Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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10 CAVALIER CORNER BY SCOTT FITZGERALD A fter a 6-6 campaign, the Virginia football team finds itself bowl eligible for a fifth straight sea- son with a spot in the inaugural Wasabi Fenway Bowl. The Cava- liers will play the first bowl game at historic Fenway Park and the first-ever bowl game in New England when they take on Southern Methodist University on Dec. 29. The contest will also mark the end of Bronco Mendenhall's tenure as the Fralin Family head coach after he announced his resignation on Dec. 2. The Cavaliers will at- tempt to send Mendenhall off on a winning note, ensuring they finish with a .500-or- better record for the fifth straight season, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since the end of the legendary career of George Welsh in 2000. HIGH-FLYING ATTACK The 2021 season will forever be remem- bered for the high-octane offense that Virginia displayed from start to finish. Led by third-year quarterback Brennan Armstrong, the Cavaliers built the most potent pass- ing offense in the history of the program. Armstrong put on an all-out assault on the UVA record books, posting numbers that neither the program nor the ACC have ever seen before. The left-handed signal-caller broke the program's single-season passing yards record in just nine games, and with 4,449 yards (404.5 per game) finds himself just 145 away from owning the most yards in a single season of any Atlantic Coast Confer- ence quarterback. The single-game passing yards (554) and total offense (538) records fell at North Carolina on Sept. 18. He went on to set single-season marks for touch- downs (40) and total offense (4,700). The Virginia offense has been one of the most prolific in school history, scoring 415 points in 12 games (34.6 average), the third most in school history and only the fourth time the Cavaliers have passed the 400-point threshold in a season. TALE OF TWO SEPTEMBERS The Cavaliers operated on all cylinders through their first two games, posting a 43-0 shutout in the season opener against Commonwealth foe William & Mary and then recording a 42-14 win over Illinois in week two. Virginia held its first two oppo- nents of the season to just 14 points, the ON THE OFFENSIVE A Potent Attack Led By Third-Year Quarterback Brennan Armstrong Helped UVA Become Bowl Eligible Again Armstrong led the way for one of the most prolific offenses in school history, accounting for 40 touchdowns and 4,700 yards of total of- fense. The Cavaliers' 415 points in 12 games are the third most in a single season in school history. (Photo By Matt Riley/courtesy UVA)