CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - University of Virginia (UVA) head coach Bronco Mendenhall held a Q&A session Monday regarding the pending football season, differences in training during a pandemic and the preparation the team is doing to be ready for Week One (vs. Georgia).
“I would love to say it affects it [the work they ask the players to do], but it really can’t,” Mendenhall said. “We still have to anticipate and prepare as if we are opening on time. So, the safest and best thing for us and to reach all of our goals - and especially for our guys that have been in the program and would really like a magical season - the best thing I can do is to act as if we are going to play and play in our opener (vs. Georgia).”
Mendenhall noted that all players are roomed together in a series of dorms and that there are many precautionary procedures in place.
“Our players are in a series of dorms that are all together. Anything after hours we have a checkpoint there monitoring anyone in and out," Mendenhall said. "Players are social distancing and wearing their masks. As far as weight training is concerned, after small groups finish training in the weight room there is a giant spraying down of everything in the weight room, a complete deep clean before the next group comes in at the appropriate time to make sure the cleansing agents have worked, have dried and had the effects.”
The Cavaliers coach mentioned he would not mind if the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) followed in the footsteps of the Big Ten and the Pac-12 by playing in an intraconference-only schedule.
“Yes [to being in favor of only intraconference play], simply because by playing teams only in our region and only in our conference we have a better chance to have standardized protocols in terms of testing,” Mendenhall said. “We have a better chance to lessen cross-country travel. We have a better chance to mitigate any concerns about lack of consistency because we are within the conference. Anything that reduces travel - reduces air travel and increases proximity play and keeps our players safer - I am for that. We would have better control with in-conference than out of the conference.”
The Cavaliers finished the season 9-5, with key victories over (at the time) No. 24 Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Cup and Florida State for the Jefferson-Eppes Trophy en route to appearances in the ACC Championship game and later the Orange Bowl.
