The date Aug. 8, 2016, sends chills down the spine of every member of the Bruce and Lynette Perkins family out in Arizona. That’s the day when youngest son, Bryce, went down during an Arizona State football practice, nearly ending in heartbreak. Shawn Griswold, now Virginia’s director of football development and performance, was in the same role for the Sun Devils that day and described the scenario as the most freakish injury he’s ever witnessed. “I was actually standing in the back of the end zone just by chance,” Griswold recalled Thursday. “Bryce pulled the ball and ran it and […]

Eli Hanback said “I am the old guy” as he tries to help younger players learn UVA’s defensive plays With fall practice wrapping up last week, minor injuries kept Virginia defensive ends Richard Burney and Mandy Alonso sidelined for almost all of camp, leaving several younger players to fill the void on what was already a question mark of a defensive line. As a result, true freshmen Jordan Redmond and Aaron Faumui were taking the bulk of the snaps in preparation for the 2018 season. Making the most of the opportunity, the two have impressed their teammates and coaches along […]

Like father (right, from 1977), like son… Sometime Friday, Tony and Marie Blount will make the trek from Peachtree City (about a half hour south of Atlanta) to Charlottesville to watch Virginia football. There’s a big reason for their excitement: Joey Blount, who was listed No. 1 at free safety on the Cavaliers’ depth chart heading into Saturday’s season opener against Richmond. Tony, an All-ACC defensive back for Dick Bestwick’s 1979 Wahoos, can hardly contain his excitement. “My son is playing for my school, and being able to watch him has been unbelievable,” Tony Blount said this week. “I’ve been […]

At top right, Bryce Perkins in his youth leading the Phoenix All-Star team to a national championship in Orlando, FL. Below, from left, Bryce, his Dad Bruce, his Mom Lynette, and his brother Paul Frozen in time is a photograph hanging in the Perkins’ household in Queen Creek, Arizona. It’s a picture that captured 10-year-old Bryce Perkins hurdling over a stunned would-be tackler on a kickoff return. Big brother, Paul Perkins, a star running back at UCLA and now in the backfield of the New York Giants, called the moment “poetry in motion.” “That was one of the most fascinating […]

Virginia will have to keep an eye out for not 1, not 2, but 3 talented Richmond wide receivers The Virginia secondary will have its hands full Saturday when Richmond’s three-headed monster of receiving talent arrives at Scott Stadium. Spider wideouts Dejon Brissett, Tyler Wilkins and Cortrelle Simpson combined for nearly 2,800 yards (over 250 per game) and 20 touchdowns a season ago, each finishing in the top four of the receiving list in the CAA. Coach Bronco Mendenhall knows his defense must concentrate on all three threats this weekend. “I think the simple key is the more you focus […]

Carla Williams hopes to bring more former UVA players back to campus and reconnect them with the program One of Carla Williams’ goals for the Virginia football team is to reconnect the Cavaliers’ past with the present by bringing former Wahoos back to meet and inspire the current team. Williams, UVa’s director of athletics, stated that goal when she met with state sportswriters back in May. Apparently that project has gone well over the past few months. “I think there has been a significant uptick because there has been a significant emphasis,” Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “Carla has done […]

Bryce Hall said UVA is “a completely different team” from the one that lost to Richmond in 2016 It was right around this time two years ago: The town had just been painted orange, and excitement was building around ‘Hooville and beyond in anticipation of the start of the Bronco Mendenhall era. Then a bunch of Spiders came and spoiled the party. In Mendenhall’s Virginia debut at Scott Stadium on September 3, 2016, Richmond came in and handed it to the Cavaliers. The Spiders dominated in just about every category, capitalized on UVa’s mistakes, and quite frankly made it look […]

Bronco Mendenhall said of former Broad Run standout Chuck Davis, “he just catches the ball” If there was any major surprise on Virginia’s two-deep chart at Monday’s opening game week press conference, it had to be Chuck Davis. The sophomore, who played in high school at Broad Run in Ashburn, only appeared in one game last season for Virginia (at Boise State) and didn’t have a single statistic credited to him. Didn’t touch the football. On Monday, however, Davis was listed as one of UVa’s two options as starting punt return man, and as a backup slot receiver behind Olamide […]

Former Ohio State defensive end Dylan Thompson is now officially a Wahoo. The massive graduate senior arrived in Charlottesville late this week and has joined the team, only a week from Virginia’s opener next Saturday against Richmond. Thompson has apparently tied up all academic loose ends in Columbus and is eligible to play for the Cavaliers. Just over a week ago, UVa coach Bronco Mendenhall was not optimistic about Thompson joining the team. “I would say it’s unlikely at this point,” Mendenhall told reporters, referring to Thompson becoming eligible due to coursework at Ohio State. “Until he arrives he’s not […]

Dylan Thompson tweets he will be in Charlottesville Friday This is certainly an interesting post on Twitter from Dylan Thompson. Less than a week ago Thompson – the defensive end who is transferring from Ohio State to Charlottesville – was not expected to join the team at all this season. But it would appear from this tweet something has changed. Asked about the chances of Thompson being with the team after last Friday’s practice, UVa football coach Bronco Mendenhall replied “I would say it’s unlikely at this point,” pointing to coursework and becoming eligible as the reasons for such a […]

Taquan “Smoke” Mizzell scored his second touchdown of the preseason Saturday night for the Chicago Bears Week 2 of the NFL preseason is in the books, and several former Wahoos made a case to land on the 53-man roster of their respective teams when final cuts are announced on September 1st. We’ll start this week’s recap with a 15-year veteran who should have no issues making his squad. Atlanta backup quarterback Matt Schaub looked sharp again Friday, a week after tossing a perfect 9-for-9 performance. This time around against the Chiefs, the 37-year-old former Pro Bowl MVP finished his night […]

As the year moves within two weeks of the season opener for UVA, the Wahoos had their 14th practice Saturday, which featured their second scrimmage of the summer. Dave Koehn and Tony Covington discuss several video highlights from that scrimmage (courtesy of VirginiaSportsTV), which include a couple of spectacular plays by quarterback Bryce Perkins and freshman wide receiver Tavares Kelly. Take a look…

De’Vante Cross has shone brightly as a potential deep threat for quarterback Bryce Perkins’ strong arm Heading into fall training camp, one of Bronco Mendenhall’s priorities was to identify at least one legitimate deep receiving threat. With Andre Levrone and Doni Dowling graduated, the search was on to find speedy receivers that can stretch opposing defenses and help open up other avenues for an offense that appears to be blessed with numerous skilled players. Two weeks from the season opener against Richmond, the Cavaliers are making strides. On Friday, Mendenhall rattled off a few players that have made strong impressions […]

The saga of Ohio State transfer defensive end Dylan Thompson appears to have taken another turn according to Wahoo Coach Bronco Mendenhall after this morning’s practice. Thompson had been expected to join the team after finishing summer school classes in Columbus, but Mendenhall described the chances of that happening as “unlikely.” Asked about the delay in Thompson’s arrival and the reasons for it, Mendenhall said “(for) Dylan Thompson (it) is eligibility. Course work and becoming eligible. And so again, until he arrives he’s not part of our team. And right now it would be “If” he arrives would be the […]

Juan Thornhill comes up with an interception in last year’s 28-21 win over Duke Juan Thornhill appropriately named his Twitter account, “The_Juan_and_Only.” The senior free safety from Altavista, and admitted country boy, does not lack for confidence. Or athletic ability. That’s what Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall is banking on, moving Thornhill over from cornerback to free safety, where job demands are more physical. You want physical? Don’t mess with Thornhill. “Juan is a freak,” said Shawn Griswold, UVa’s strength and conditioning guru. There’s reason for Griz’s awe. In the final week of summer conditioning, when all the measurables are compiled, […]

Historic Lambeth Field is where the Wahoos held their 6th fall practice Thursday. More than 100 Virginia football players made the short trek from the McCue Center across the footbridge over Emmet Street, spilling into sacred ground at Lambeth Field on a toasty August afternoon Thursday. Lambeth’s history goes unnoticed by today’s players. They know Virginia once played there, but that’s about it. Even most media attending the first 30 minutes of the practice had never been to Lambeth and knew nothing of the place. UVa coach Bronco Mendenhall likes to conduct practice there once in awhile because it’s the […]

James Thomas “Monk” Bingler We knew him simply as “Monk,” the man at the door of Scott Stadium’s press box and various spots around John Paul Jones Arena. Year after year, Monk was always there with a handshake, a ready smile, a twinkle in his eyes, and usually a really corny joke. James Thomas “Monk” Bingler, a Charlottesville legend, a University of Virginia “ambassador,” left us this week at the age of 94. Most media that walked through the double doors to the press box each autumn had no idea of Monk’s background. He must have told me a jillion […]

With historic Lambeth Field as a backdrop, Virginia’s football team finished its sixth practice of fall camp on Thursday. It wasn’t the best. Coach Bronco Mendenhall said he had been pleased with the five previous practices but wasn’t happy with the lack of sharpness. He quickly recognized that the competitiveness in practices building up to Thursday had taken its toll. “The team showed signs of a lot of work,” Mendenhall said. “We have been increasing the work capacity, pushing the limits in every possible way, and it showed today.” The coach plans on having a “significant” scrimmage on Saturday, and […]

Scattershooting around Wahoos World, while wondering if a true freshman will be Virginia’s answer as a deep threat … One of Bronco Mendenhall’s chief concerns in training camp is finding a vertical threat to replace Andre Levrone and Doni Dowling. It was a concern in the spring and remains one in August. “We have first-years coming in, Wooby Theork-Youmans (Naples, Fla.), Ugo Obasi (Baltimore, Md.), Billy Kemp (Highland Springs), and Tavares Kelly (Fort Launderdale, Fla.), and possibly (senior) Olamide Zaccheaus [at wide receiver] with one of the other guys playing his position in the slot,” Mendenhall said. “It’s a need […]

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. Bronco Mendenhall Talks To Reporters 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 […]