This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • Tucked underneath the east stands at LaVell Edwards Stadium and shielded from passing fans by black plastic curtains, the BYU media interview room can be hard to find.
Especially for a punter.
"I didn't know this room existed," Scott Arellano said Saturday. "So this is really cool. I'm happy to be here."
Arellano, a former walk-on, earned the media's attention after playing a critical role in BYU's 41-33 victory over Virginia.
He averaged 55 yards on five kicks, dropped four punts inside the Cavaliers' 20-yard line and helped turn the game in BYU's favor in the third quarter with two bombs.
"I thought [he] really had a huge impact on the game," said Bronco Mendenhall. "… I thought his performance was outstanding."
Asked if it was Arellano's best game at BYU, the Cougar head coach took it a step farther.
"It might be one of the best performances by any punter since I've been here," Mendenhall said.
According to Arellano, he wasn't sure it would be his day after his pregame punting.
"I actually had a rough warm-up," he said. "… But the first punt came along and I made great contact with it and, at that point, I just started having a lot of fun. [I] felt really good and, when I have a good punt, I start stacking them on top of each other."
Arellano's biggest contribution came in the third quarter.
Trailing 16-13, BYU went three-and-out on its first possession of the second half.
Virginia was positioned to take a two-score lead, but Arellano buried the Cavs at their own five with a 65-yard bomb. The Cougar defense held and, after getting the ball back at the Virginia 44, BYU scored the go-ahead touchdown.
Moments later, Arellano's 63-yard punt forced Virginia to start at its 12. Again, the defense stuffed the Cavaliers and the Cougars quickly drove for another touchdown, making it 27-16.
Virginia never went away, but the Cavaliers never got closer than eight points, either.
"… I felt like I did everything I could do to put my team in the best situation and I thought we capitalized really well," Arellano said. "The defense came through. The offense came through. It wasn't all on me, but I tried to do my part."
Twitter: @sluhm —
Praise for a punter
• Scott Arellano averaged 55 yards on five punts during BYU's 41-33 victory over Virginia.
• Arellano had 65- and 63-yard punts in the third quarter, when the Cougars took the lead.
• Arellano is a former walk-on from Santa Ynez, Calif., and Foothill College.