With the season winding down, the Cougars will look to stay focused on Saturday when they take on a New Mexico team that hasn’t won a game all season.

“We’re just going to take it the same way we would any other team, just do our thing and prepare the same way,” running back JJ Di Luigi said.

No. 22 BYU (7-2, 4-1) is preparing to face a New Mexico team that has had its share of troubles. The Lobos (0-9, 0-5) are statistically last in almost every category in the conference, and the off-field issues regarding coach Mike Locksley’s altercation with an assistant coach overshadow much of that. 

Still, the Cougars are not expecting the Lobos to lie down for them.  

“They’re going to be coming out for us, who wouldn’t want their first win?  They are a scary team because they don’t have any wins,” Di Luigi said. “Those are the teams that pull off the big upsets.”

Enthusiasm can sometimes be hard to find when taking on a clearly inferior opponent, but the Cougars’ emphasis of having fun and enjoying every game should certainly help.

BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall has tried to change his attitude as well. The usually straight–faced coach is cracking a few more smiles and trying to enjoy each game more than he did before.

“He has a completely different attitude this year. He’s been a lot more exciting, happy, and it’s contagious,” defensive lineman Brett Denney said. “For him to come out joking around more and being a little bit more jovial, it’s been a good thing for the team.”

After a disappointing loss to TCU, BYU bounced back with a near-flawless 52-0 win over Wyoming. The offense put on a clinic, racking up more than 500 total yards. The defense was no slouch either, shutting out Wyoming for the second consecutive year.  

The Cougars are hoping to use the momentum from the Wyoming game as a starting point for a successful finish to the season.

“Earlier in the season we built momentum and we kind of tried to let it coast,” Denney said. “This time we have to build that momentum and continue to put in effort to keep getting better and better.” 

Both the offense and defense are looking to get better, and can still find things to build on despite playing so well. Coaches and players continue to make adjustments in an attempt to improve.

“We haven’t reached our potential yet, we’re moving forward and I think we have moved forward in every game in some capacity,” Mendenhall said in his weekly press conference. “So the idea now is, from how we have just performed, how is it possible to improve that and where can we target to push to improve our program.”

BYU and New Mexico meet Saturday in Albuquerque, N.M. Kickoff is set for noon and the game will be televised on The Mtn.