Virginia Football: Top 10 Wins of the Mendenhall Era

Ranking UVA football’s top ten victories under Bronco Mendenhall

Matt Newton | Dec 29, 2021

When Bronco Mendenhall was hired as Virginia’s head football coach in 2015, he inherited a program that had endured four straight losing seasons and that had not won a bowl game since 2005. Six years later, Mendenhall’s overall record of 36-38 will not reflect the extraordinary work he and his coaching staff did rebuilding the UVA football program.

The Cavaliers went 2-10 in Mendenhall’s first season. Three years later, they won nine games, won the ACC Coastal title, and made appearances in the ACC Championship Game and the Orange Bowl.

Mendenhall’s tenure at UVA did not end as expected, but there are still a number of great moments to appreciate from Mendenhall’s six years leading the Virginia football program.

Here are our picks for Virginia’s top 10 wins of the Bronco Mendenhall era:

10. November 4th, 2017: Virginia 40, Georgia Tech 36

Kurt Benkert threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Andre Levrone with less than 90 seconds to go to take the lead and the Cavaliers took down the Yellow Jackets 40-36. It was a rainy night in Charlottesville, but that didn’t stop the fans from rushing the field to celebrate as the Hoos picked up their sixth win of the season to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2011. In just his second season as UVA head coach, Bronco Mendenhall had the Hoos bowling.

9. November 2nd, 2019: Virginia 38, North Carolina 31

Bryce Perkins set a UVA record for total offense in a single game with 490 yards and five touchdowns, including a 65-yard touchdown run in the second half. UVA took down UNC 38-31 in an epic showdown in Chapel Hill and the Hoos secured a crucial victory on their road towards the ACC Coastal title. The win was also Virginia’s third in a row over North Carolina and clinched bowl eligibility for a third consecutive season.

8. August 31st, 2019: Virginia 30, Pittsburgh 14

Virginia went into Pittsburgh in the 2019 season-opener and took down the defending Coastal champion Panthers 30-14 to set the tone for what would become a historic season for the Cavaliers. UVA’s defense held Pitt scoreless in the second half to secure the victory. Virginia won in Pittsburgh for the first time ever and snapped a four-game losing streak against Pitt.

7. September 30th, 2021: Virginia 30, Miami 28

Miami kicker Andres Borregales attempted a 33-yard field goal as time expired that would have given the Hurricanes a victory over the Cavaliers at Hard Rock Stadium for the third season in a row. Instead, Borregales’ kick struck the left upright and the UVA bench rushed onto the field in celebration. This Thursday-night game was entertaining from start to finish and included this spectacular catch from Dontayvion Wicks:

Some TDs you can't explain 😨 pic.twitter.com/vT124QfDiG
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 1, 2021

The win was Virginia’s first at Miami since 2011 and sparked a four-game winning streak for the Wahoos.

6. September 22nd, 2017: Virginia 42, Boise State 23

Virginia went to Boise in late September and accomplished a rare feat: beating the Broncos on their iconic blue home-turf in convincing fashion 42-23. Boise State had not lost a home game by double-digits since 2001. Kurt Benkert recorded 273 passing yards and three touchdowns, including two touchdowns to Andre Levrone, who recorded 141 receiving yards in the game.

5. October 13th, 2018: Virginia 16, Miami 13

No. 16 Miami came into Scott Stadium on a Saturday night to face a Virginia team that had not knocked off a ranked opponent since 2014. Virginia’s defense intercepted Miami three times, including one pick by Joey Blount and two interceptions by Juan Thornhill. The Cavaliers held the Canes without a touchdown for the first three quarters of the game and Miami had just 235 yards of total offense in the game. UVA held on for the 16-13 upset victory and the fans stormed the field.

4. October 31st, 2020: Virginia 44, North Carolina 41

In yet another high-scoring edition of the South’s Oldest Rivalry, the Hoos and Heels combined for 954 yards of total offense and 85 points. UNC outgained UVA 536-418, but a few crucial turnovers and a couple of critical plays allowed the Cavaliers to secure the upset win over No. 15 North Carolina. Keytaon Thompson received the direct snap on a fake punt and converted on fourth down with a little over a minute left to secure Virginia’s fourth win in a row against North Carolina.

3. September 14th, 2019: Virginia 31, Florida State 24

Shades of 1995. The Virginia offense scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and the Cavalier defense stopped Florida State at the UVA four-yard line as time expired. The Hoos beat the Seminoles 31-24 and the crowd of over 57,000 emptied onto the field. Wayne Taulapapa scored three touchdowns, including the game-winning score with two and a half minutes remaining. Virginia won its third straight game to start the memorable 2019 season.

2. December 29th, 2018: Virginia 28, South Carolina 0

Virginia possessed the ball for nearly three-quarters of the game and the Cavaliers completely shut down the Gamecocks in a 28-0 victory in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte. Bryce Perkins threw for 208 yards and three touchdowns, each of which went to Olamide Zaccheaus, who was named the MVP of the Belk Bowl. UVA won a bowl game for the first time since 2005.

1. November 29th, 2019: Virginia 39, Virginia Tech 30

This game was without a doubt the crowning achievement of Bronco Mendenhall’s time as head coach of the Virginia football program. Despite coming across the country from BYU, Mendenhall quickly understood how important the in-state rivalry of the Commonwealth Clash was to the UVA community. After 15 straight losses to Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers took down the Hokies 39-30 in an epic clash on Black Friday. Even without the significant ramifications of the outcome, the game itself was one for the ages, with three lead changes and four ties in the game. Bryce Perkins threw for 311 yards and a touchdown and added 164 yards and two more scores on the ground. Eventually, UVA’s defense came up with the game-winning stop as Mandy Alonso forced a Hendon Hooker fumble in the end zone and Eli Hanback recovered it for a touchdown. As time expired, the UVA fans at Scott Stadium rushed onto the field to celebrate the team’s first victory over Virginia Tech since 2003. As a result of that victory, the Hoos won the ACC Coastal title for the first time and went on to play in the ACC Championship Game and the Orange Bowl in one of the most successful seasons in the history of the Virginia football program.