Bronco Mendenhall Media Availability (8/19/24)

number one I feel fortunate to be at the University of New Mexico uh my wife and I what a Incredible Journey it's been so far uh she arrives in town Thursday for her arrival I've been here since December um A lot's gone on to this A lot's gone into this move as well as work into this program to this point uh this is the beginning of an era Saturday it doesn't Define an era and there's a difference I love my team their work their willingness to compete their belief in me as the head coach but also the systems and gosh they've put in lots of time energy and effort and Trust already I'm anxious to help them continue to grow learn and improve as well as this program also uh I'd like to Express gratitude our stadium looks great and so there's been a lot of people that have prepared the stadium for the beginning of this era and there's way more that goes into a football program than just what the head coach does and I've receiv received tremendous support to this point and I'm grateful for that so I'll be glad to take questions um from anyone if you hav't question follow up Sean I'm sure you want to go first yeah let's di to Montana State um he forced you to go first didn't he that that was that was a forc one of the uh I mean best teams in FCS offensively last season I think they AAG just you know shade 4 Points a game when you uh look at what they did last year stood out about what made them so successful yeah I think when you're talking about Montana State you first need to frame it as you're talking about a football program not a football team there's a difference there are teams that flash in and out there are teams that are consistent or not consistent once a team becomes consistent year in and year out it starts moving toward a program and so Montana State's done a really nice job of establishing a football program their identities are clear both offensively and defensively they have systems they believe in they've recruited Personnel to fit those systems um and they've identified and developed a really nice culture and have had success so this is a seasoned experienced well coached football program regardless of level um I don't really even acknowledge that I look at the quality of players the quality of systems the quality of coaching the quality of programs whatever precedes that in terms of f whatever it doesn't matter to me um and so I'm impressed Bronco could you talk about uh the U just the opportunity that you guys had like Frank at the beginning say said how it's going to be the only game out there like that and you know one of the only games out there and U how much how many eyes are going to be on that because there's a lot of eyes going to be on here already because you're here can you talk about that opportunity I think it is an opportunity and does that mean now all of a sudden we prepare harder because of that opportunity does it mean that we we I don't know uh act differently you can't act harder or more different than we are in trying to move the program forward however is it an opportunity absolutely will Impressions be formed about me and our team on Saturday how could they not be um there are all kinds of challenges to a week Zero game but there are all kinds of benefits to weak Zero game and so we have both and at this stage for the program um for All Eyes to be honest what better way to start and that comes with leadership right I'm accountable for the results but I'm also accountable um to find and help and leverage opportunities when they come and that's what this is and so all eyes on Albuquerque and New Mexico football it's been a while and what better start and just a followup to uh with that kind of a different subject uh um is it is it surprising to you to have you ever worked and had a ad leave like the same week that you're Dewing no um but let's let's just address that really squarely um Eddie Nunes did an exceptional job at UNM and man New Opportunities come when you do great work and so anything other than gratit itude and excitement for him doesn't seem to be aligned so both Holly and I are super excited for his opportunity grateful for the chance we had while he was here appreciative of all the work that's he's done and and really now what changes I was hired to coach the football team um regardless of whom I'm who I answer to that doesn't change and I intend to do that at the highest level of my capability with great principles great morals and great outcomes over time um who I get to work with we'll find out but I I have only just congratulations and and best wishes for Eddie and timing it really doesn't matter to be honest it hasn't changed one bit of any of the days that I've had and so it will change the university landscape it'll change the athletic department landscape I've got way too much going on than really be affected by that let's go Jeff from the journal the you uh talked about getting off the r you had to have alignment with the leadership so I'm curious what role you want now that you're already here and new leaders com in what role would you like to take in the next selection of now you know I trust our leaders um so president Stokes has um it's our relationship has been brief normally it takes time and consistency and results to establish trust that's happen pretty quickly here and so president Stokes will do an amazing job um track record so shows she knows how to hire an athletic director um so I trust that that will happen and quite frankly I'm going to coach our team there's a lot that I have going um if my opinion is asked I'll be glad to share if my advice is warranted or requested I'll be glad to share that other than that I don't intend to be involved and I'll just trust the process hey it's been a little bit since you've been on the the sidelines being a head coach um for college a college football team you've spoken on the reasons why you've returned back to this landscape but now at the moment it's just a few days away how are you feeling about getting back out there you know it feels like I never left um this will be my 18th year as a head coach and it seems like just one giant season uh I I don't really remember now the last year and a half in terms of not being on the sideline so it's funny how that works it just feels like another normal start to the season in terms of what my role is what the Rhythm what the routine is I didn't know what to expect I thought it might seem different it doesn't it just seems like we played last week and I I've been surprised by that but also not surprised by that so Sean be inevitable followup was that a compliment that didn't sound like a compliment when he's been healthy number four Tommy m i mean he's been really Dynamic run at a really high level what are the challenges he contain in a guy that experienced and that Talent just as you said super Dynamic he's fast he's quick he's experienced they've won a lot of football games um with him at that position uh and anytime the quarterback is a runner you start running out of defensive numbers and a lot of one-on ones meaning beating blocks and making tackles become necessary and so the system is really well designed they have the right player at that position and guys I think a Kirby Smart said it maybe best um and he said when you have a quarterback you have a chance so in their system and in most systems when you have a really good quarterback you have a chance he just happens to be dynamic and so lots of quarterback run lots of quarterback designed run and then you have quarterback creation plays where a drop back to throw or something doesn't go just right and there's still ability and so those are all challenges for the defense um and yeah he's very capable so does a nice job defensively Brody gree number 10 he's been really Dynamic for them two and they were second in the country in sacks last year he had n and a half as well kind of on the CLI side what makes it difficult to contain production uh their defense returns I believe nine nine starters so again it's an experienced football program and it's fun to see see good players excel in good programs and be used correctly and so all that's helped him uh anytime that those statistics start to Bear kind of the weight that you're sharing there's a reason for that and so usually it's the right player with the right motivation the right skill set the right technique in the right system and that's what's happening at Montana State on both sides of the ball probably based on the national reaction it could be said that Edd's party GI you was high than you if also be said part to you was a back breaking schedule U just looking not past Saturday but but looking at the schedule you believe you have the depth to Traverse that SCH successful so uh yes to both perspectives that you started with um when you're uh when you take over a program there are certain challenges you inherit and certain things that you really don't have any control over that you inherit um every one of those is a learning opportunity is our depth capable of handling the schedule it has to be and my job quite frankly is to make that happen so um I like the challenges not only of right the the difficulty of beginning uh We've acknowledged that we're taking it face on it's probably the first thing I hear anytime I'm in public wow difficult SK yeah I get it um but it is what it is and so so great test for our program great opportunity for our program we'll use the buys to our advantage we'll use the tough T start to um in terms of scheduling to grow um we'll learn really well how to travel and play on the road and we'll learn how to do that over an extended time period all that can be foundational to a program moving forward that doesn't mean it has to be only viewed negatively that gives us a lot of different growth opportunities and so I'll frame it like that what what do you like on game day I mean do you have anything that you do like the same thing you wear the same hat over and over again or or and and do you think you'll get any rest just from the excitement of it I mean you're coming back so uh I have a pretty I don't know if it's Unique but a pretty simple philosophy and um I really love uh most of what John Wooden has written and in one of uh the conversations uh that that I received a transcript on he talked about maybe his ideal and this will be paraphrased maybe his ideal would be uh that he could put his team on a bus or on a plane and they could go off and play and he wouldn't be missed that they are so prepared they're so player-led the execution and preparation is at such a level that he wouldn't be missed um I work hard to be irrelevant on game day and that might sound counterintuitive but that just means that the team has been so well prepared they're so confident they're so United the player leadership is such in place our adjustments are already set um that that I could watch and enjoy what work we put in um my team knows and what I've even though we haven't been through a game yet what I've shared them is the closer it gets to the game the less that I speak the more I expect them to speak um and so it's atypical um if someone were to mic me up on Game Day expecting that would be valued content it would be a lot of Silence but what I do say I mean um and when I do speak I expect it to be done um that might be 5% of the game where you'll see something said or done where I actually influence at that point if I'm speaking more than that that usually means something isn't going well and it means that I'm having to make Corrections that were probably overlooked unexpected or not PR prepared for before and if I'm saying nothing and looks like I'm doing nothing great it's a good day yeah it's a good day all right let's go back to Sean uh first time we're looking at a formal depth chart um Isaiah is listed as a sole backup you said that competition could carry over to this week is that final or is that kind of on it's final as of week one uh as is all the depth chart I made a comment to you I didn't expect many ores since the time we talked gosh the competition for some of the backups spots demanded ores starters not so many which I see is a good thing I expect that to carry on for gosh first third of the Season maybe from what I see and I'm talking more on backup rolls Isaiah man did he make the most of his opportunities special spark special production and differentiated himself through both and we didn't see it coming we saw it in him but yeah um it's been fun to see that and he's done a nice job at the starting Buck spot you have an war between Demitri and Randolph right now Randolph obviously coming in over the summer what kind of Camp has he had to play himself into that s production production production production so Dimitri knows what to do how to do it his very experien and gives us anchor points there that are super valuable uh Randolph just makes plays and the volume of plays has warranted his consideration and proud of him for that La so you spoke on how you wanted kind of a player Le team especially heading into this game and then after speaking of a lot of them during fall Camp they described how rigorous it was and things of that sort but what did you see from these last few weeks that's going to translate into Saturday um a willing team competitive Spirit belief in one another and hope um hope moves to belief with results they're hopeful and um we did not have a practice that I had to to correct or restart or come into my staff and just say man what happened today that's atypical for the rigor and for the length of time man they're resilient and they're gritty and they're tough and they support one another and they just keep coming that's those are great qualities uh what kind of football we'll play in game one we'll see what the execution looks like um but the foundation of those other principles gosh that's fun um myself and our strength coach um we call him Coach Blackjack but the Leadership Council and the seminars and the training and the embracing of that the application of it from our team leaders has been just really exceptional and so I believe that right um involvement equals ownership and I I'm not looking to make every decision in this program I'm actually looking for others to make decisions that can cap capture hearts and minds and Propel us forward and the more of those decisions that can happen at the player level um the better we're going to play and the faster we'll have a great football program so it starts with the team that's this year's team uh but the principles bind teams together success then starts to generate credibility and then your program is off and running and then it's just the next version of a quality New Mexico team different teams in different eras and all that but the parallels are kind of similar uh you open up New Mexico against an FCS team right number four in the country 2016 in Virginia you open up against FCS team uh right number four the country lost 37 to 20 I guess in kind of a broader sense I mean what did you learn from that Richmond game back then in terms of where program is at and what what lessons you kind of taken from that in terms of building Mexico yeah the the that was um that was an impactful game so after taking over the University of Virginia an ACC program at Power five program and after success at BYU opening with Richmond and at home and I remember walking out at warm-ups and and seeing Richmond but also just seeing my team and I came in the locker room after warm-ups and I told my coaches um that we're in trouble I was talking about really players demeanor I said go get with your guys right now what I realized at that time is we'd spend all of our preparation so there at at the University of Virginia our practice facility was was not at the same location as our stadium and when we went to the stadium oversight on my part lack of preparation on my part but also just where the program was um we were tentative we were uncertain and the history there clearly was overriding when they were in that locker room on that field they immediately reverted and acted as if they were in that locker room on that field and expecting the same results that had been happening for some time I underestimated that effect in that space um and so that was gosh the only FCS team in my career that had beaten us and they beat us soundly I thought the score was more lopsided than even that felt like it and yet that's where we were that was where we were and that ended up helping me understand with more clarity um so I thought we were um at the foundational level of program that showed me that was a false floor that we were beneath that there was probably two or three more false floors we uncovered through that season uh there was a 2 and 10 season which then helped me reframe and frame maybe correctly where the program really was then we qualify for postseason in year two the fans rush the field when we beat Georgia Tech winning six games over the rails off the hill here they come in year two I'm not sure that happens that fast without Richmond in year one painful yep um but foundational and I thought after that game there was the Baseline to move the program forward again as I mentioned I found two or three other subfloor basements after that which then finally allowed us to put in the right strategy and and mechanisms to move it forward which then happened in year two I thought at Virginia year year two would have been year one we would have barely qualified for postseason and then here we go but it took two years um so what did I learn man I've looked really hard have we been in our own stadium enough have we identified addressing the brutal facts of our history right uh are we leveraging what our team can do not only um physically but mentally and through their confidence and games help um but they also keep score right so here comes feedback why counting that's part of my job and will I will I do everything possible to address all that at the same time yeah can I know truly before we play I wish I could um I'll find out and we'll adjust I'll learn and apply as fast as possible and we'll do that every single week and move the program forward and we will move forward so that's a very confident statement we will move forward we will learn and apply where we'll start from we'll kind of find out at the same time let's go to Rob and then we're going to go to our out of town meia Rob coach there are so many things about your program that are unique and I thought I'd ask if there's anything with the way that you prepare your team game week um that is really important to you that you'd like to share or that maybe stands out from other programs um that sort of our identifiers that are really important to you um you know I'm not sure how unique and different and I I have a lot of colleagues that I know and and visited with for a long time just because I've been in the industry for a long time um I really spend very little time talking about or considering our opponent which might sound counterintuitive um yes we play Montana State yes they're a good football program there's my entire focus is on the University of New Mexico our players our assignment our technique our motive our effort our Collective will and what our goals are and this just happens to be the team that's coming in that we play and so I know in this setting right that my I'm expected to address our opponent and I will be next week and next week and Etc it's really the only time I address our opponent um I spend very little time if any talking about our opponent with our staff or our team and you might say well how do you be prepared um here's the film it doesn't matter to the colors um what can we do what do we need to do how can we leverage our best opportunity to move the program forward and this is just the next chance to do it and um I'm not caught up do nor do I ever even look at social media I don't know what the line is I don't know what any of you say so don't worry um um it it just has no bearing um my job is to help these players do the best they can and that's all I focus on sounds like your extreme effort that you talk about about um it's extreme focus on you and your program what I've learned is there's only so much I can control and I can't control one thing the other team does or one thing that's written or one thing that's done other than helping my team have the best chance possible and that's all I have time for and it's really all I care about it doesn't mean it's the right way it's just how I like to do it let's go to cter in uh Montana oh right here speak speak up a little bit Yeah so the question was quarterback in the Run game did they do anything like other teams that I've seen was that the question yeah yeah uh so Run game college football now quarterbacks that can run probably more typical than atypical and so I'll kind of go Rockstar style here and so uh gosh yes we've seen great quarterback Runners before gosh I had a chance to defend Lamar Jackson at a in a wow um that was amazing so yes I've seen the approach before um but a great athlete at that position doesn't mean a great scheme or Run game and so I think Montana State's done a nice job of having a really good player at that position but then gone to Great Lengths to have super Design Elements and compliments to your answers much like option football and so really good player really good scheme seasoning experience have we seen something similar yes identical no um and that's probably the best way I'd describe it so the question uh if I heard it correctly was tying Wyoming to Montana state do I see any similarities is that the question yeah so when I was in the league Wyoming different system different style and different coaches so even though that era might have happened um I don't see enough to say man that looks like Wyoming this or that and so pretty distinct and different from when I've been in the league and so um yeah gosh my me most recent memories are all ACCC and so it's been a while and so I think the style from when I was here and saw Wyoming to what they're doing now quite different thanks CER anything else have you guys selected captains yet captains will be announced at the end of practice today and in terms of the dep just one more war to um um we got a board between Shawn Miller and Ryan Davis as well can you talk a little bit about that competition and how that's kind of played out throughout Camp gosh uh so Ryan Davis would be one of the um uh the rising um stars I would say on our current team and so while capable um and effective and productive to start Camp again volume of production just and sha as well so th that position is elevated itself through the competition between those two and it really didn't start as a competition it started with Shawn clearly um as the one and Ryan somewhere else and it's hasn't ended that way so really Shawn has done nothing other than improve but the um the trajectory and the ascent of Ryan is man it's been great for everybody and he's done a super job so that made our team is making our team better appreciate the questions look forward to seeing you whenever after the game is that our next post game all right thanks get post game okay great perfect