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20 ◆ CAVALIER CORNER BY BRAD FRANKLIN F OLLOWING A TOUGH 2‑10 season during his first fall in Charlottesville, head coach Bronco Mendenhall and the Cavaliers hit the reset button in some ways this spring. In so doing, they're hoping their second campaign together can lead to the sort of results they had hoped for initially. Despite a résumé that included consistent postseason appearances, the new coaching staff was unable to get the turnaround started on the right foot in 2016. But what Menden- hall and his assistant coaches learned during the course of a frustrating season was put to good use during spring ball. The focus was intensely aimed at first making the team bigger and stronger during winter conditioning, and then on playing as much actual 11-on-11 football as possible during the spring. Mendenhall, despite the team lacking depth in a number of spots, decided the players would hit and tackle full time. That added level of toughness, combined with gains in the weight room, could lead to a significant step forward this fall against arguably a much more manageable sched- An Overview Of What To Watch For With The Cavaliers This Fall 2017 SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET) Sept. 2 William & Mary (ACCNE) 3:30 p.m. Sept. 9 Indiana (ACCNE) 3:30 p.m. Sept. 16 Connecticut (ESPNU) 12 p.m. Sept. 22 Boise State (ESPN2) 8 p.m. Oct. 7 Duke TBA Oct. 14 at North Carolina TBA Oct. 21 Boston College TBA Oct. 28 at Pittsburgh TBA Nov. 4 Georgia Tech TBA Nov. 11 at Louisville TBA Nov. 18 at Miami TBA Nov. 24 Virginia Tech TBA 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Fourth-year linebacker Micah Kiser ranked first in the ACC and third nationally with an average of 11.2 tackles per game in 2016. PHOTO BY PETE EMERSON/COURTESY UVA