BYU football: For Cougars, MWC is priority number one

As the No. 9 Cougars entertain New Mexico for homecoming today at LaVell Edwards Stadium, Mendenhall is clear about his team's priorities, lest anyone has forgotten.

"We're anxious to come back home and play. Really, from this point on, we're into the heart of our schedule with only conference games remaining and our primary goals at stake," he said. "In order — as a reminder to the outside world — inside (the program) we consider how we play at home first and foremost of importance. Second, conference championships. Anything after that in terms of national prominence is third."

In other words, talk and speculation about national rankings and the BCS are pointless if BYU doesn't take care of business every week in the Mountain West Conference.

"Right now, it doesn't matter to me nearly as much as the conference race and knowing that we have a lot of work to do," Mendenhall said. "Without that goal being marked, the rest of it won't matter anyway."

In the final nonconference game of the season last week at Utah State — a 34-14 win — the Cougars' offense sputtered. BYU converted only 9-of-17 third-down tries and was just 3-of-6 inside the "blue zone." If not for the Cougar defense, which forced four Aggie turnovers and scored a touchdown, the score would have been even closer.

BYU quarterback Max Hall, who threw two interceptions against USU, said execution is an area the offense is looking to shore up down the homestretch. At the same time, his team is learning how to deal with adversity.

"I felt like we left two or three touchdowns out there. That's how it goes sometimes," Hall said of BYU's performance against the Aggies. "You're not going to play a perfect game every time you step on the field. We have to understand that even though the expectations are so high, and we feel like we could score every time we get on the field, we're not going to. We're going to drop balls, I'm going to throw interceptions and we're going to miss blocks every once in a while."

The Cougars' offense is looking to bounce back against the gritty Lobos, who are coming off a 24-0 blanking of Wyoming, which marked their first conference shutout in 25 years.

"Defensively, they're still playing New Mexico defense," Mendenhall said. "That's a lot of pressure, sometimes with six defensive backs rather than the 3-3-5. Coach (Rocky) Long always utilizes the best 11 players. You'll see a team that plays hard and fast and physical and won't quit."

"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.

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