BYU football: Tough year for Lobos and coach

ALBUQUERQUE — As BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall can attest, building a winning program at New Mexico is not easy.

First-year coach Mike Locksley is learning that lesson the hard way.

His Lobos haven't won a game in nine tries this season and are mired in a 13-game losing streak dating back to last season. The Lobos could be headed for their first winless campaign since 1987.

Mendenhall spent five years at New Mexico as the defensive coordinator under Rocky Long and during that span the Lobos steadily improved to the point that it played in bowl games in five of six years.

Winning over the fans proved to be even more difficult than winning games, however. Despite that success, fans in this basketball-crazy town never fully supported the football program.

"It was just an interesting perspective that even when we were winning a lot of football games, the stadium wasn't full," Mendenhall said. "Rocky continued to win year after year after year, even after I left, and it still wasn't full. I can't really address why that is, but I think possibly now the appreciation for the job he did might be at a higher level than when he was there."

Last December, UNM hired Locksley away from Illinois, where he served as the offensive coordinator. His debut season has been a series of unfortunate events. Coming off a 45-14 whipping at No. 16 Utah last week, the Lobos host No. 22 BYU Saturday (noon, The mtn.).

While acknowledging his team's dismal 0-9 start, Locksley is trying to accentuate the positive.

"Our senior leadership has been tremendous," he said. "Our seniors have had every opportunity to quit. I think the character of our team has really been shown, with the way our guys have come out and played with effort and intensity. The thing that we're missing is being able to do it for four quarters, which we'd love to try to get accomplished here this week vs. BYU."

The Lobos sport a new look under Locksley. Gone is the patented 3-3-5 defense that UNM ran under Long, in favor of a more conventional defensive scheme. The Lobos, who are ranked No. 104 nationally in total defense, boast the nation's leading tackler, sophomore linebacker Carmen Messina, who averages more than 14 tackles per game. Senior quarterback Donavan Porterie leads an offense that ranks No. 109 in total offense.

"There's no question that New Mexico and Donovan are very capable," Mendenhall said. "At times, they show they can move the ball well, regardless of who they play. I'm sure their focus is just trying to clean up their play and eliminate whatever mistakes they see that they're having."

As abysmal as New Mexico has been this season, the Cougars say they are not overlooking the Lobos.