of the culture of the program, you don’t see, you don’t feel and you don’t know up close and personal,” Mendenhall said. “There are certainly some unknowns and certainly adjusting to what happens, just as the game plays out.”

A strong focus will be on what to expect from the Wolfpack offense under Beck, who changed everything, including the terminology, when he took over this year. UVA’s defensive coaches will take a hard look at Beck’s philosophies and tendencies. His offenses tend to rely on reads and improvisation rather than scripted plays.

Also a focus will be on how sophomore quarterback Devin Leary operates inside Beck’s offense. Leary was shaky at the end of last season when he completed only 45 percent of his passes and was intercepted five times over the Wolfpack’s final five games.

Leary completed 28 of 44 pass attempts at Pitt for 336 yards and four touchdowns, and without an interception. His top target was wide receiver Emeka Emezie, who hauled in seven passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner with 23 seconds remaining in the game.

Ronnie Walker Update

Virginia has been waiting patiently to learn about its appeal for the immendiate eligibility of transfer running back Ronnie Walker, Jr., of Hopewell. Walker arrived at UVA this summer in hopes of playing this fall for the Cavaliers, but the NCAA has mysteriously been silent since denying the original application for eligibility months ago.

Now, Virginia is not so patient in its request.

“Our administration is asking what I’ve been told is every day,” Mendenhall said. “So it’s not for lack of inquiring. It seems like our urgency is more than maybe that of who we’re working with.”

Praise from Clemson

The Cavaliers received lots of praise from Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney, but the praise didn’t stop there after Virginia gave the nation’s No. 1 team a game last Saturday night in Death Valley.

The Tigers fifth-year senior James Skalski has played a lot of college football and after Saturday’s game, went out of his way to compliment UVA.

“Virginia is good and they can play ball … I don’t think people recognize that enough,” said Skalski, who recorded nine tackles and a pass break up in the game. “[Virginia] is a good opponent who created a lot of problems.”

Clemson center Tony Elliott on UVA: “Virginia’s a good football team and they’ll challenge you. We knew it wasn’t going to be a situation where we just show up.”

Smallish Kemp makes big numbers

UVA junior wide receiver Billy Kemp IV might not be the biggest player on the field, but he’s putting up some big numbers.

At 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, Kemp made 10 catches for 96 yards against Clemson. The week before against Duke, he hauled in seven receptions for 70 yards.

Kemp ranks No. 4 in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC in receiving yards per game with 8.5. He also ranks No. 71 in the country (16th ACC) in receiving yards with 166.

Mendenhall definitely appreciates the quality work that Kemp (Highland Springs) has put into this season. He saw that from the receiver early on in camp.

“I saw it from the minute he showed up for fall camp,” the coach said. “He’s been the most consistent, the most competitive and the most productive player on our roster period, day in and day out.”

That’s high praise from Mendenhall.

“He has been relentless in his preparation, and he’s playing exactly as he prepares,” the coach said. “So the game looks like practice. It looks exactly like practice and I give him so much credit for his work ethic and consistency and he’s carved out that role. It wasn’t just given to him.”

His production isn’t because that’s what opposing defenses are giving Virginia. Kemp is making things happen.

“He has just required the ball has to go there because he’s open and then he makes players miss, and then he gets hit, and he gets up and keeps going. He’s just really done a nice job.”

With Kemp at 5-9, paired with two much taller receivers in tight end Tony Poljan and wide receiver Lavel Davis Jr., at 6-foot-7, how much does quarterback Brennan Armstrong have to adjust his throws?

Mendenhall, more of a defensive-oriented coach, didn’t really have the answer and referred media to quarterbacks coach Jason Beck. Beck wasn’t available, but here’s what Mendenhall had to say:

“I don’t know enough about quarterback play,” Mendenhall chuckled. “Just to throw low to the shorter guy and high to the taller guy. I do know that Tony and Lavel are open, soon as they walk on the field, they’re already open if you just throw high, because they’re taller. Brennan puts more air under it and he’s adjusted well. That’s probably a question for Jason Beck, other than just kind of my defensive view of its simplicity.”