Max Hall threw for 314 yards and two
touchdowns on 21-of-33 passing, as 22nd-ranked BYU edged New Mexico, 24-19, at
University Stadium.
Luke Ashworth led the way with four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown and
Andrew George also registered a catch for a score for the Cougars (8-2, 5-1
MWC), who have won six of seven. Harvey Unga rushed for 50 yards on
11 carries, and Manase Tonga added a TD on the ground.
"It's not easy, regardless of whom you're playing and where," said BYU head
coach Bronco Mendenhall of being undefeated on the road for the first time
since the Cougars' 1984 national title season. "It usually reflects maturity,
determination, and execution. Some games are cleaner than others, but it's not
easy to do. Otherwise it would have been done sometime between then and now.
So I think it's worth dwelling on for a second."
Donovan Porterie completed 28-of-44 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns
and also rushed for a score for the Lobos (0-10, 0-6), who extended their
losing streak to 14 straight games.
Daryl Jones finished with eight catches for 94 yards and a TD, Victor James
also added a receiving score and James Wright picked up 37 yards on seven
carries in defeat.
James hauled in a 20-yard TD pass from Porterie with 4:07 left in regulation
but the two-point conversion pass failed, leaving the Lobos down by five.
Bryan Kariya's fumble two plays later was picked up by Ahraya Crespin at New
Mexico's 37-yard line. A personal foul on BYU pushed the ball to the Cougars'
48, but Porterie was sacked on back-to-back downs and an incompletion set up a
4th-and-27 at the Lobos' 35. Porterie scrambled for 20 yards but well short of
the marker.
BYU took over on downs and Hall took a knee on three plays to run out the
remaining time.
"We don't believe in consolation prizes and close victories," admitted New
Mexico head coach Mike Locksley. "I am most disappointed for my senior class.
My heart goes out to those guys. They have pulled and pushed this team forward
as a class. They have motivated us as coaches to stay the course. They gave a
valiant effort today. We played for four quarters. My team hasn't quit. They
won't quit."
New Mexico jumped out to a 7-0 lead after Porterie ran into the end zone from
three yards out, but BYU countered on Tonga's one-yard run for a 7-7 tie after
one quarter.
The Cougars picked up 10 points in the second, on Mitch Payne's 42-yard make
and Hall's 27-yard connection to George.
The Lobos converted their first drive of the second half, a 26-yard TD strike
from Porterie to Jones for a 17-13 game, but BYU opened up an 11-point bulge
after an 80-yard drive finished with a 13-yard pass to Ashworth on the final
play of the third quarter.
Game Notes
Hall tied Ty Detmer (1988-91) for most wins as a starter in school history
with 29...BYU has won the last five meetings and leads the all-time series
44-14-1...New Mexico's last victory came in a 70-7 rout of San Diego State
on October 18, 2008...The Lobos picked up 22 first downs to just 17 for
the Cougars and outgained the visitors 360-355.
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