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Reed could return for Brigham Young against New Mexico

Oct 11, 2008 - 10:15 AM New Mexico (3-3) at (8) Brigham Young (5-0), 8:00 pm EDT

PROVO, Utah (Ticker) -- This is not good news for Brigham Young's opponents, but the eighth-ranked Cougars may be close to getting back one of their top offensive weapons.

Wide receiver Michael Reed could be a game-time decision Saturday, when Brigham Young hosts New Mexico in a Mountain West Conference contest.

Reed suffered a torn meniscus against UCLA on September 13 and was expected to miss a week, but BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said last week that the senior was "way ahead of schedule."

Reed played in all 13 games last season and was the Cougars' fifth-leading receiver with 41 catches for 449 yards and four touchdowns. In BYU's first three games this year, he hauled in 16 catches for 216 yards and two scores.

The Cougars (5-0, 1-0 Mountain West) extended the longest winning streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision to 15 games with a 34-14 victory over Utah State on Friday.

Max Hall threw two touchdowns for BYU, which extended its scoreless streak to 11 quarters before the Aggies scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth period.

Austin Collie caught eight passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns, the third straight game in which he surpassed the century mark in receiving yards. Harvey Unga rushed for 92 yards on 22 carries.

Despite the win, the Cougars dropped one spot in the coaches' poll. The week before, they climbed four slots to No. 7 without playing, the first time BYU cracked the top 10 since 2001.

New Mexico (3-3, 1-1) heads to Provo after posting its first shutout in Mountain West Conference play in 25 years, a 24-0 victory over Wyoming.

However, the Lobos could be without running back Rodney Ferguson, the leading rusher in the conference. Ferguson missed last week's contest with a sore shoulder, and his status for BYU is uncertain.

Freshman James Wright picked up the slack for New Mexico last week, rushing for 120 yards, while Paul Baker added 90 yards on the ground.

The Cowboys have been going with a backup quarterback in Brad Gruner, who took over after Donovan Porterie suffered a season-ending knee injury against Tulsa on September 20.

While New Mexico suffered a 42-17 loss at BYU in 2006, the Lobos won their previous two trips to Lobo.