Nevermind Heisman hopeful QB, punter steals show in win over Virginia


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PROVO — Usually punter stories are saved for the doldrums of spring football or the dog days of fall camp, not Week 4 of a perfect start to the college football season.

However, that’s exactly what BYU senior punter Scott Arellano has done. He forced media types to acknowledge that in a game where BYU scored 41 points and ran its record to 4-0, the MVP of the game wasn’t Heisman hopeful Taysom Hill, but a senior walk-on who was just awarded a scholarship.

After games, BYU’s top players gather in a small room to answer questions from members of the media. It’s a place Hill and Craig Bills know well, but for punters, it’s kind of like the Bermuda Triangle. They may have heard of this mythical place, but few have navigated.

“I didn’t know this room existed,” said Arellano, after booming five punts against Virginia for an average of 55 yards.

“He’s a stud,” said Bills, a senior safety and team captain.

Arellano pinned Virginia inside its 20-yard line in four of those five punts: “When that happens, it’s hard for the offense to score when their pinned back,” said Bills.

Arellano’s final punt wasn’t one of his three crushing 60-plus yarders, but a short 39-yarder that was downed at the 2-yard line.

Arellano was the first player BYU head coach Bronco Mendnehall mentioned in his postgame remarks, “I thought (Arellano’s) performance was outstanding.”

“I started having a lot of fun,” said Arellano. “When I have a good punt, I just start stacking them on top of each other.

“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 thought to myself, ‘What can I do right now for the team?’ It turns out, that’s how you do well."

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