Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 SEPT. 30, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI VIRGINIA'S TURN TO BE COASTAL CHAMP? Parity at the top in college football is a myth, but it is quite real in the seven-team Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. That side of the bracket has featured a different division winner each of the past six years: Duke (2013), Georgia Tech (2014), North Carolina (2015), Virginia Tech (2016), Miami (2017) and Pittsburgh (2018). The lone school not to win the division since 2013 is Vir- ginia — which was projected among 173 ACC voters this July to face At- lantic Division favorite and reigning national champ Clemson in the 2019 ACC championship game. That would make it seven for seven, a remarkable testament to both the balance and lack of a pow- erhouse in the Coastal Division. The reasons for choosing Virginia are at least three-fold. First is the progress made under head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who was an impressive 99-43 in 11 seasons at Brigham Young (2005-15) and has gradually improved the Cavaliers from 2-10 to 6-7 to 8-5 his first three seasons. Two of their ACC losses last year came in overtime to Geor- gia Tech (30-27) and Virginia Tech (34-31), and the season ended with a resounding 28-0 victory versus South Carolina in the Belk Bowl. Second, Mendhenhall has a po- tential game-changer at quarterback in senior Bryce Perkins. Last year Perkins joined Oklahoma Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray as the only two FBS quarterbacks to pass for more than 2,600 yards (2,680 at a 64.5 percent clip with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions) and rush for more than 900 yards (923, 4.4 yards per carry and nine scores) in 2018. Third, the back eight of the 3-4 de- fense is the best on paper in the Coastal Division, headlined by senior corner- back Bryce Hall, who earned second- team All-America notice last year from Walter Camp, Football Writers Asso- ciation of America and Phil Steele. Notre Dame had its share of prob- lems with 2018 Coastal Division champ Pittsburgh last year before prevailing 19-14, but Virginia could offer even more resistance this year. THE WEEK AFTER The contest against Virginia quali- fies as Notre Dame's No. 1 "All-Cli- ché" game in 2019. Terms such as "letdown" or "trap game" or "hang- over effect" will be in abundance for at least a couple of reasons. One, Virginia the week prior to playing the Fighting Irish will have its "tune-up contest" versus Old Domin- ion, which finished 4-8 last season. Then again, the Monarchs did shock Virginia Tech 49-35 last year prior to the Hokies playing Notre Dame. Second, and probably more signifi- cant, head coach Brian Kelly's crew will be coming off what was basically advertised as a mini-College Football Playoff the previous week at No. 3 Georgia. The euphoria of a victory as a 14-point underdog would make Notre Dame ripe for an upset, while the dejection of a defeat could have lingering aftereffects. History is vast with Notre Dame having the proverbial letdown "the week after." Perhaps the three great- est "what tho' the odds" victories by the Fighting Irish were the One For The Gipper-upset of Army in 1928, the epic comeback at Ohio State in 1935 that was voted as the greatest college game in the first century of football (1869-1969), and the stun- ning defeat of Oklahoma in Norman in 1957 to snap the Sooners' NCAA- record 47-game winning streak. Here's the rest of the story: On all three occasions, Notre Dame lost at home the following week. Of more recent vintage were the 31-24 win over No. 1 Florida State in 1993 to move to 10-0 and No. 1 — only to lose at home to Boston Col- lege the next week (41-39). Or defeat- ing No. 5 and defending co-national champion Michigan in 1998 and the No. 3 Wolverines at Ann Arbor in 2005 — and then falling the next week, both times to Michigan State. In Kelly's first nine seasons, one of the most celebrated victories was at No. 8 Oklahoma in 2012 (30-13) — and then the next week a so-so Pitt team held a 20-6 advantage in the fourth quarter at Notre Dame Stadium before the Irish prevailed 29-26 in triple-overtime. GAME PREVIEW: VIRGINIA Top STorylineS Head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who was an impressive 99-43 in 11 seasons at Brigham Young (2005-15), has gradually improved the Cavaliers from 2-10 to 6-7 to 8-5 his first three seasons in Charlottesville. PHOTO COURTESY VIRGINIA MEDIA RELATIONS