Cougars will stay up for New Mexico

How seriously can BYU take New Mexico? Right now, BYU and winless New Mexico, who meet Saturday in Albuquerque, have become polar opposites in the Mountain West Conference.

"I don't think so," answered BYU defensive back Scott Johnson when asked if it will be a challenge to get ready for New Mexico. "We are excited to play them. We have had a few wake-up calls during the season, and so I don't think so. We are still excited to play. We are still itching to get back out on the field and so we will prepare well."

The Cougars dominated Wyoming in Laramie, 52-0, in a performance for the ages. BYU quarterback Max Hall completed all but two of his 22 attempts for 312 yards and a season-high four touchdowns.

Hall's 90.9 completion percentage just missed breaking Steve Sarkisian's school-record 91.2 percent he set in 1995 against Fresno State. Defensively, BYU (7-2, 4-1 MWC) limited the Cowboys to 225 total yards.

Meanwhile, the Lobos (0-9, 0-5) continued their downward spiral. They were on the receiving end of Utah's 45-14 beatdown.

"We have a lot of pride and I know we can play," embattled New Mexico coach Mike Locksley said. "Right now the big thing for us is to finish this the right way for our seniors. We still have two games coming up at home and we want to finish them right."

It's a positive sentiment, yet the Lobos did not perform when the game with the Utes was close. They had 10 consecutive drives that finished with

"This Thursday was the first practice that I felt like when we came out we didn't get better," Locklsey said.

Meanwhile, BYU is healthy again. The Cougars scored on their first five possessions. Receiver McKay Jacobson returned to the lineup after missing three games and gained 100 yards. Tight end Dennis Pitta set a school record by making a catch in his 39th consecutive game.

"Our coaches do a great job of preparing us the same, no matter who we play," BYU defensive end Jan Jorgensen said. "It is interesting the way that we practice and how everything goes. We practice just as hard for a team like Tulane as we do for our Oklahoma game and our TCU game. We practice just as hard and we work just as hard. So I don't think it is going to be any different [against New Mexico]."

martyr@sltrib.com