LIFT THE LID — The University of New Mexico begins its 103rd season of football on Saturday, Sept. 1, when the UTEP Miners visit an expanded University Stadium in Albuquerque. Kickoff is 6:07 p.m. Mountain Time.
UNM began preparation for the opener Aug. 9 as the veterans reported and practiced for the first time that evening. The Lobos will conduct two-a-day practice sessions through Aug. 19. The Lobos were 5-7 a year ago and 3-4 in their second year of the Mountain West Conference, tying San Diego State and Utah for fifth place. UNM was a near-unanimous pick to finish last in the preseason polls. The MWC media predicts New Mexico will finish seventh among eight schools in 2001.
UTEP SELLOUT COMMITTEE — A group of 10 local business leaders has formed a committee to help the Lobos attract the largest crowd in school history when the UTEP Miners come to University Stadium on Sept. 1. UNM officials estimate more than 30,000 tickets have been committed for the contest based on season ticket sales to date, and anticipated student attendance and game-day sales. The single-game attendance record is 37,156 for Rice in 1997.
SEASON TICKET UPDATE — Through Wednesday, Aug. 8, more than 11,000 season tickets have been sold. UNM sold 12,223 season tickets last year. The school record is 14,254 in 1998.
STADIUM EXPANSION/LOBOVISION — Seating capacity at University Stadium has been increased to 37,370 with the addition of 5,946 seats in the north end. The $3.5 million project to enclose the stadium will be ready for the season opener on Sept. 1.
A pavilion now connects the east and west stands for the first time since the stadium was built 41 years ago. Trees have been planted and lights installed along the pavilion as well.
The highlight of the renovation is a $1.8 million state-of-the-art video scoreboard at the north end. Appropriately named LoboVision, the system has instant replay and live-action capabilities. It is being financed through corporate sponsorships from PNM, Bank of the West, Isleta Casino & Resort, Albuquerque Publishing, Comcast, Creamland Dairies and AT&T Wireless.
Manufactured by Daktronics, Inc., the entire board measures 60 feet high and 61 feet wide while the videoboard is 21 feet high and 28 feet wide. A staff of 10 is needed to operate the system during a game. Personnel from UNM Media Technology Services will handle all game-day production. The next phase is to renovate the northeast, southeast and southwest corners of the stadium with new entrances, restrooms, concession stands and ticket booths.
FAN PHOTO NIGHT IS SATURDAY, AUG. 18 — The schedule of events for UNM football’s annual Fan Photo Night on Saturday, Aug. 18, at University Stadium:
5 p.m. Gates open Select-A-Seat begins as fans will have their pick of the best available season tickets.
6-7:30 Team practice/scrimmage
7:30-8 Autograph session with student-athletes from football, volleyball, soccer and cross country.
Dusk Academy Award-winning movie Gladiator will be shown. UNM officials hope to show the movie on the new LoboVision screen at the north end of University Stadium.
Admission is free. Pepsi, pizza, hot dogs, root beer floats and popcorn will be provided while supplies last. Sponsors include Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen and Newsradio 770 KKOB. Fans should enter on the west side of the stadium.
UNM GRIDIRON HISTORY — The University of New Mexico has a 396-465-31 overall record through 102 seasons, meaning the Lobos are just four victories shy of 400 wins all-time.
UNM was founded in 1889. Three years later, the first football game was played on Oct. 7, 1892, when a team representing UNM played a squad from Albuquerque High School in a vacant lot north of the town’s ice factory. The preps prevailed 5-0.
HEAD COACH ROCKY LONG — Former Lobo quarterback Rocky Long begins his fourth year at UNM. Long signed a new five-year contract last December, extending his stay through the 2005 season. The Lobos have increased their win total in each of Long’s first three seasons. Long has a 12-23 record in his first stint as a head coach at any level.
Long was named the Lobos’ 28th head football coach on Dec. 20, 1997, after spending two years as the defensive coordinator at UCLA. Long was a graduate assistant at UNM from 1972-73 and an assistant coach for the Lobos from 1978-80.
The 51-year-old California native and 1974 UNM graduate was a three-time team MVP from 1969-71 and was selected the Western Athletic Conference offensive player of the year following his senior season. He was also named to the academic all-WAC team three straight years.
COACHING STAFF — While Long has the same nine assistant coaches on his staff as last year, a few changes were implemented before spring ball.
Jeff Conway remains special teams coordinator, but now oversees running backs instead of tight ends. Blake Anderson moved from running backs to receivers while Gerald Bradley switched from receivers to tight ends.
NUMBERS — Long and his staff are expected to greet 38 returning lettermen. UNM returns 12 starters, seven on offense, four on defense and one specialist. NCAA rules stipulate that a maximum of 105 players may participate in practice prior to the start of the fall semester. Once school begins – Aug. 20 at UNM – an unlimited of players may practice. Schools are limited to 29 practice sessions before their first game.
CLASS BREAKDOWN — Of the 86 players on the preseason depth chart – excluding kickers and specialists – UNM lists 20 seniors, 18 juniors, 16 sophomores, 15 redshirt freshmen and 17 true freshmen.
CAPTAINS — The 2001 Lobo captains as chosen by their teammates last spring are RB Jarrod Baxter, QB Rudy Caamano and OG Jeremy Sorenson on offense, and DE Brian Johnson and LB Mohammed Konte on defense. Baxter was also a captain in 2000.
GREAT JOB IN SCHOOL — The University of New Mexico football team combined to post a 2.59 grade-point-average during the 2001 spring semester. That’s the highest semester GPA by the Lobo gridders since the school began charting grades in 1988. Two of the top-three semester GPAs have occurred under current head coach Rocky Long. The Lobos had a 2.52 in the spring of 2000.
SUCCESSFUL WALK-ONS — Some of the better-known Lobos began their careers as walk-ons, including three of the Lobos’ five captains. Jarrod Baxter, Brian Johnson and Mohammed Konte all started at UNM without athletics scholarships.
Baxter was a walk-on during the fall semester of 1997 under former head coach Dennis Franchione. He was placed on scholarship in the spring of 1998. Johnson was a 195-pound walk-on running back when he came to Albuquerque in the fall of 97. He impressed Rocky Long and his staff so much during 98 spring drills that he received a scholarship that fall. Konte, also a redshirt in 97, paid his own way for three years before being placed on aid in the fall of 2000. Newcomers to the rags-to-riches story include junior NT Adrian Terry, sophomore S Terrell Golden, sophomore QB Casey Kelly and sophomore WR Terrence Thomas.
STRONGER EVERYDAY — UNM director of strength and conditioning Mark Paulsen reported in May that 34 players lifted 300 pounds or more in the power clean during spring testing. The total in 1998 was just 13. Such is the trend for New Mexico football in the weight room. There were six players with a squat of 500 pounds or more in 1998, a figure that increased more than five-fold to 33 in the spring of 2001. Only four Lobos squatted 550 pounds in 2000 compared to 16 this year.
ATTRACTIVE & DEMANDING SCHEDULE — The 2001 Lobo home schedule could arguably be the most attractive in school history. The six visitors to Albuquerque compiled a 44-28 record last year, including a 3-1 ledger in bowl games.
UNM’s two oldest rivals – UTEP and New Mexico State – highlight the non-conference docket in expanded University Stadium. The Miners were 8-4 last year, tied for the Western Athletic Conference title and played in the Humanitarian Bowl.
The top-four teams in the 2000 Mountain West Conference standings – Colorado State, Air Force, UNLV and BYU – all travel to Albuquerque in 2001. CSU finished the year 10-2 and No. 14 in the final AP poll. The Rams edged Louisville in the AXA Liberty Bowl. Air Force was 9-3 and beat Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Classic. UNLV was 8-5 and bounced Arkansas in the EASports Las Vegas Bowl.
On the flip-side is that New Mexico is the only team in the Mountain West Conference that opens league play with consecutive road games (Utah and Wyoming). BYU plays its first two MWC contests on the road as well (at UNLV, at UNM), but the Cougars are home against Utah State between road trips.
LOBOS IN THE PROS — An unprecedented number of former Lobos – 14 to be exact – remained in NFL training camps as of Aug. 8. Eight alums, indicated by an asterisk, were on professional rosters last year.
|Billy Austin*| S | Indianapolis|| Walter Bernard | CB | San Diego|| Jonathan Burrough | TE | Baltimore|| Larry Davis | WR | San Francisco|| Lennox Gordon*| RB | Indianapolis|| Joe Maese| Deep Snap | Baltimore|| Terance Mathis*| WR | Atlanta|| Scott McGarrahan*| S | Green Bay|| Winslow Oliver*| RB | Atlanta|| David Sloan* | TE | Detroit|| Germany Thompson* | WR | Baltimore ||Casey Tisdale | LB | Kansas City ||Brian Urlacher* |LB | Chicago|| Martinez Williams | WR | Dallas |
WOMEN’S CLINIC HELPS KIDS — The seventh annual UNM Women’s Football Clinic was held Aug. 2. The clinic assists the UNM Send-A-Kid Program, which provides Lobo football tickets to underpriviliged and disadvantaged youth. Since the Send-A-Kid Program started in 1994, over 6,500 area youngsters have been able to watch the Lobos.
UNM ON RADIO — All New Mexico football games will again be broadcast over 50,000-watt station 770 KKOB-AM. KKOB is the flagship station of the 10-member Lobo Football Radio Network. Veteran sportscaster Mike Roberts begins his 36th season calling New Mexico football and his 51st year in the business overall. UNM director of media relations Greg Remington enters his second season providing analysis. Lobo Talk, UNM’s weekly call-in show with Mike Roberts, head coach Rocky Long and selected UNM players, airs every Thursday from Spectator Sports Bar and Grill in the Mountain Run Shopping Center at the corner of Eubank and Juan Tabo. The first show is Aug. 30 from 6-9 p.m. All games and Lobo Talk are available over the internet at golobos.com, the official site of UNM athletics, and 770kkob.com.
TV TIME — As of this writing, nine of the Lobos’ 11 regular-season games will be televised, including all seven MWC games. Most contests will air locally on KRQE-TV Channel 13 through ESPN Regional or SportsWest.
2001 New Mexico Football Preseason Schedule(as of Aug. 9; all dates/times subject to change) Thursday, Aug. 9 Practice (full squad) 7:20-9:20 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 10 Practice 10:15-11:45 a.m. 7:20-9:20 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 11 Practice 10:15-11:45 a.m. 7:20-9:20 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 12 Practice (offense) 2:15-3:15 p.m. Practice (defense) 3:20-4:20 p.m. Practice (full squad) 7-8:15 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 13 Practice 10:15-11:45 a.m. 7:20-9:20 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 14 Practice 10:45-11:45 a.m. Practice (full pads) 7:20-9:20 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 15 Practice 10:15-11:45 a.m. 7:20-9:20 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 16 Practice 10:45-11:45 a.m. 7:20-9:20 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 17 Practice 10:15-11:45 a.m. 7:20-9:20 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 18 Practice 8:30-10 a.m. 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Fan Photo Night 5 p.m. University Stadium
Sunday, Aug. 19 Practice 10:45-11:45 a.m.
Monday, Aug. 20 Fall Semester Begins Practice 3-5 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 28 Media Luncheon Noon-1 p.m. Diehm Athletics Facility
Saturday, Sept. 1 UNM vs. UTEP 6:07 p.m.
Head Coach Rocky Long
(on the players’ enthusiasm entering the season) “I think our players have earned the right to be optimistic because of how hard they’ve worked since last season. So our players are going into the season very confident, but it’s awfully easy to talk about it and something else to go out on the field and prove it.”
(on the team’s unity): “It’s turned out to be a very good deal. The players are to the point now where they kind of police themselves. It was a group effort of being here all summer and working hard together. I expected it to kind of fade as the summer went along, but I think it got stronger.”
(on the team’s emphasis in practice) “Obviously we have to throw and catch it better than we did last year, which if we do, will open up the running game. I think we have a good starting quarterback coming back, good running backs and I think we have great talent at wide receiver, but none of them have proven yet that they can actually make a play to win a game.”
(on having Rudy Caamano established as the team’s No. 1 quarterback) “We’re happy about it. The team and the coaches don’t have to pick sides or the media doesn’t have to pick sides on who the starting quarterback should be. I think the best thing about it is that Rudy has worked hard since last season to understand and be more comfortable with the offense, which allowed offensive coordinator Dan Dodd to increase what we do on offense and maybe open it up a little more to give some players a chance to make some plays.”
(on the UNM defensive unit) “I think we have to replace some awfully good players that were seniors last year, but we have some players that played quite a bit last season and now it’s their opportunity to shine. Our defense will get better if our offense gets better and our offense will get better if our defense plays well enough to cause turnovers.”
(on the construction and expansion of University Stadium) “I love watching them work. I think the improvements will help it become more fan friendly and I know our players are excited about it. It makes it look like a different stadium and it feels like a different stadium. I know our players are real excited about watching replays on the video board. I just hope they’re mostly good ones.”
Junior QB Rudy Caamano (on entering the season established as the No. 1 quarterback) “It’s a better feeling to know where you stand before the season starts. Having more confidence and being more comfortable allows you to concentrate just on football things instead of worrying about trying to get playing time.”
(on the offseason work to improve the passing game) “We’re really happy with what we did in the summer and the spring. We worked hard to improve our passing game and we did things that will enable us to throw the ball more this year. I’m satisfied with what we did in the off season, so hopefully we can show the difference in the fall.”
(on the Lobos’ prospects this season) “I’m excited. I think this is the year New Mexico gets over the hump and becomes a power in the Mountain West.”
Senior RB Holmon Wiggins (on his final season at UNM) “I’m trying to go out in a big fashion. We have a good nucleus of players and we have high expectations.”
(on what will make UNM a successful team this season) “We have great team unity and it’s a collective effort instead of individualism. We’ve also put in a lot of hard work so far.”
(on balancing the offensive load this fall) “The running backs won’t have to carry as much of the load this year. During the spring we focused on throwing the ball, so the offense should be more balanced this season. If we do good in the passing game, it’ll open up the running game and we’ll be more effective.”
(on entering the season with the quarterback situation settled) “It’s more comfortable for all the players to know that we can count on Rudy (Caamano) instead of wondering what’s happening or who’s going to be in the game.”
(on the University Stadium expansion and new LoboVision) “We are excited. It brings a new atmosphere to Albuquerque. We have the new Jumbotron, added seats and the Red Menace fans in the end zone. It’s going to make it a more exciting season.”
Senior CB Stephen Persley (on the loss of S Brandon Ratcliff) “It is a big concern for us, but it is also an opportunity for some guys to step up and contribute to the team.”
(on being picked preseason first team all-conference) “It’s a good thing. I want everything on my shoulders. I have been here for four years and Ifeel like I can handle the pressure.”
(on the outlook of the 2001 squad) “We have a lot of dedication on this team and I have never seen a summer like this. We have a more athletic team and this will be the best team we’ve had since I have been here.”
Senior OL Jeremy Sorenson (on the offense) “We’ve got more confidence in ourselves. We learned the scheme last year, but not making any excuses for our performance last year, we were learning a new offense. Now we’ve got it down. After a good spring we should just make tremendous strides now.” (on UNM’s talent) “Oh yeah, talent is not a question, we have the players to play with anybody now.”
(on where UNM will finish this year) “First – we played with everybody in the conference last year, and we can play with anybody this year”