It’s one of the best performances by a punter since I’ve been the coach. Each punt seemed to be right on the money or over the guy’s head. I was really happy for him. – BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall, on Scott Arellano
PROVO — BYU punter Scott Arellano wandered into the interview room adjacent to the locker room at LaVell Edwards Stadium Saturday. He may have felt a little out of place at first, having never been there before.
“I didn’t know this room existed,” he said. “It’s really cool. I’m happy to be here.”
So why were reporters eager to talk to the senior, and former walk-on?
Well, Arellano may have been the Cougars’ MVP in a 41-33 win over Virginia.
Arellano averaged 55 yards per punt on five attempts. He uncorked a crucial 65-yarder early in the third quarter when BYU was down, 16-13. That punt gave the Cougars a big edge in field position when they needed it.
BYU got the ball back after a defensive stop and the Cougars ended up taking their first lead soon thereafter, a lead they did not relinquish.
“It’s one of the best performances by a punter since I’ve been the coach,” said Bronco Mendenhall. “Each punt seemed to be right on the money or over the guy’s head. I was really happy for him.”
Arellano finished with four punts that were downed inside the Virginia 20-yard line. His favorite punt was a 39-yarder near the end, when he pinned the Cavaliers at the 2-yard line.
“I actually really wanted a pooch punt to cap it all off,” he said. “I was really happy — 39 yards, but it put them at the two. I really liked that one.”
Before the game, however, Arellano wasn’t pleased with his warmup kicks.
“Then my first punt came along and I made great contact and from then, I started having a lot of fun,” Arellano said. “It felt really good. When I have a good punt, I just start stacking them on top of each other.”
While punters rarely make an appearance in the postgame news conference, Arellano earned his spot there.
“I felt like I did everything that I could do to put my team in the best situation and we capitalized really well,” Arellano said. “The defense came through, the offense came through. I tried to do my part.”
Arellano credits his play to a new outlook.
“I feel like I’ve changed my mindset from a year ago. I almost felt like I was too self-centered last year,” he said. “This year, I’ve tried to say, ‘What can I do right now for the team?’ Turns out, that’s how you do well. I’m just trying to do everything I can to help our team.”
INJURY UPDATE: Wide receiver Jordan Leslie, who scored the first touchdown of his BYU career in the second quarter, injured his ankle in the second half.
Leslie quickly hopped off the field and did not return. X-rays after the game revealed that it is a sprain. He is expected to return for BYU’s next game against Utah State on Oct. 3. Leslie caught a team-high four passes for 41 yards.
Linebacker Bronson Kaufusi (ankle) and running back Algernon Brown (ankle) did not play Saturday.
EXTRA POINTS: BYU is 4-0 for the first time since 2008 and just the seventh time in school history. … The Cougars are 73-4 under Mendenhall when leading after three quarters. … BYU is 2-3 all-time against Virginia. … Junior receiver Devon Blackmon caught two passes, including a 56-yarder, and he also added a 25-yard punt return. … Defensive back Robertson Daniel recorded his first interception of the year and also had two pass breakups and four tackles. … Linebacker Sae Tautu (5), linebacker Jherremya Leuta-Douyere (7) and linebacker Manoa Pikula (5) all recorded career highs in tackles.