The 2000 campaign was a tale of three seasons for the University of New Mexico football team. The Lobos (5-7, 3-4 Mountain West Conference) had a stretch of games where they were outright dominant, winning five of six contests, but also had a pair of three-game losing streaks to bookend the year. With three games remaining and San Diego State set to visit University Stadium, UNM had aspirations of going to a bowl game, needing to win two of its last three games. But a heartbreaking loss to the Aztecs, after squandering a 16-point lead, and a last-second loss to UNLV wiped out New Mexico’s chances of making its first bowl appearance since 1997.
“I thought we made great strides and improved dramatically from the year before,” said head coach Rocky Long whose team was picked to finish no higher than seventh but tied for fifth. “We played a lot more competitive football against some real good football teams. If you look over the whole season and consider the quality of our schedule, I would say it was a pretty good season overall because we showed dramatic improvement.”
According to NCAA figures, New Mexico tied Arizona State by playing the 46th-toughest schedule in the nation. The Lobos played six teams that advanced to bowl games, and those teams compiled a 5-1 record in the postseason.
Not to say that Long was satisfied with the way the season played out, but in retrospect, the team was much better than its 5-7 record.
“I thought we were going to do something really special and we fell short of that, which is disappointing,” Long said. “We showed improvement, but we still didn’t get it done. We need to get over that hump.”
Long hopes the hangover from the year-end disappointment will serve as inspiration for the upcoming season. “There is a disappointment that hopefully will give our team motivation as they enter fall camp. I was happy with what I saw in the spring and am hoping all of that will carry over so we can win those close games,” he said. “I think they realized how close we were, they were frustrated that we didn’t get it done.”
UNM changed things up a little this year, starting spring practice in mid-February, almost two months earlier than normal and just 86 days after wrapping up the 2000 season. Early returns on the decision seem to be positive, as players were sharp and excited about spring ball and the Lobos came out of spring camp without any serious injuries. “Starting earlier gave us a longer offseason to lift weights and improve our speed after spring ball was over,” said Long. “We should be coming into fall camp a lot stronger than we did last year.”
While the spring usually is not the time when starting jobs are won or lost, it is a good opportunity for younger players to make a statement and for the coaches to evaluate what kind of depth the team has at each position, something that is crucial for a successful year.
“I thought we made some great improvements in the spring, especially on offense,” Long said. “The offense did a lot more good things this spring than they did at most times last year. We also got a good look at some of our younger players that we hope and expect to contribute this year.”
Although the Lobos lost 13 seniors, many of whom were crucial to the success of last year’s team, the cupboard is far from bare. UNM returns 39 lettermen, nearly half of whom played extensive minutes in 2000.
One of the biggest questions that won’t be asked as UNM opens the season is who the starting quarterback will be. Junior Rudy Caamano had a solid spring and left no doubt who would be the starter. Running back, offensive line and linebacker are positions that are well-stocked and have a number of solid players coming back. The key for these positions will be to establish some depth while developing some of the younger players for the future.
Receiver, tight end, defensive line and cornerback are positions where UNM lost impact players to graduation and spots that will get extensive scrutiny during fall camp. The coaching staff expects the younger players to fill some of these vacancies.
“We have some players that need to step forward and play to their athletic ability,” Long said. “We have some young guys with outstanding ability but haven’t played to their potential yet. We saw a glimpse of that during spring ball, but we need to see more consistency from them during fall camp.”
Despite the resurgence of the program, the Lobos didn’t get any breaks from the schedule-makers in 2001, as UNM opens with four of its first six games on the road, including its first two conference games. “I don’t like our conference schedule,” Long said. “Whoever set up the conference schedule is making us go on the road for our first two conference games. It’s a huge advantage to play at home early in a conference race. I think the people who made up this schedule did us absolutely no favors whatsoever.”
While the first half of the schedule is challenging, it does even out in the second half. The Lobos play four of their last five games at home and finish with games against UNLV and Colorado State, two teams that should be competing for the conference championship.
All in all, Long is optimistic as he enters his fourth year at the helm of the Lobos. The return of the entire coaching staff, including second-year offensive coordinator Dan Dodd and fourth-year defensive coordinator Bronco Mendenhall, should make for a much easier adjustment in 2001. An experienced quarterback who is gaining more confidence and a backfield with three solid running backs should allow the offense to improve on its output from a year ago, and the defense is capable of putting up numbers comparable to last year’s squad. Long has steered UNM in the right direction the past three years, now he is looking to drive them over that hump. OFFENSE
Last year, the offense either resembled a well-oiled machine or one not hitting on all cylinders. Dodd’s multiple-set offense places equal emphasis on the run and the pass, but if one aspect isn’t working, the offense can tend to get one-dimensional. The Lobos are solid on the offensive line and in the backfield with three returning running backs, so expect them to put up big numbers on the ground. That doesn’t mean UNM will primarily be a run-oriented team, though. UNM only averaged 266.6 total yards and 19.1 points a game last year (which ranked 8th and 6th in the conference, respectively), so the passing game must improve to increase its offensive output.
“We were a lot more pass-oriented in the spring and I think that will continue into the fall. We are still going to run the ball and run some option, but we are not going to allow opposing teams to stack the line of scrimmage against us,” Long said. “We have three outstanding running backs returning, but we don’t want to be just a one-dimensional team. We will be a lot more multiple on offense than we were last year.”
One plus this year is that there won’t be a quarterback controversy to start the season. Junior Rudy Caamano, a co-captain on offense, came out of spring practice as the clear-cut starter. His experience last season, along with his progress in the spring, should bode well for the offense. As a team, UNM attempted 152 more passes this spring than it did during 2000 spring drills. It also threw the ball more than 50 percent of the time in spring workouts.
QUARTERBACK
With the starting quarterback spot set, the biggest question this year will be about the backup. Caamano has solidified himself as the No. 1 signal caller. The 6-1, 190-pound junior started the final 10 games last year, going 5-5 in a starting role. He completed 107 of 192 passes (.557) for 1,270 yards, with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. With a year under his belt, Caamano looked much more comfortable running the offense in the spring, where he completed 65 percent of his passes and had only one interception in 71 attempts during the scrimmages.
“Rudy showed tremendous improvement from last year and he is more comfortable with the offense than he was at any time last fall,” Long said. “We kept the same scheme and have the same person at the controls, so I expect our offense to produce at a much higher level.”
With the departure of backup Jeremy Denson, Caamano is the only quarterback among the group who has any significant game experience. Sophomore Casey Kelly will go into fall camp No. 2, but senior Ken Stopka and redshirt freshman Jeff Grady will both battle Kelly.
Kelly has the size (6-3, 190) and athletic ability, and according to Long, “probably the best arm of all the quarterbacks,” but he is not quite strong enough. The same goes for Grady (6-2, 205), who spent last year running the scout team in practice. Grady is another versatile athlete who played many positions in high school. The big surprise of the spring was Stopka, who has not seen any collegiate action in his three years at UNM but got plenty of looks during spring drills because of his accuracy and efficiency running the offense. It should be a real battle to see who secures the reserve quarterback duties behind Caamano.
RUNNING BACK
The backfield should be one of the strongest positions for the Lobos. Seniors Jarrod Baxter and Holmon Wiggins combined for 1,286 yards and nine touchdowns last year, and have accrued more than 2,500 yards in their careers. Add to the mix speedy senior Javier Hanson, (47 carries, 188 yards, 3 TDs) and the Lobos could have one of the deepest backfields in the conference.
The 6-1, 250-pound Baxter has the skills to play both running back and fullback, but his role is mostly as the bruiser, the back that gets the tough yards. Wiggins (6-0, 210) and Hanson (6-0, 204) possess more speed than Baxter and have good hands, so they can be used out of the backfield to catch passes and take some of the pressure off Caamano to throw the ball downfield. All three can rotate at both positions or handle the single-back sets, and they could line up in a three-back set when the situation arises.
“All three have established themselves as guys who can compete in this conference and play well at the Division I level,” Long said. “They should cause problems for opposing defenses with their different running styles.”
While Baxter, Hanson and Wiggins will shoulder most of the load in the backfield, UNM still needs to find someone for the No. 4 spot. Junior Quincy Wright and sophomore Adrian Boyd got extensive reps in the spring and should battle incoming freshmen Aaron Brack, Dontrell Moore and Tony Frazier to be the fourth running back. Moore, out of New Mexico’s Roswell High School, is probably the most celebrated of the three freshmen, but all had outstanding high school careers and have the skills to play immediately.
With Baxter rotating at both spots in the backfield, the Lobos must address the need for a reserve fullback. Redshirt freshman Landrick Brody (5-11, 240) and senior Sulayman Konte (6-0, 255) competed in spring ball, but neither established himself. Both will battle it out in fall camp for the No. 2 position.
RECEIVER
There are more questions at receiver than any other position on offense. The receiver is one of the most critical positions as far as player development is concerned. Expect a battle for all starting spots, as the Lobos have a host of players who at times last year showed a lot of athletic ability, but were inconsistent.
Senior Kirk Robbins (16 catches, 224 yards, 1 TD) and sophomore Dwight Counter (13 catches, 147 yards, 1 TD) ranked third and fifth, respectively, in receiving yards last year, and have the most experience of all returning wideouts, but need to be more reliable to be a go-to-guy. The same goes for sophomore Terrence Thomas, who showed flashes of talent with his speed and athletic ability (40 1/2 inch vertical), and Rashaun Sanders, who can pose a matchup problem with his size (6-2, 200). Joel Baker, Jake Farrel and Joe Manning will also battle for playing time, as will junior college transfers Michael Brunker and Derrick Shepherd.
“One of the reasons we recruited two junior college wide receivers is because we don’t think our receivers performed very well last year,” Long said. “We have a lot of athletes out there, and several of them have the potential to be really good receivers, but none of them have consistently proved that they are of the caliber we need.”
TIGHT END
The Lobos were hurt by the loss of three-year starter Jonathan Burrough at tight end, but it doesn’t mean they are thin at the position. Junior Joe Fiola (6-3, 274) is the only returnee with any game experience and is considered the best blocker of the group. He started four games last year and led the tight ends with 65 knockdown blocks. Fiola is the likely frontrunner for the starting spot, but with the many two tight end sets the Lobos use, they need to establish three or four players at that position.
“Joe got a lot of playing time last year and has a lot of experience,” Long said. “We also have three young tight ends that we think are going to be really good players, but they need some more work in fall camp to be able to contribute.”
Those new faces include 6-2, 241-pound sophomore Bryan Penley, who played in 11 games last year, mostly on special teams, and was the only true freshman to letter in 2000. He is developing into an outstanding blocker and will see plenty of minutes, as will redshirt freshman Mike Augustyniak (6-5, 253), who is the quickest and probably has the best hands of the group. Add true freshman Brian Beaty (6-4, 246) to the mix and the Lobos will have four quality athletes who should all see minutes this season.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The offensive line is expected to be a lot stronger than it was last year as it returns four starters, but it must replace 31-game starter Jon Samuelson, who led the team with 97 knockdowns last season.
Junior center Rashad McClure is a two-year starter who participated in 755 of 803 plays last year while starting all 12 games. He registered 83 knockdown blocks, which ranked second on the team behind Samuelson. Senior co-captain Jeremy Sorenson played well last year at left guard, starting 12 games and notching 81 knockdown blocks, and should be hard to beat out for a starting position.
Senior left tackle B.J. Long has 15 career starts on the line, while sophomore left guard Jason Lenzmeier showed dramatic improvement in 2000, starting the final seven games of the season before suffering a broken right leg in the finale against BYU. No surgery was required and Lenzmeier should be full speed as the Lobos enter fall camp.
Despite the abundance of experienced returnees on the line, the starting spots are not set in stone. Long estimates that there are probably nine players that will compete for the five starting spots, and the coach insists that the five best linemen will be on the field.
Senior Jon Oliver has started 11 career games and recorded 34 knockdown blocks last year, while junior Brian Choi, sophomore Justin Colburn and redshirt freshmen Claude Terrell and Nate Hembree have all improved dramatically from last year and could challenge for starting spots.
“We have a lot more quality in the offensive line than we did last year, even though they are a little younger,” Long said. “We have improved our talent level and depth at that position, which should result in great competition for playing time.”
DEFENSE
Last season, everyone wondered how the defense would recover from losing standout Brian Urlacher to the NFL. It answered by allowing only 20.8 points a game and finished the year ranked 17th in the nation in total defense (309.4 ypg allowed). The Lobos lost the top three tacklers from that stellar defense (Mike Barnett, Rantie Harper, David Mauer), but still return nine players who had at least 40 stops. The defense returns eight players who started at least three games and 16 lettermen. UNM will continue to run a 3-3-5 defensive scheme, which is one of the most difficult defenses for opposing teams to prepare for.
“One of the reasons that we should be okay on defense is that we used a lot of players last year,” Long said. “We lost some quality players, some NFL-type players, but those guys didn’t play every down. We alternated at every position except cornerback, and we did that all season long, so we have plenty of experienced guys coming back.”
Concerns heading into the fall will be trying to find one or two more cornerbacks to solidify the secondary and to establish more depth so UNM can continue to rotate players like it did so successfully last year.
DEFENSIVE LINE
UNM will need to replace two stalwart linemen in Henry Stephens and Jeff Macrea, who combined for 23 starts, 87 tackles, 8.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss last season. The return of Lombardi Award candidate and first team all-Mountain West Conference defensive end Brian Johnson should help ease the pain. The former 195-pound walk-on had a league-leading 9.5 sacks, 60 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and two interceptions last season.
With Johnson expected to get most of the attention from opposing offenses, it will be up to the younger guys to step up and take some of the pressure off of him. UNM returns a host of players with experience. Senior Antonio Manning made the switch from linebacker to defensive end in the spring and solidified himself as a definite impact player on the line. Sophomore D.J. Renteria may be the best pure athlete on the defensive line. Although he played sparingly in 2000, he still managed three sacks and a caused fumble as a defensive end. Guillermo Morrison, who has a 37-inch vertical leap, is another player who has the Lobo coaching staff excited. Senior nose tackle Tony Mazotti and junior nose tackle Adrian Terry both had solid springs and should see considerable playing time this year.
Redshirt freshman Kyle Coulter could also see some action this year, as will junior college transfers Hebrews Josue and Daniel Kegler. Both will add depth to the line and could battle for a starting spot.
“Obviously, Brian is the anchor of the defense. We know what he can do,” Long said. “But, we have some other players that played quite a bit of football on the defensive line last year, so that position should be strong. Hopefully, the competition for playing time will make the whole group better.”
LINEBACKER
Despite losing Barnett and Mauer (combined for 165 tackles, 8 sacks in 2000), the linebacker spot is one of New Mexico’s strongest and deepest positions. The Lobos return several linebackers who played significant minutes and started numerous games, while the improvement by some of the younger players in the spring should give UNM solid depth.
Former walk-on and senior co-captain Mohammed Konte really came into his own last year and should be one of the leaders of the linebacking corps. A quick linebacker with a nose for the ball, Konte started the final nine games of the year at middle linebacker and recorded 63 tackles (ranks second among returnees), three tackles for loss, one interception, two fumble recoveries and one sack. Senior Gary Davis, who might be the fastest of all the linebackers, should see a lot of playing time alongside Konte. Davis started three games and was seventh on the team with 59 tackles.
At left linebacker, don’t be surprised to see junior Charles Moss and sophomore Shannon Kincaid sharing starting duties. Moss had 53 tackles in extensive minutes last year, while Kincaid had an outstanding spring and will see plenty of action, whether he is playing as a starter or as a reserve. An added bonus at linebacker is the return of Amos Wilson, the 6-2, 230-pound senior who redshirted in 2000, but saw action at linebacker for the Lobos in 1999.
There also is a dynamic group of younger players who have outstanding athletic ability and who the coaching staff feels will make a big impact in 2001. Redshirt freshmen Chrishone Harris, Frank Rodgers, Nick Speegle and Domingo Villarruel all impressed the coaches in the spring and should play as UNM continues to rotate as many players on defense as possible.
“Linebacker is a position where we are very strong,” Long said. “Not only do we have a solid group of experienced guys back, but all of our young linebackers have shown real good ability, which should allow us to play a number of guys.”
DEFENSIVE BACKS
The secondary will be a concern as UNM returns only one experienced man at cornerback and needs to replace two outstanding covermen in Rantie Harper and Walter Bernard. Senior Stephen Persley, a second team all-conference selection in 2000, will man one corner position, but the Lobos will be forced to start someone else who has little or no experience at the Division I level. Persley had a superb year in 2000, recording 39 tackles, 12 passes broken up and two interceptions. He also blocked two punts and scored a pair of touchdowns off of blocks.
Junior college transfers David Crockett and Brandon Gregory, as well as redshirt freshman Curtis Flakes, will compete for the starting corner spot opposite Persley. All three performed well during spring drills, but none of them stepped forward to take the starting job. Dante Childress played some at corner last year and should see playing time, as should junior Desmar Black, who started every game at safety in Œ99 but sat out 2000 with an injured shoulder.
Look for five to six players to man the three safety spots. There won’t be a designated player at each position, but instead, a number of players will rotate at the three spots, including lobo/free safety. UNM returns three players who saw plenty of minutes in the secondary last year, as well as three or four more who have the skills to be effective in the defensive backfield.
Scott Gerhardt has 14 career starts and had 53 tackles last year, playing both the safety and lobo position and should be one of the leaders of the secondary. Also returning is last year’s MWC Co-Freshman of the Year Brandon Ratcliff, who is UNM’s leading returning tackler with 71 stops, and former walk-on Terrell Golden, one of UNM’s most surprising players from a year ago. Golden started five games and notched 35 tackles, 2.5 sacks and three interceptions in his freshman year.
The coaching staff is extremely high on redshirt freshman Kevin Walton, but he did not get the chance to work out in the spring due to a broken arm suffered last fall. Walton has the size (6-0, 203) to be a dominating force in the secondary, but needs the work in fall camp to get acclimated to the position. David Hall, Joe Henderson and Edwin Garrett were all solid in the spring and will compete for playing time.
“I think the secondary is one of our biggest concerns,” Long said. “We have a quality corner in Stephen Persley and some experience coming back at safety, but we are going to be forced to play a couple of guys back there who have little or no experience.”
SPECIAL TEAMS
Vladimir Borombozin returns as the field goal kicker, but sophomore Ben Shankle had a good spring and has shown signs that he can compete with Borombozin for the job. Borombozin was solid last year, hitting 10 of 15 field goal attempts (66.7%) and making 21 of 25 PATs. He has a tremendous work ethic and the coaches expect his numbers to improve this year.
With the departure of punter Cort Moffitt, the Lobos are scrambling to find a replacement for the two-year starter. UNM has a handful of guys who have previous punting experience, but not at the Division I level. Borombozin punted in junior college, while Jeff Grady, Mike Auguystyniak and Norbert Gabaldon were high school punters who should vye for the job as well. Whoever shows the most consistency in fall camp will earn the starting nod.
Other concerns include finding a deep-snapper to replace Joe Maese, a sixth-round pick of the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, and to find a kickoff man. Joe Fiola is the leading candidate for the deep snapper job, but Brian Beaty, Martin Lovato and Shane Elliott also put in plenty of time in the spring. “We were spoiled with Joe back there,” Long said. “He is one of the best deep-snappers I have seen. There should be good competition for the job. These guys are nowhere near the caliber of Joe, but they are young and can develop.”
As far as kickoff duties are concerned, the Lobos need to find someone who can kick the ball out of the end zone, or who can place kicks in designated spots. The kickoff coverage was great last year, but the kickoffs were inconsistent and often times left the opposition with great field position.
UNM also will miss Larry Davis returning kicks. Davis led the conference in returns with an average of 25.8 yards. Holmon Wiggins might be the guy to replace Davis for kick return duties. Wiggins returned punts last year and established school records with 46 runbacks and 392 yards. He was third in the conference, averaging 8.5 yards per return. Dwight Counter could also see some time as a return man.