CORVALLIS n When a woozy Joe Newton was helped off the blue Boise State turf during the second quarter of Oregon State's loss to the Broncos last week, it looked as if he might not be getting back on the field for a while.

Newton suffered a mild concussion and was kept out of practice early in the week. When he was allowed back Thursday, it was out of full gear and away from contact.

So Newton spent his time watching film and studying up on New Mexico.

"I took it pretty easy this week, but I made sure that I was taking as many mental reps as I could," Newton said. "A lot of the deal with (the New Mexico) defense was mental preparation because they bring a lot of guys from a lot of different ways. I just pretty much focused on that."

Instead of rusting, Newton was working on all cylinders Saturday. His nine catches for 97 yards and a touchdown helped the Beavers to a 17-7 win over New Mexico at Reser Stadium.

The numbers were career-bests for the 6-foot-7, 244-pound sophomore from Roseburg.

"Joe's been good for us all through camp, and I felt good about the way he's been doing things," OSU quarterback Derek Anderson said. "He's going to be a good player for us."

The Beavers used the tight ends liberally in their passing game, hitting Dan Haines twice for 14 yards in addition to Newton's numbers.

"The tight ends are a big part of our offense," Anderson said. "Joe and Danny did some good things. They gave us a few throws and Joe made some good catches."

OSU was successful going at the Lobos with its tight ends in the Las Vegas Bowl last December and knew Rocky Long's defensive schemes would continue to revolve around blitzes and stuffing the box with defenders.

Newton said the New Mexico defense can result in one-on-one situations for the tight ends.

"There were just opportunities and we took advantage of them sometimes," Newton said. "Tim (Euhus) had a really good game against them last year. They have some vulnerabilities that a tight end can exploit, so we knew that coming into the game that (the tight ends) might be a pretty good option."

Newton just might be one of Anderson's top options for the rest of the season.

Although Anderson has a consistent threat in Mike Hass and seems to have found a complement to Hass in Marcel Love, who finished with five catches for 79 yards, Newton has become that reliable go-to tight end that Euhus was for the past few years.

Newton said he hopes that he has begun to click with Anderson.

"He does a great job going through his reads, and if you're open, he's definitely going to get you the ball," Newton said. "I think we're starting to feel comfortable with each other, and I hope that I'm a guy that he can look to if he needs to."

Anderson found Newton in the second quarter to give the Beavers a 7-0 lead. Newton slipped off the line, made a quick cut in the end zone and gathered the ball in just as a defender arrived.

"I just released inside and ran a corner and Derek does a good job of putting the ball where you can catch it," Newton said. "I just caught the ball and it was a good first home touchdown."

The score proved to be crucial for the Beavers. Newton also recovered a fumble to keep a drive going and stayed away from drops, although he did have a high pass slip off his hands.

"The coaches had a lot of confidence and they called some plays where I had opportunities to make the plays when they needed to get made," he said. "It worked out pretty well."

And Newton's health?

"Everything's fine now," he said. "I feel great."