5 Questions and a (Possible) Blog Bet with Streaking the Lawn

Maybe not related to this game so much, but how does the phrase “Streaking the Lawn” apply to the Virginia Cavaliers? Are there pictures?

I’ll explain it the same way my parents (both Class of 1980) explained it to me, dropping me off at my first-year dorm in August [DATE REDACTED]: “There are two types of people at the University—those who streak the Lawn, and those who steal their friends’ clothes while THEY streak the Lawn.” Into which category each of our blog staffers fell? Well, you’ll just have to guess.

Fill in the blanks and explain your rationale: __________ is to food as Bronco Mendenhall is to_________?

OK so I was that nerd who really enjoyed the analogies section of the SATs, but this has taken me like three days to figure out. I’m going to go with two things that are already paired together pretty frequently: “wine,” and “Virginia football.” You can’t live without the second, and you’ve been consuming it all your life, but this first thing: that’s new and it’s different. Your parents definitely started enjoying it before you did and you thought they were a little crazy, since you enjoyed things that were a lot splashier and more popular, like Irish Trash Cans or Mark Richt. You can see all the reasons they SHOULD go really well together but you haven’t exactly figured out how yet. It’s growing on you the more you experience it, and there are starting to be some signs that the more time you give it the better it’s going to get.

Who is an under-the-radar player on your team we should be wary of? (I may or may not forward your response to our coaches.)

Brenton Nelson. He’s a redshirt freshman walk-on safety who only earned a scholarship this offseason. He turned down football scholarship offers from Kentucky, Louisville, and Wisconsin in order to run track at UVA instead, but got brought back to the gridiron last year. He busted out against UConn, snagging his first career pick and breaking up two more passes (including one in the end zone). We’ve been raving about him so far this season, so his under-the-radar-ness may be waning. But we’ll keep our eyes on #28 to be making more big plays as he gets back into the swing of playing football.

Using Microsoft Paint, draw a picture of a scenario you see playing out in this game.

I do not have (1) Microsoft Paint, or (2) any semblance of artistic talent, so I enlisted the help of the STL Graphics Department, a/k/a ya boy Alex Cheung. We set our sights high here in UVA Football land, so I am guaranteeing one—THAT’S RIGHT YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST, AT LEAST ONE—Virginia touchdown. #WaHooWa.

(Oh, wait...that's the picture my daughter drew in church. Here it is! -Russ)

On a scale of past fashion trends (with “Midriff Cutoff Sweatshirt” being “Supremely” and “Pants Worn Backward” being “Not At All”), rate your confidence coming into this game.

Pooka Shell Necklace. There have been some things to like through three games, but not enough consistency to make me anywhere near Midriff Cutoff Sweatshirt-level confident (which, for me, would take A LOT of confidence). If the Hoos can avoid any major mistakes during each first series—both UVA’s first offensive and BSU’s first defensive—I may get all the way to Flat Brim Baseball Cap confident. But any turnovers on offense or giving up gash yardage on defense, and I’ll start sinking toward Urban Camouflage Cargo Shorts. Which is about where I was after the first five minutes of the last Boise-Virginia game.