Contrast in Styles when New Mexico Visits Auburn

New Mexico head coach Broncos Mendenhall has a very different approach than Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze, and from most football-obsessed head coaches.

New Mexico head coach Bronco Mendenhall is different than most football-obsessed head coaches. / Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

A year ago, Auburn lost a game to New Mexico State University. Now, they welcome the University of New Mexico.  Two very different schools. The Lobos bring an explosive, fun offense averaging thirty-five points per game. 

New Mexico will not bore anyone. Yet, this Saturday, one of the main battles will be the coaches that run these programs. Auburn's head coach Hugh Freeze and New Mexico's Bronco Mendenhall definitely brings a contrasting vibe to the field, and their stark differences will stand out to anyone with functioning eyes. 

Different Outlook

Bronco Mendenhall will never strike anyone as an obsessed football coach. From his words and actions, he does not seem married to the game, the job or the spotlight. For example, twice in his career he stepped down from FBS coaching jobs, including the end of an 11-year stint at BYU.

Instead, he wanted another challenge. After eleven years, ninety-nine wins, two conference championship and six bowl wins, Mendenhall walked away from BYU. You never heard the word retirement from him. Instead, he decided to undertake the herculean task of reviving the University of Virginia football program. 

Mendenhall transformed the Cavaliers into a decent program. Not dominating, just no longer a comedy of errors on the field. When he felt like UVA improved, he walked away in 2021.

Again, Mendenhall chose this route. Taking a couple seasons off, he returned to New Mexico, where he served as an assistant from 1998-2001.

Mendenhall took the New Mexico job to help a program that only boasts one coach with a winning record since 1960 (Joe Morrison, 18-15-1 from 1980-1982). He understands that the Lobos job looks bleak despite the size of the school (enrollment hovers around 27,000, similar, but smaller than Auburn). The New Mexico coach doesn't care. Mendenhall speaks of helping players become leaders, and not in that phony, camera-hog way. 

Week to Week

The complete opposite of Mendenhall's approach, Hugh Freeze sits in a peculiar place. California walked onto the Plains and humbled the Tigers. Freeze did not make any offensive adjustments. Payton Thorne compounded the inaction by throwing four interceptions in the loss.

The coach realizes the magnitude of the loss, carrying far-reaching effects. Losing to California at home, in front of an already anxious fanbase and potential recruits hurts. Freeze not only needs to put the foot on the accelerator against New Mexico, but the defense needs to slow down New Mexico offense, even in garbage time. 

The SEC season hasn't quite begun for Auburn, and the team faces a must-win. Moreover, a convincing win that showcases the best of Auburn football. A loss could send the program spiraling out of control. 

Overview

When Bronco Mendenhall leads his squad onto the field at Jordan-Hare, he does so, as a free thinker. If New Mexico fired him the day after, it would not rattle him. His life through the game, does place credence in the expectations of others. While he cares deeply for every player that lines up for him, the New Mexico coach can compartmentalize the game.

Football and the accoutrements surrounding remains his job, but not his reason for living, never defined by it. Meanwhile, Hugh Freeze eats, sleeps, and breathes the game. With the nuclear heat of the SEC press looking at how his team progresses, every game, in conference or not matters a great deal.

In all honesty, both of these wholly contrasting philosophies work. However, trying to match minds against a coach that does not seem to fluster or break, makes New Mexico a dangerous game for Hugh Freeze