Mendenhall's memories of Rio Grande Rivalry are fuzzy

ALBUQUERQUE Far from a fire and brimstone kind of guy behind closed doors, Bronco Mendenhall is even further from any reasonable definition of demonstrative when the doors swing wide open.

Speaking to the local media Monday ahead of this weekends Rio Grande Rivalry date with New Mexico State in Las Cruces, the New Mexico football coach took a stroll down memory lane when asked about his own experiences with past rivalries.

A Lobos assistant coach more than two decades ago, he was part of the Lobos-Aggies game in 2001 that had to be moved to late in the season after the 9/11 attacks postponed the original date.

Mendenhall admits he has no memory of that game or even that it was moved.

Its just not there, he said with a shoulder shrug.

I mean, I dont know where it went.

His memories are much closer to the surface regarding the Holy War, the annual battle between Brigham Young and Utah.

He was a former assistant and head coach at BYU.

For 11 years he was the man in charge when the Cougars crossed paths with the Utes.

Oh crud, he said, showing the depth of demonstrative personality that is as measured and polite as it gets.

Thats a tough one to explain.

So they call it the Holy War.

Im not sure theres anything holy about that by the behavior of anyone in the state, regardless of faith.

While his experience with the Lobos and Aggies is limited and hes only now reacquainting himself with the distaste between north and south, the Holy War dwarfs any other college football experience for Mendenhall.

My family and I, wed have a meeting, he said.

Like a sit-down coordination meeting the Sunday before and, OK, here this comes.

Theyd talk about what the kids could expect at school and what his wife would encounter at the grocery store or gas station.

I mean, you buckle up when you go outside during that week, with your helmet and your chinstrap for anything, from any source that could come, Mendenhall said.

And by the way, church isnt a place thats a safe haven during that time, either.

It just matters beyond scope, scale and recognition, the outcome of that game.

By that, he added, hes not diminishing the significance of UNM-NMSU or other rivalries hes been a part of, like Oregon-Oregon State or Virginia-Virginia Tech.

The faith-based nature thats intertwined in that rivalry somehow takes it to another place, he said.

Your vocabulary is stronger than mine to try to find a word for it, but its atypical.

Ill just start with that.

Saturdays game is expected to draw the usual crowd of over 20,000 for a Lobos visit to Aggie Memorial Stadium.

The Lobos havent played in Las Cruces since Oct.

15, 2022, when NMSU started what is a current two-game winning streak.

That game, in particular, is noteworthy because it is remembered for a brawl that took place in the stands between a group of students that included members of the Aggies mens basketball team.

That brawl sparked a retaliatory attack on the UNM campus less than two months later, an attack that left a UNM student shot to death by then-Aggies basketball player Mike Peake.

All of that took place long before Mendenhall was named UNMs coach in December.

To him, the only thing that matters isnt the distaste the teams have for one another or any talk about a former Aggies quarterback allegedly urinating on the Lobos practice field ahead of last years game.

Its all about getting UNM its first win after opening the season with losses to Montana State, Arizona, Auburn and Fresno State.

I love the kids on my team.

I would love to see them find fulfillment through success, Mendenhall said.

Its everything I signed up for and more, and Im determined to make sure the outcome happens as fast as possible for this program to see results.

We have a ways to go, as youve seen..

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