"I'm excited to play these guys," Hall said of the Lobos. "The stuff we have in and the way our offense is playing right now, there's potential for us to have a big game.

"They're going to be tough, they're going to blitz, they're going to mix up coverages. They're very good at doing that. Coach Long does a very good job with that defense. But I'm excited to play them. We match up well against them and it's going to be a fun game."

BYU is the highest-ranked team New Mexico has faced since 1994, when Utah had the same ranking in a November game in Albuquerque. UNM upset the Utes that day, 24-21.

"We're playing a great football team in BYU," Long said. "I think they deserve their ranking and maybe even deserve to be a little higher."

The Lobos have won two consecutive games, but Long's not sure that bit of momentum will aid his team today.

"I don't think anything would help you going into BYU. They're an awful good football team," Long said. "Obviously, we're happier because we've won two in a row, but that doesn't make the challenge any less difficult."

EXTRA POINTS: New Mexico is 13-6 in conference road games since 2003. ... BYU has outscored its opponents 134-17 in the first half this season, while UNM has been outscored 103-58 in the first half. ... BYU has won its three home games this season by a combined total of 144-17.

Cougars on the air

No. 9 BYU (5-0, 1-0) vs. New Mexico (3-3, 1-1)
Today, 4 p.m.
TV: The mtn.
Radio: 1160AM, 102.7FM
Live game blogs: deseretnews.com/blogs

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E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com