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22 CAVALIER CORNER asked what the season meant to him. "Not just what we did, but how we did it. Think- ing about all the years that Coach Men- denhall has been here, and I was only here for two of them, but how every year, the unbroken growth of this team and the spirit and the bond of this team is unmatched. … You can see on the field just how hard we fight for each other. "I'm not into moral victories, because we lost the game. But I'm proud of these guys. Proud of how we worked. And I'm proud of the culture we set and the standard." UVA's fourth-years had a lot of success outside of Perkins. Joe Reed — a Charlotte Courthouse, Va., native — not only was a first-team All-ACC pick and All-American at kick returner, but was also recognized as the 2019 Jet Award winner (nation's best re- turn man). He leaves UVA as the career kick return yardage record holder (3,042) with a record five kick returns for touchdowns. Reed is the only player in Football Bowl Subdivision history with more than 3,000 career kick return yards and a career kick- return average of at least 28 yards. He also teamed with fellow fourth-year Hasise Dubois and third-year Terrell Jana to give Virginia three receivers with 70 recep- tions or more. And Dubois' 1,000-yard sea- son gave UVA its second in a row (Olamide Zaccheaus in 2018). On the defensive side, Virginia loses in- jured All-America cornerback Bryce Hall, inside linebacker and team captain Jordan Mack, and defensive lineman Eli Hanback, a stalwart in the middle who never missed a game during his entire four-year career. "When Coach Mendenhall got here, we won two games," Hanback recalled. "It was pretty bad. A lot of guys left. And now we're in the Orange Bowl. It wasn't the outcome we wanted, but we fought hard. We gave it all we've got. "So, I'd say for myself, my class, and the seniors and guys behind me who are leav- ing, we did leave a lasting legacy that shows if you buy in and trust the process that it will pay off." A lifelong Wahoos fan, Hanback was clear on what his time in Charlottesville meant to him. "It's very sad," he said. "I came in the locker room, had some tears. I'll probably have more later. But it's been an honor and a blessing to have an opportunity to play here. I hope I left it better than I found it. I'll be grateful for the rest of my life for the oppor- tunity that I had to come play football here." "I couldn't be more proud of my team and my staff," Mendenhall said, "and thankful for the support that we have received from Presi- dent [Jim] Ryan and his belief that, again, you can have world-class academics and ex- ceptional football at the Power Five level. "[I'm also thankful] for [athletics direc- tor] Carla Williams and her support helping to add some of the things that allow for us to be competitive at that level. I'm very lucky to be the coach." "I'm really proud of my team. The culture we've established, the competitive spirit, the intensity and the camaraderie that's displayed from beginning to end. We're on a mission to just simply establish that you can have world-class aca- demics and be at the top tier of college football as well." HEAD COACH BRONCO MENDENHALL Fourth-year linebacker and team captain Jordan Mack capped his career with a 69-tackle effort that included a team-best 7.5 sacks. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA