A few national media outlets have proclaimed that the best college football hire in the offseason took place at the University of New Mexico, which hired former UVA coach Bronco Mendenhall.
Yep, UNM, which has two winning seasons in the last two decades.
Mendenhall will make his debut with his new school on Saturday in front of a national television audience.
The home opener in University Stadium against FCS powerhouse Montana State will be broadcast on FS1 on Saturday during the so-called Week 0 of the 2024 college football season.
It might be a stretch to say Albuquerque is overridden with “Bronco Mania” since the arrival of Mendenhall, but ticket sales indicate that there’s something going on.
A UNM ticket office representative told AFP today that ticket sales were growing from previous seasons. The representative estimated that season ticket sales were up at least 25 percent from the last few years.
OK, full disclosure, the Lobos haven’t been a must-see product for some time.
From 2010 through 2018, New Mexico averaged 20,000 in the 39,000-person capacity University Stadium. Since 2018, average home attendance has dropped to below 15,000.
The ticket office representative said sales for Saturday’s home opener have been “great,” with hopes of a near-capacity crowd.
It’s 1,000 miles between the Montana State campus and Albuquerque, so while the Bobcats may contribute some to the large turnout, the arrival of Mendenhall and staff gets the bulk of the credit.
Mendenhall brings encouragement to a city that in recent history is best-known for the FX series “Breaking Bad.”
Recently, Mendenhall, in an interview with the UNM radio network, said playing in Week 0 was an opportunity for his new team and staff.
“Will impressions be formed about me and my team on Saturday? How could they not be?” said Mendenhall. “There are all kinds of challenges to a Week 0 game, but there are all kinds of benefits to a Week 0 game, and so we have both. At this stage of our program, all eyes are on us. What better way to start?”
With that confidence and positivity, it’s not hard to understand the increased level of interest surrounding New Mexico football.
Virginia fans began returning to Scott Stadium during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Who can forget that game that closed out the 2019 season?
The Cavaliers beat Virginia Tech in Scott Stadium to clinch a spot in the ACC Championship Game and later an Orange Bowl berth.
The 2019 season was the first time since 2013 UVA drew more than 50,000 fans for three home games: 57,826 for Florida State, 52,847 for Duke and 53,000 for the finale against the Hokies.
Then COVID happened in 2020.
After a disappointing 2021 season, Mendenhall was asked to make coaching changes, declined, and went into a self-imposed two-year retirement.
After two years to pause and reflect, the time was right for Mendenhall return to the sidelines.
Mendenhall, who is a former UNM defensive coordinator, knows plenty about making programs competitive.
He did it at BYU, and he did it again in Virginia, and has led his team to 16 bowl appearances in 17 years.
His plans in New Mexico?
The same; he expects to make the program successful, and do it quickly.
Soon upon Mendenhall’s arrival in Charlottesville, it was apparent that his approach to coaching college football started with accountability, from the players and his coaching staff.
Nothing was simply given.
Players had to earn their jersey numbers.
Players had to earn the right to carry the school and state flags upon the teams’ entrance to the football field.
Sounded a bit corny back then.
Not so much now; remember earlier I wrote about 16 bowl trips in 17 years?
Mendenhall believes the key to early success is great preparation from both his players and coaching staff.
Mendenhall said this about his approach to being prepared: “I work hard to be irrelevant on game day, and that might sound counterintuitive, but that just means the team has been so well-prepared, they’re so confident, they’re so united, the player leadership is such in place.”
Bronco Mendenall loves challenges, and just like his last challenge to make Virginia competitive, his approach won’t change.
Trust, accountability, and leadership.
It was working at Virginia.
Now it’s New Mexico’s opportunity.
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