BYU football: Cougars preparing for productive New Mexico ground game

Despite riding a two-game winning streak, New Mexico has dealt with plenty of adversity, including starting quarterback Donovan Porterie's season-ending knee injury a few weeks ago.

In Porterie's place, redshirt freshman Brad Gruner has passed for just 88 yards in his last two games, which means the Lobos are relying heavily on their ground attack. Without Porterie, the Lobos, who visit BYU on Saturday, have become one-dimensional on offense.

"We haven't been able to throw the ball very well," admitted UNM coach Rocky Long. "We've been able to run it OK, but we can't seem to throw it and catch it with any consistency. We'd better do it this week, or we don't have a chance."

Still, Cougar coach Bronco Mendenhall, who was UNM's defensive coordinator from 1998-2002, is wary of the Lobos' running game and physical style of play. Mendenhall said the Lobos are dangerous, despite their weakened passing game. He explained that it is unusual that New Mexico has not been able to throw the ball recently, "and yet it doesn't seem less formidable."

The Lobos (3-3, 1-1) opened the season with losses to TCU and Texas A&M, then knocked off Arizona before getting crushed at Tulsa, 56-14. That was followed by back-to-back victories over New Mexico State and Wyoming.

"It seems they'll find a way to run the ball, to make a few plays, to create turnovers and to win football games," Mendenhall said. "Other than maybe the Tulsa game, which we all know what kind of trap that is to go there and play, they're competitive in every game they play and will play to the end. I wouldn't expect anything different here. So to prepare for less would be a mistake."

Star running back Rodney Ferguson sat out last week in New Mexico's 24-0 win over Wyoming due to a bruised shoulder, but even without Ferguson, UNM rolled up more than 300 rushing yards. Redshirt freshman James Wright, playing in just his second game as a Lobo, rushed 15 times for 120 yards — averaging eight yards per carry — and a touchdown against the Cowboys. Senior Paul Baker ran for 89 yards on 22 carries. Baker has been hobbled by a foot injury, but he is expected to be on the field Saturday. Meanwhile, Ferguson has also been cleared to play against BYU.

"You're talking about a slightly different philosophy from Porterie now to their new quarterback," Mendenhall said. "But when you consider a team that's rushing the ball for about 200 yards a game and Rodney Ferguson there, there's a stabilizing force, a physical style of play that coach Long always emphasizes."

Ferguson leads the Mountain West Conference (No. 22 nationally) in rushing, averaging 104.6 yards per game. A two-time All-MWC performer, Ferguson has accumulated 2,982 career rushing yards, the third-most in MWC history.

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