CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 SPORTS) -- A year ago Joe Sandoe jumped straight into fall camp at St. Anne's-Belfield, a year later a full offseason made a world of difference.

"It's night and day," senior RB/LB Hudson Toll said, "The attention to detail just with warmups you hear them back there, they're very militaristic and we get it done."

"Last year he was coming in and we were kind of stunned to be honest and then this year it's a huge push for culture and the new kind of traditions that we're going to push for this team," senior LB/TE Sumner Solomon said.

Coming from the Atlanta area, Sandoe brought a new culture the Saints hope turns into a winning identity.

"Starts with a mindset, mindset and confidence," Sandoe said, "I think these guys have put a lot of work in to develop that confidence. We've gotten better football wise with our skill, with our depth, with our numbers, but we've also come together more as a program."

Although the record showed 1-8 in year one, the games showed a different story for STAB with several close losses.

"It drives us immensely, it's that burning gut feeling every time we think about it," Toll said, "Coach Sandoe he reminds us every day how close we were, but yet how far we have gotten."

"We were not necessarily a 1-8 football team last year," Sandoe said, "We were in every game except one at halftime and a lot of times ran out of gas, ran out of steam. That's part of the confidence that they have too."

The roster has doubled in size going into year two with a new versatile defense and a plethora of weapons on offense.

"Offensively we're a really fast team, really quick team," Solomon said, "Compared to last year we have a lot more bodies, so we'll be able to hold up that strength going throughout the game."

Armed with a deeper, athletic roster, STAB looks to change what it means when the Saints pop up on the schedule.

"These guys are going to be guys with no quit, they're resilient, they've got resolve and they're fundamentally sound the whole way through," Sandoe said, "Whether they're tired or not, 'man when are these guys going to quit' is what we want the mindset to be for us."

"Be frightened, they will be scared," Toll said, "They see us walking out of that tunnel and out of that helmet, they should know we're ready to fight."