What’d he say? Virginia’s Mendenhall breaks out an unusual word against Boise State
Virginia football coach Bronco Mendenhall, the former longtime coach at BYU, wasn’t pleased that his team allowed a touchdown in the final minute of the first half Friday night at Albertsons Stadium. Boise State closed to within 21-14 on a 65-yard, 46-second drive.
Linebacker Micah Kiser said Mendenhall “dropped a couple F-bombs” at halftime. Virginia won 42-23.
“It was awesome, honestly,” Kiser said. “... We had heard stories of him using the F-word one time.”
Said Mendenhall: “They hadn’t seen that side of me, much. It was good for everybody.”
Mendenhall faced Boise State while at BYU on six occasions — winning twice — but Friday’s win was his first at Albertsons Stadium.
Mendenhall was the head coach at BYU for 11 seasons, playing the Broncos four times, including two games on the Blue. He also was the defensive coordinator for the 2003-04 games between BSU and BYU.
Moa sits out first quarter
Boise State defensive tackle David Moa was on the sideline for the first quarter — apparent punishment for his arrest last weekend outside a Boise club. Moa was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace.
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Senior Daniel Auelua started in Moa’s place, but Moa returned to the field at the start of the second quarter with the score 7-7. Moa, a junior, was an All-Mountain West first-team selection last season. He finished with two tackles against Virginia.
They know how to open
Boise State scored a touchdown on its opening drive against Virginia — the third straight game in which the Broncos have done that. Those drives account for three of just 13 offensive touchdowns this season.
“That’s where the inconsistency comes in,” coach Bryan Harsin said. “You’ve got to go back and do that again. ... Offensive football, your goal is to score — simple as that. We have done it early but we haven’t done it often.”
Quick hits
Boise State wore orange helmets, blue jerseys and blue pants. Virginia wore all white. … Senior linebacker Gabe Perez was a game captain, joining season captains Brett Rypien, Leighton Vander Esch and Cedrick Wilson. … Sophomore linebacker Tyson Maeva carried the Hammer before the game. Sophomore safety DeAndre Pierce carried the “Bleed Blue” flag.
This story was originally published September 23, 2017 at 12:23 AM with the headline "What’d he say? Virginia’s Mendenhall breaks out an unusual word against Boise State."