On a dark September night in El Paso, Boise State coach Andy Avalos stood outside the visitor's locker room like he had just come out on the wrong side of a barroom brawl.

The Broncos were 2-2. The ship was going down. Its captain looked dejected.

Then he did what great leaders do. He regrouped and adjusted course.

Less than 24 hours after BSU's embarrassing loss to the Miners, Avalos fired offensive coordinator Tim Plough. He appointed Dirk Koetter — who was on staff only as an analyst — to take over the offense. The Broncos have lost just once since, now preparing for Saturday's Mountain West Championship Game vs. Fresno State.

What leaders do in times of adversity defines them. The decision to fire Plough, thus far, has defined Avalos for the better. It was a big reason he was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year on Tuesday.

Was Avalos a bit lucky he had a former NFL coach just at his disposal, willing to come out of retirement to guide a battered offense? Yes, there might be a dozen guys around the country who would still have head coaching jobs if that were the case.

But Avalos had to do what a Boise State coach hasn't done in a long time: make a mid-season coaching switch. And he had to do that while maintaining morale and focus amongst his locker room.

"(We've created) an environment where people can learn and grow to meet that standard and to build a confidence to meet that standard," Avalos said.