The BYU football team is hoping for a better reception this week from a positive result in front of the home crowd.

With the New Mexico Lobos coming into Provo on Saturday, coach Bronco Mendenhall hopes to have his Cougars ready to defend their home turf.

The Cougars are riding a nation-leading 15-game win streak, but the streak coach Mendenhall is most proud of is the 15 consecutive home games his team has won.

"The first thing you have to do when you regain success, or are on your way, is to play well in front of your home fans, to thank them for their support and to give them a reason to be there," Mendenhall said. "It honors the players and coaches who went there before."

Not only is Saturday another chance to win at home, but it is a reunion of sorts. Mendenhall worked as defensive coordinator under New Mexico coach Rocky Long.

Long is proud of the work his protégé has done, but not surprised.

"We always knew he'd be a good head coach as soon as someone gave him the chance," Long said. "It's too bad that it's in the same conference, or I'd be rooting for him."

Long doesn't see a lot of himself in the program his protégé has rebuilt in Provo.

"I think that the only similarities are that Bronco teaches tough, hard-nosed physical football and we try to teach that here," Long said. "But the situations are so different that the programs are completely different."

Regardless of similarities and differences, Mendenhall will be vigilant that the Cougars don't have any letdowns like they had against Utah State.

"I'm not sure they (the Cougar players) took their foot off the accelerator," Mendenhall said. "They were a little distracted. They didn't play with the same intensity, discipline, poise and diligence they started the game with."

With the Cougars getting into the heart of their conference schedule, Mendenhall doesn't see BYU getting any free passes.

"I do think adversity is coming," the coach said. "I am anxious to use that in any way I can to teach whatever lessons are necessary."

Utah heads to Laramie

Last year, Wyoming coach Joe Glenn let Utah coach Kyle Whittingham know what he thought of the Utes in no uncertain terms in a 50-0 Utah victory. With the Utes up 43-0, Whittingham called for an onside kick.

With the Cowboy offense failing this season, Glenn may again have to resort to hand gestures to try and get to Whittingham.

Wyoming has been shutout twice in the last three weeks, 44-0 against BYU and 24-0 against New Mexico, and they also had a 45-16 loss to Bowling Green.

"Wyoming has struggled a bit this year with turnovers and being unsettled at the quarterback position," Whittingham said.

Glenn knows that things don't look so bright right now for his Cowboys.

"It doesn't get any easier," Glenn said in his usual off-beat way. "Suffice it to say, we are pretty disappointed at this point. We went down to New Mexico with a good plan and it just didn't work out. We gave up some 300 yards rushing. It's one thing to lose, but to lose without scoring, that's a double whammy."

Utah brings a 6-0 record and a No. 13 ranking with it to Laramie.

"Laramie is always a tough place to play," Whittingham said. "(Two years ago), we got wacked. It was 31-15 and the game was not that close."

TCU heads north to play CSU

The Horned Frogs will be taking on the Rams in Fort Collins this Saturday. TCU is 5-1 with its only loss coming against the nation's current top-ranked team, Oklahoma.

CSU is coming off a come from behind win against UNLV and has a 3-2 record.

"They're 3-0 this year at home," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "They have found ways to win close ball games and every week they get better and better."

CSU will have its hands more than full with a Horned Frog team that leads the nation in total defense, run defense and fewest first downs allowed.

"They are very aggressive and very fast," Ram coach Steve Fairchild said. "When they are not playing man coverage, they're in a zone, so there is very little area to sit and be open. You've always got to be on the move in the passing game. They'll also have a seventh, eighth or ninth guy in there to stop the run."

Air Force's youth movement vs. San Diego State's youth movement

The Falcons will be taking on the Aztecs in California this Saturday.

Both teams are very young, but each has had different results.

Air Force is 3-2 while SDSU is 1-4.

"I think anytime you are playing some guys getting their feet wet, you learn something about them," Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said of all the fresh faces at the Academy.

Aztec coach Chuck Long not only has a young team, he has a banged-up young team.

"We've had 15 guys out," Long said. "Out of those 15, seven are starters and seven are done for the year. We've been hit hard by injuries."