When asked Wednesday what one thing he hopes to see in his team in Saturday’s home opener against Richmond, Mendenhall talked about resiliency. That’s one intangible that his BYU teams were known for and he wants the same at UVa.

I asked a couple of the Cavaliers’ defensive leaders that after working in Mendenhall’s system since January, if they could understand how BYU was down 35-0 (thanks to an atypical seven turnovers) in the first quarter to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, but came back with a chance to win at the end, to hear their thoughts.

“ There was no quit in those guys,” said UVa linebacker Micah Kiser, the ACC’s leading tackler last season. “They were down 35-0, and their defense just kicked the crap out of Utah. They were extremely resilient.

“ Hopefully we’ll develop that toughness, that willpower, that dedication and resilience they had at BYU and the culture will be changed so we can have a winning tradition here at Virginia,” Kiser said.

Safety Quin Blanding, the ACC’s second-leading tackler in 2015, agreed.