When Clemson coach Dabo Swinney began to scout ACC Championship opponent Virginia on film, the first thing that jumped out at him was Bryce Perkins.

Coastal Division champion Virginia goes up against Atlantic Division winner and defending national champion Clemson in tonight’s ACC Championship Game from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte (7:30, ABC).

On the eve of Virginia’s first appearance in the ACC Football Championship game, Bronco Mendenhall reflected upon his arrival in Charlottesville.

If anyone has a true appreciation of Mendenhall’s accomplishment in such a short time span, it’s a fellow coach, as in Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, whom we asked Friday to comment on a job well done.

Bronco Mendenhall decided after the win over the Tar Heels that he would grow a “playoff beard,” and keep it as long as UVA kept winning.

Hootie is joined by Blue Ridge Bank President Gary Shook to discuss Virginia football’s memorable run to the program’s first ACC Coastal Division championship.

There is little question that No. 3 Clemson is going to try and “boat race” Virginia in Saturday’s ACC Championship game. That’s just who the Tigers are.

Having clinched its first ACC Coastal Division championship and ending a 15-year losing streak to state rival Virginia Tech, the recent success of UVA football is already making an impact on the Cavaliers’ recruiting.

Most any other year, Virginia’s Bryce Perkins would likely be an easy choice for first-team All-ACC quarterback.

The last time Virginia played Clemson, Bronco Mendenhall was almost three years away from making the move from Provo to Charlottesville.

Virginia linebacker Jordan Mack has been named the recipient of the 2019 Jim Tatum Award, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Monday.

Read what Virginia senior quarterback Bryce Perkins said during Monday’s teleconference ahead of this weekend’s ACC Football Championship against Clemson at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte

Read what Virginia junior linebacker Charles Snowden said during Monday’s teleconference ahead of this weekend’s ACC Football Championship against Clemson at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte

Read what Virginia senior defensive tackle Eli Hanback said during Monday’s teleconference ahead of this weekend’s ACC Football Championship against Clemson at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte

When Virginia defeated rival Virginia Tech on Friday, the Cavaliers clinched their first ACC Coastal Division crown, becoming the last member of the Coastal to achieve that accomplishment.

In a game featuring two powerful offenses, virtually no one would have suspected that the touchdown that would lock the victory would be scored by a defensive lineman. 

What a range of emotions Bronco Mendenhall experienced on Friday as he watched his Virginia team upset Virginia Tech, 39-30, and end a 15-year losing streak to the rival Hokies.

Come hell or high water, or even tonsillitis, nothing was going to prevent Bryce Perkins from playing his last game in Scott Stadium on Friday afternoon, especially with the ACC Coastal Division championship on the line, and especially against arch-rival Virginia Tech.

Photos by John Markon from UVA’s 39-30 win over Virginia Tech.