Mendenhall: Love Playing Utah State Every Year

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Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall

Opening Remarks

Good Morning. Just by way of opening remarks, I was pleased with the way our team played against Colorado State. I think Colorado State will end up being a very good football team by the time it’s said and done throughout the conference race. I think they were a physical team, as we knew going into it, but I think we won the physical battle. We made more plays consistently from beginning to end and I think we played with great effort from beginning to end. And I think our team made strides to move forward – I was anxious to see that and glad to see that, and I think that we competed from beginning to end. Now we’re looking forward to our next challenge, again staying at home that is a great opportunity for us to play well in our stadium. We are anxious to play Utah State under Coach Anderson.

How do you think you corrected the problems you saw in the Colorado State game?

I think we corrected them very effectively, I think the areas that appeared to be areas that needed to be concentrated on ended up being strengths in that particular game. And in any game there will be other areas that will be uncovered, but that will continue to happen for about two or three more weeks. But overall I think we have a fairly comprehensive look at our team and considering how Colorado State was playing, especially how they opened the football game and that they haven’t lost a game yet – to win in this fashion was a nice rebound, if that’s the right word.

What is your scheduling philosophy with Utah State?

The philosophy I have tried to make clear from the time that I was named head coach that I loved to play Utah State every year, because of the implications just on the state. After traveling to Logan last year, certainly their fans are passionate about supporting their team and care a lot about the rivalry. And I think our fans are the same way and so there is a chance for two different parts of the state to continue to play and sometimes just because of the distance and the mountain ranges, you’re not paying that much attention. But certainly when you’re on the field, the passions, you can tell that there is a lot of competitive spirit on both sides of the field for both programs. So I love to play Utah State every year. I like the idea of there being a state champion on a yearly basis between Utah, Utah State and ourselves. And I think that would be good for the state just in general.

If you were to scout your own team, what do you think the scouting report is saying about your offense and your defense?

If I were to scout my own team offensively, I would say it is a talented football team, consistent, and continues to need to work on ball security. Defensively I would also say that they are consistent, but at times can lose concentration and if you capture them at that time you can probably move the football effectively. And I think those summaries are as clear as I can put it.

What do you think the scouting report on Max would be and in your eyes, is he making progress this year? Especially in light of the turnovers that keep happening?

Sure, I think Max is making progress. Maybe the best analogy that I could give is probably most everyone in here would think about the meeting against Colorado State and if I mentioned Brian Logan would only think of the passes he got beat on – and yet would overlook the productivity and the number of plays he did make. It is similar with Max. The number of plays he’s making, it’s easy when the standard goes very very high to only focus on what he’s not doing. I think he’s making tremendous progress not only in leadership, but in how he’s moving the team. And then the flaws, because the standard is higher, will always be exposed and talked about. I am confident and comfortable with where Max is and how he’s leading the team.

Have you had a chance to look at Utah State’s scouting report?

I looked quickly this morning, knowing that I was going to be asked that. I flew through each side of the ball as quickly as I could amongst other things I was doing. And identity-wise offensively, Dave Baldwin is their offensive coordinator and I have some familiarity with him because he was with Rocky Long at New Mexico. I’d say he’s very creative and innovative at using their personnel wisely and explosive is the way I would explain their offense. And defensively, a similar philosophy to maybe what Coach Anderson had at Utah where they’re not afraid to pressure with unique looks, and again ‘explosive’ would be a word I would use that way as well. So I think they are playing with a lot of energy, with very unique schemes and they are trying to capture the best use of personnel as possible.

What about [Robert Turbin, USU running back] and Diondre Borel [USU quarterback]?

I really like [Turbin] at running back, not only is he physical, but he’s fast. The plays that you do see that he can break away, no one is catching him and he’s big. So it’s a unique combination – big, physical and fast, which is pretty uncommon. From a year ago I know our players were very impressed after playing. They thought he was probably one of the best running backs we had seen, so I’m sure they’ll remember.

[Borel is] really athletic. We had a hard time getting him on the ground a year ago. And when you consider how they are using him now with a little bit of options and some of the rights and zone read series, I think they have understood what his strengths are and are using him at a higher level than a year ago. Again the two players from a year ago that our players were impressed with – not only have I talked about the running back – but those two players in combination are doing a nice job, and those are the two that are touching the ball most of the time. With the ball in both of those players’ hands, I think it’s a smart move by the coaching staff.