Bronco Mendenhall is generally known for his defense. That was his calling card at BYU. That had been his calling card in his first four years at Virginia, even as quarterback Bryce Perkins led the Cavaliers to the ACC Coastal title in 2019.
In 2020, if Virginia had a calling card, it was very much not its defense. If that does not change in 2021, the Cavaliers may find themselves at or near the bottom of the Coastal, even as they are the reigning Coastal champions currently, technically speaking.
2020 REVIEW
Oddly enough, the unraveling of Virginia’s defense coincided with its best win-loss stretch of the season.