By Dave Holcomb
SouthernPigskin.com

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Dave Holcomb previews Virginia’s game at BYU.

Bronco Mendenhall spent 11 years as the head coach of the BYU football team. In those 11 seasons, he amassed 99 wins, a .697 win percentage and 11 trips to bowl games, which included six bowl victories.

But in 2016, he left for an opportunity to coach at a Power 5 school. This Saturday, that Power 5 program, Virginia, will visit Mendenhalls old stomping grounds with a new kind of opportunity on the horizon.

BYU has lost two of its last three games, but the Cougars moved back into the AP Top 25 this week. That fact allows Mendenhall and the Cavaliers the chance to capture their first road win against a Top 25 team in nearly 10 years.

Despite Mendenhalls background as a defensive back in his college playing days and defensive coordinator, his teams usually feature very good passing attacks. Thats certainly true this year for both his current and former programs.

Virginia junior quarterback Brennan Armstrong is having a terrific season and leads the ACC with 402.5 passing yards per game. The only signal caller averaging more passing yards per game in the country is Western Kentuckys Bailey Zappe.

Its not too surprising Armstrong leads the ACC in passing since he has 122 more passing attempts than any other quarterback in the conference. Still, the ACC standings for most passing yards per game is not close this year. The only other signal caller in the conference even averaging 300 passing yards per contest is Pitts Kenny Pickett, and hes posting 319.4 passing yards per game — more than 80 yards fewer per week than Armstrong.

Armstrong is averaging 8.7 yards per pass, which is fourth-best in the ACC. He also has a conference-high 23 touchdowns and six interceptions.

BYU features a lot more balance in its offense than Virginia, and as a result, the Cougars are ranked in the middle of the pack nationally in passing yards. But BYU averages 8.3 yards per pass attempt, which is tied for 35th out of 130 FBS teams. Virginia is recording 8.5 yards per pass this season, which is tied for 28th.

While Armstrong will be the best player for either offense, Virginias defense will arguably have a more difficult time because the unit cant game plan to stop just one facet of the BYU offense. The Cougars have 278 rushing attempts versus 230 passing plays this season. They have gained 81 first downs via rushes and 78 first downs with the passing game.

Sophomore running back Tyler Allgeier leads BYU in yards from scrimmage. He has 11 touchdowns and averages 5.2 yards per carry. Starting quarterback Jaren Hall is also averaging more than 5.0 yards per rush and has nine passing touchdowns.

But while Virginia is too much of a pass-happy offense at times, its not as though defenses can slow down the Cavaliers passing game by focusing on one or two Virginia receivers. Armstrong has spread the ball around to 16 different pass catchers this season. Virginia has five players with at least 25 receptions, and six different players have hauled in a touchdown catch.

Armstrong has connected with senior receiver Billy Kemp IV more than anyone else. Kemp has 57 catches for 541 yards and five touchdowns. But the offenses big-play weapon is sophomore wideout Dontayvion Wicks. He is averaging an ACC-leading 22.3 yards per reception with eight touchdowns, which is second-most in the ACC.

BYU is ranked 85th nationally in passing yards allowed per game. Although the BYU secondary played better last week, the Cougars gave up 8.3 yards per pass against Baylor two weeks ago.

Even though Virginia has won four straight, the Cavaliers have allowed more than 25 points per game during the winning streak. Virginias opponents have been scoring at that rate since Sept. 30 despite the Cavaliers shutting out Duke two weeks ago.

The showdown wont mean anything in the ACC Coastal standings and isnt much of a revenge game for either side. Mendenhall departed so amicably from BYU after a tremendous tenure with the Cougars, and all the players he recruited are gone.

But the matchup is an opportunity for Virginia to beat a ranked opponent on the road for the first time since November 2011. Should it happen, the Cavaliers will have an argument to be in the Top 25 when the first playoff rankings come out next week.

Prediction: Virginia 45, BYU 40