PROVO, Utah — Max Hall threw for three touchdowns and No. 9 BYU survived its lowest scoring game of the season with a 21-3 win over New Mexico today, extending the nation's longest winning streak to 16 straight.

BYU (6-0, 2-0 Mountain West) remained unbeaten at the halfway point of the season, but needed Hall's 8-yard touchdown pass to Austin Collie with 3:05 left in the game to seal it.

New Mexico (3-4, 1-2) held the Cougars scoreless in opening quarter and scored before BYU, both firsts for the season. The Lobos also had a touchdown called back on a penalty midway through the fourth quarter when BYU was up only 14-3, then New Mexico failed to convert on a fourth-and-21.

The Cougars, who won their 16th straight time at home, scored at least four touchdowns in every game until Saturday.

Collie had nine catches for 170 yards, his fourth straight 100-yard receiving game, and Hall finished 22-of-34 for 273 yards.

Rodney Ferguson, who missed New Mexico's shutout of Wyoming last week with a shoulder injury, ran for 86 yards and the Lobos used two quarterbacks to pass for 155 yards, but couldn't get a touchdown on the Cougars.

Bryant Williams took a 14-yard screen passs to the end zone, but tackle Byron Bell was called for a block in the back and the play was called back. Instead of getting within 14-10, the Lobos had third-and-21 and threw two incompletions to end the threat.

Bell jumped up and down protesting the call and replays showed he did not appear to hit the player who went down in front of him.

Smith was 5-for-10 for 69 yards and Brad Gruner was 8-for-12 for 86 yards.

James Aho scored New Mexico's only points on a 27-yard field goal with 11:40 left in the second quarter. Nobody had scored first on the Cougars this year.

BYU had just 45 yards in the first quarter and 175 yards at halftime. The Cougars punted on the first series of the third quarter, then got rolling after the defense forced the Lobos into a three-and-out. BYU got the ball back at its own 31 and on first down Hall threw it to Collie across the middle and the Cougars' leading receiver ran to the Wyoming 39 for a 30-yard gain.

Hall completed the drive a few plays later with an 11-yard pass to Andrew George, who hung on when he was hit right after the catch. It was the second touchdown of the day and third of the season for George.

The Cougars struggled through the first quarter, then Hall got the Cougars going with a 58-yard pass to Collie to New Mexico's 22 yard line. Harvey Unga got BYU inside the 1-yard line with four carries and on third-and-goal Hall rolled out and found George alone in the back of the end zone to cap the 95-yard drive and put BYU up 7-3 with 6:34 left in the second quarter.

BYU got the ball back when Gruner and Ferguson collided on a handoff and Jan Jorgensen recovered for the Cougars at the New Mexico 47. The Cougars reached the 17, but on first down Collie was called for offensive pass interference and the penalty pushed the ball back to the 32-yard line. Hall threw two more incompletions and BYU had to go for a field goal from 49-yards out and Mitch Payne's kick was wide left.

It was the lowest-scoring first half for BYU since the Cougars led Utah 3-0 at halftime last Nov. 24.