by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
After a 58-0 thrashing of Sacramento State, the UNM football team should expect stiffer competition against BYU on Saturday at University Stadium.
The Lobos are off to a 3-1 start, bouncing back after a disappointing 10-6 loss in the season opener against UTEP.
And even though UNM has been on a roll, head coach Rocky Long said the Cougars have a lot of weapons the Lobos will have to worry about.
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"Everything concerns me," Long said at a media luncheon on Tuesday. "They're a big, strong, physical football team at the line of scrimmage or at the defensive line and linebackers, and their offensive line and their running backs are big, strong, physical guys."
Expect to see a high-scoring affair as the top two offenses in the Mountain West Conference square off. Through four games this season, UNM is averaging 34.2 points per game, while the Cougars are scoring 28.8 points per contest.
Long said BYU's offense is a concern for his defense, and the Lobos will have to put up points to win the game.
"After watching them on film and watching us on film, if we're going to have a chance to win, it's going to be a high-scoring event," he said. "They seem to move the ball really well against everyone they've played."
BYU is 2-2 this season, with both losses coming on the road.
However, the Lobos have had trouble with BYU at home in the past, losing the last four contests against the Cougars at University Stadium. The last time UNM beat BYU in Albuquerque was in 1997, a year before Long took over as
head coach.
UNM offensive guard Bart Miller said the home losing streak to BYU has put a chip on the Lobos' shoulders.
"They are definitely one of our biggest rivals, especially in conference," Bart said at the luncheon. "They are a good football team, and we've kind of had some battles through the years. They have been on the winning side the last couple of years, so I think that has fueled the fire - especially with them winning conference last year and beating us to clinch the conference title. That's something we take kind of personally."
Long said the team is eager to finally end the home losing streak against their conference rivals.
"It's always fun to beat BYU," he said. "They're the defending conference champs, and they have such a history and tradition about their program. They're held in high regard, and I think it's all
been earned."
Lobo nose tackle Wesley Beck said UNM is thrilled about opening conference play against last year's MWC champions.
He said the battle for the 2007 conference title will be tough, and he expects every MWC game to be intense.
"I think this conference is wide open," Beck said at the luncheon. "I think every game is going to be tight because no game is going to be a let-down game. And I think every game we are going to bring our A-game."
Football vs. BYU
Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
University Stadium
