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PROVO — It was all good vibes at the "BYU Football with Bronco Mendenhall" radio show Tuesday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
The show kicked off with a shout out to the loyalty and dedication of this year's student section, also known as the Roar of Cougars, or "The ROC."
"This has been the best performance of the student section I have ever seen in all my years as coach," Mendenhall said.
As Mendenhall made his way to the stadium he noticed that there were blankets and chairs set up near the stadiums entrance. He thought for sure that there was either a miscommunication on game time or a new spot for the homeless to camp out. He then met Brayden Farr and Zach Dodds, two BYU freshmen who have been camping out since Monday morning in anticipation for the matchup against East Carolina Saturday night. They both hold the No. 1 and No. 2 blanket spots, respectively, for first dibs to enter the stadium.
They also share an equal fame as being the most diehard fans at BYU.
"This is awesome. There is nothing better than these guys supporting BYU," Mendenhall said. "I need to think of something special to give these guys."
And what was that special something? Of course, an endorsement on their dating lives.
For those interested in a cool BYU freshman from Gilbert AZ who loves camping on the cement please tweet @b__farrpic.twitter.com/DHwH3MmmyY — Bronco Mendenhall (@Bronco_BYU) October 7, 2015
Six days in advance seems a little extreme, but for Dodds, he says it is all about preparation, dedication and having a good time.
"We mainly work through a Excel, using a spreadsheet to allocate times and shifts that people can cover throughout the week," said Dodds. "We make sure there is someone always manning the spot during the day, and then at night we all crash."
The ROC student leadership is more than happy to support this lifestyle as well, stating that grades will not be affected from this living on the streets.
Stats show that students who study in the ROC line fail their tests just the same as those who study in the library. https://t.co/VAlQIbNoT9 — The Roar Of Cougars (@byuROC) October 7, 2015
Another highlight of the night was player-guest BYU defensive end Bronson Kaufusi. Kaufusi has emerged as not only a team leader, but also an exceptional pass-rusher. With his size and athleticism, quarterbacks have a difficult time buying time in the pocket and trying to throw the ball over the 6-foot-8 beast. Kaufusi even recorded his frist interception of the year last weekend against UConn.
"I didn't run it back too far," Kaufusi said. "But it was a lot of fun."
Kaufusi's father is the defensive line coach. When asked about how this relationship changes from a dad-son to coach-player, Kaufusi said they try to play their roles the best they can.
"At football it's all business. He is my coach. He gets after me the most," Kaufusi said. "At home we stay away from it and don't talk about football."
Kai Nacua was named the Firehouse Subs "Fire Starter of the Game" after another stellar performance on defense against UConn.
The Cougars take on East Carolina this Saturday at 5:30 MST on ESPNU. It will be a "royal" blue night for the players and fans.
Mendenhall highlighted a few keys to the game.
"(We) have to stop ECU on third down," Mendenhall said. "Get the running game going and kicking game back on track." Tanner is a student at Brigham Young University studying Business Management. He is from the great northwest of Portland, Oregon. He hopes to find a profession that combines his passion of sports broadcasting and marketing.
