It may not be the usual Holy War with Utah that fans are accustomed to around Thanksgiving time, but the BYU football team won’t be afforded any chances to overlook its final home game against New Mexico State.
BYU hosts New Mexico State for the first time Saturday at 8:15 p.m., and the Cougars are anxious to begin the series on a winning note against a team that feels most comfortable in high-scoring contests.
New Mexico State will visit Provo coming off a 48-45 shootout win over Fresno State. The team has averaged nearly 30 points a game, slightly more than the Cougars’ offense has been producing this season.
“It will be one of the best offenses that we play,” BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “I’ve been really impressed. … [Their strength] is their offensive football team and they’re talented.”
A weak Aggie defense may present an extra leg up for sophomore quarterback Jake Heaps as he transitions into playing a full game in place of injured Riley Nelson. New Mexico State has allowed an average of more than five touchdowns per game this year and has allowed fewer than 20 points just once.
“Defensively they’ve struggled with managing points, but in terms of their season a lot of games have been close,” Mendenhall said. “It will be an interesting matchup and an intriguing matchup,” Mendenhall said.
It’s perhaps a more compelling matchup this season than it would have been in recent years. The Aggies struggled to a 3-10 record in 2009 and 3-10 again in 2010. But in head coach DeWayne Walker’s third year at the helm, New Mexico State has already won four games with three weeks left to play. Walker spent a brief time at BYU as an assistant coach and was the interim head coach at UCLA for the Las Vegas Bowl in 2007 when the Cougars defeated the Bruins 17-16.
“The progress they’re making, you can see it in athleticism and in talent,” Mendenhall said. “And the schemes are catching up, so whether this will be [their] breakthrough year or whether next year, you can see progress.”
Junior cornerback Preston Hadley said the Cougar defense needs play its best game to keep the Aggies away from the end zone.
“If they score a lot of points, it means we have to be sharper with our execution,” he said. “We are hopefully going to just dictate what they do.”
The Cougars will be challenged by mobile quarterback Matt Christian, who has rushed for 223 yards this season.
“With a running quarterback it changes … our schemes and our blitzes,” defensive lineman Eathyn Manumaleuna said. “It is on us whether or not we want to be dominant in our assignments and execute well.”
