GAME PREVIEW: (22) BYU at New Mexico

GAME PREVIEW: (22) BYU at New Mexico


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PROVO -- Many wondered what kind of football team they'd see when the No. 22 BYU Cougars (7-2, 4-1 MWC) took the field last week against Wyoming.

BYU was coming off a humiliating home loss to TCU and questions swirled about the Cougars' focus through the rest of the season.

Questions answered with a 52-0 shellacking of the Cowboys. The offense dominated from the first series and never looked back.

The defense kept pressure on Wyoming's quarterback the entire game and made a number of standout plays to keep the shutout intact.

Now the Cougars head to Albuquerque, New Mexico for a date with the winless Lobos (0-9, 0-5).

The Cougars must maintain their high level of play and not lose focus against UNM as they prepare for the final stretch against Air Force and No. 14 Utah.

KSL takes a look back and a look ahead as we prep for game day.

What did we learn about BYU versus Wyoming?

  • BYU still has its confidence
  • The Cougars' can beat up on inferior competition
  • BYU has a large stable of talented playmakers on offense (7 different players caught passes, 6 different players rushed the ball or positive gains)
  • Max Hall is a star-caliber quarterback when given time in the pocket (20-22, 312 yards, 4 TDs)

What questions do we still have about BYU?

  • Can the Cougars maintain their intensity against another inferior opponent?
  • Will the Cougars lose focus against New Mexico looking ahead to Air Force and Utah?
  • Will RB Harvey Unga (ankle sprain) play? (Unga practiced Thursday and will travel with the team to Albuquerque; status remains game-time decision)
  • How much playing time will QB Riley Nelson get?

What can BYU expect from New Mexico?

  • A desperate team and coach looking for its first win (0-9 with games remaining v. BYU, v. CSU and at TCU)
  • A lackluster offense (last in MWC, avg. 15.3 points a game)
  • A swiss cheese defense (last in MWC, allowing 36.6 points per game and 429.4 total yards per game)
  • An empty stadium; will that night's Lobo basketball game draw more fans?

What can New Mexico expect from BYU?

  • A concerted effort to get out of blocks and on the score board quickly
  • Heavy and frequent pressure on the quarterback
  • A steady mix of pass and run as the Cougars carve up the Lobo defense
  • The starters out of the ball game by mid-third quarter

Miscellaneous:

  • With a win on Saturday, BYU would finish with an unbeaten conference road record. This year, TCU, Utah and BYU are all unbeaten on the road in league play.
  • Since the inception of the league, no MWC team has gone winless for an entire season
  • UNM is the only MWC school to have gone winless twice in the old WAC (in 1987 and 1968).
  • BYU remains first nationally in 3rd down conversion percentage (59%). New Mexico is 119th (of 120 teams) at 28%. Additionally, the Lobos are 114th in 3rd down conversion percentage allowed (49%).
  • UNM hasn't score more than 24 points against BYU since 1997 (38-28 win). BYU, meantime, has won 32 consecutive games overall when allowing 24 points or fewer.
  • BYU has zero turnovers in three of its last four games. It is the first time since 1972 that BYU has had three turnover-free games in a four game stretch.
  • Since losing to Boston College in the first game of the Mendenhall era (20-3 loss, despite no giveaways), BYU has won its last 14 consecutive games with zero turnovers.
  • In the Mendenhall era, BYU has passed for 300+ yards and run for 200+ yards in the same game only four times, but three of those games have been this season. Most interestingly, all have been on the road (@ Tulane, @ UNLV and @ Wyoming).
  • BYU is 38-0 since 1972 in 300/200 games (4-0 in the Mendenhall era).
  • Harvey Unga is 70 rushing yards away from tying Curtis Brown's all-time BYU record (3,221).
  • Hall is one win away from tying Ty Detmer's all-time BYU starting QB win record (29).
  • Over his last 121 pass attempts (spanning five games), Hall has thrown one interception (against TCU).
  • Hall has averaged 2.3 TD passes/game during his BYU career; Detmer averaged 2.6 TD passes/game.

Conclusion:

This one could and should get ugly- not because BYU will be particularly inspired but because an average performance by both teams will result in a blowout. If the Cougars do come out intent on making a statement we could see last week's Wyoming game all over again.

This might be a good day to give Unga rest or at least get him out as soon as possible to save him for the stretch run.

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