2008 New Mexico Lobos Preview

Don’t count on New Mexico reminiscing too much about its breakthrough 9–4 season in 2007 that included the program’s first bowl victory in 46 years. A 2008 schedule that arguably is the toughest in school history will keep UNM from reliving the past.

Two Minute Drill

A Quick Look at the Lobos

How quickly the Lobos can develop players at wide receiver, on the offensive line and at linebacker will determine their success in 2008. UNM has cornerstones in place with quarterback Donovan Porterie, running back Rodney Ferguson — a two-time 1,000-yard rusher — and cornerbacks DeAndre Wright and Glover Quin to carry the team into Mountain West Conference contention, provided the Lobos adequately address those other question marks. The program doesn’t figure to have a clutch kicker to win the close games it has the past two seasons. That puts a greater burden on Porterie and the offense to score touchdowns and not settle for field goals. The Lobos play 12 straight games without a break, so the coaching staff would love to develop some depth early in the season to prepare for the week-to-week grind. But the early schedule is brutal, with an opener against MWC power TCU followed by non-conference home games against Texas A&M and Arizona then a trip to Tulsa. Will the coaches be willing to use young, untested players against some stiff competition? If they aren’t, will the Lobos be fresh enough to make a run at the MWC title during the latter half of the season? This team has the talent to contend, but some important questions will have to be answered with positive results.

The upcoming docket includes a season opener against a Mountain West Conference rival the Lobos haven’t beaten in three tries (TCU), a game against a storied BCS program (Texas A&M), a game against another BCS program looking to avenge a loss to UNM (Arizona), and a road trip to a non-BCS school coming off a 10-win season (Tulsa). Also, the Lobos’ slate includes 12 straight weeks of games, rendering moot their 9–1 record after bye weeks under 11th-year coach Rocky Long.

“As soon as we started the offseason, we put the memories behind us and started working toward the next season,” Long says. “Hopefully, the experience from last year will allow our young players to mature quicker, and we’ll have as competitive a year as we did last year. Now, the schedule’s more demanding, which will make it harder to get nine wins. But hopefully, we’ll play at a competitive level and win more than we lose.”

The retention of offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin should be a huge boost to UNM’s hopes for a winning record. The Lobos didn’t set the world on fire in Baldwin’s first year — UNM was seventh in scoring and sixth in total yards in the MWC — but the unit will run the same scheme for consecutive seasons for the first time since 2003-04. Ironically, the Lobos had to replace their defensive coordinator in the offseason, promoting cornerbacks coach Troy Reffett. The effect will be minimal because Long is the architect of the unit’s 3-3-5 blitz package.

Quarterbacks

Junior Donovan Porterie’s 12–6 record as a starter puts him well on the way to setting the UNM mark for wins. Last season, he became the Lobos’ first 3,000-yard passer since 1994. The ’08 season marks the first time Porterie won’t have to learn a new offense, and the coaching staff is anxious to see how much improvement he makes now that he is familiar with the scheme. “We look for Donovan to be much sharper in the red zone and create plays,” Baldwin says. “He should be able to read the secondary much better and know right off the bat where he should throw the ball.” UNM also needs Porterie to be as durable as he was last season, because his backups have no experience. Redshirt freshmen Brad Gruner and Blair Peterson will vie with two incoming freshmen for the second-team position.

Running backs

Senior Rodney Ferguson, a two-time All-MWC selection, returns with amends to make after being ruled academically ineligible for the New Mexico Bowl. Ferguson has rushed for nearly 2,500 yards and scored 23 touchdowns the last two seasons combined, but he could find his role reduced because of backup Paul Baker’s performance in the bowl game — he rushed for 167 yards in the 23–0 victory over Nevada — and the emergence of redshirt freshman James Wright. Fullbacks Matt Quillen and Josh Fussell are a formidable tandem when the Lobos use two backs.

Receivers

Baldwin calls the position his biggest cause of concern, and with good reason: UNM must replace a pair of first-team All-MWC performers in Travis Brown and Marcus Smith, both of whom put up 1,000-yard seasons. Senior Jermaine McQueen has the speed and talent to fill one pair of shoes, but the confidence he displayed during the 2007 fall camp didn’t translate onto the field during the season. Baldwin says junior college transfer Bryant Williams, who committed to Michigan State out of high school, has the potential to emerge as a playmaker. Williams’ challenge will be to understand the offense quickly enough to earn a starting role. Juniors Roland Bruno and Daryl Jones Jr. and sophomore Chris Hernandez have shown flashes of brilliance but must become more consistent. Chris Mark is a sure-handed target at tight end and could command a greater role in the passing game this season.

Offensive linemen

The other offensive question mark looms on the line, where only part-time starters Sylvester Hatten and Erik Cook return. Cook became the starting tackle midway through ’07 when Hatten left the team for personal reasons before coming back in the offseason. Cook can play any position on the line, giving the Lobos some flexibility in filling the remaining spots. The fact that Baldwin believes the wide receiver position is the bigger unknown could speak to the potential of the inexperienced UNM linemen competing for starting jobs this season. Redshirt freshmen Byron Bell and junior Ivan Hernandez were the top reserves last season and should compete with junior college transfers Karlin Givens, Joshua Taufalele and Maurice Mears for playing time. Junior college All-American Ben Contreras has the inside track at center.

Defensive linemen

After two years of relative struggles, the UNM defense returned to form last year. The Lobos ranked 13th in the nation in total defense, thanks largely to the improved play on the line. The Lobos must replace two productive defensive ends — first-team All-MWC selection Tyler Donaldson and sack specialist Michael Tuohy. Despite those departures, UNM has enough talent and depth to play as well as it did last season, if not better. Wesley Beck returns at nosetackle. Senior Kevin Balogun and juniors Phillip Harrison and Kendall Briscoe bring the type of size to the end position New Mexico has lacked for the last four seasons.

Linebacker

For a change, there is some uncertainty at linebacker heading into the 2008 season. The Lobos are looking for starters at all three spots. Undersized middle linebacker Zach Arnett has a non-stop motor, and he actually led the corps in tackles last season as a reserve. Herbert Felder will occupy one of the outside linebacker spots. He’s had a solid career and enters the season as the position’s best pass-rusher. Terel Anyaibe is the only other linebacker with any game experience, with about 25 plays under his belt. He’ll vie for the other starting spot with junior college transfer Tray Hardaway and redshirt freshmen Carmen Messina and Jonathan Rainey. “No doubt, that’s the biggest issue we’ll have to address — finding linebackers,” Reffett says.

Defensive backs

New Mexico’s blitz scheme is based upon the assumption that its cornerbacks can play man-to-man coverage. Seniors DeAndre Wright and Glover Quin both begin their third seasons as full-time starters. “I think that that’s huge,” Reffett says. “They’ve got experience. They understand the game. They understand the defense. Now, it’s imperative that we get them to play at their peak level every day, every play. That’s what we have to make them do — develop and play a dominating role.” The Lobos also are in great shape at the lobo back position. Juniors Ian Clark and Clint McPeek both had unexpectedly strong campaigns last season. Clark should be 100 percent after recovering from a broken finger and offseason shoulder surgery. Wolf safeties Blake Ligon and Frankie Solomon add loads of experience. The key for the Lobos is finding backups at the wolf safety spots. Junior Frankie Baca will play, but no one else has game experience. McPeek might split time between lobo and wolf safety to add depth to the position.

Specialists

The Lobos appear to be in dire need of both a punter and a kicker and cannot expect another John Sullivan fairy-tale story at kicker. Walk-ons Drew Zamora and Adam Miller could win starting kicking and punting jobs, respectively, but dropoffs at both positions are expected. Walk-on Kris Kempner replaces four-year starter Jon O’Brien at deep snapper. Wright has shown flashes of being a dangerous kick returner, and Solomon will get another shot at fielding punts.

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