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Albuquerque — The New Mexico Lobos kick off their 104th football season Saturday, traveling to Raleigh, N.C., to face the nationally-ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack in the Black Coaches Association Bowl. Kickoff is set for 4:38 p.m., Eastern Time (2:38 in Albuquerque) with live television coverage provided by Fox Sports Net. KRQE in Albuquerque will pick up the Fox feed and show the game throughout the state of New Mexico. It will be a battle of wolves as Lobo is the Spanish word for ‘wolf.’
? Proceeds from the game benefit the Black Coaches Association Scholarship Fund, which furthers education for deserving African Americans who wish to pursue a career in coaching or sports administration.
? This is the first meeting for UNM against a current member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. It’s also the first appearance for a Lobo team in the state of North Carolina.
? Thanks to an odd twist in the calender – there are 14 Saturdays from Labor Day weekend until Nov. 30 as required by the NCAA – teams are able to play 12 regular-season games in 2002. Schools will also be allowed to schedule a dozen in 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2014. The BCA Bowl is an exempt game, thus giving UNM and NC State 13 tries apiece this year. New Mexico has played 13 games only one time in school history. The 1997 squad finished 9-4, including a Western Athletic Conference division title and an appearance in the Insight.com Bowl.
? In a bit of a rarity, Saturday’s game pits head coaches guiding their respective alma maters. Rocky Long, 52, graduated from New Mexico in 1974. He was a three-year starter at quarterback, engineering the Lobos’ option attack from 1969-71. Long is 18-28 entering his fifth year at UNM and as a head coach. Chuck Amato, 56, earned his sheepskin from NC State in 1969. He was a three-year letterman in Raleigh, playing linebacker from 1965-67. Amato, like Long, is in his first stint as a head coach, following 18 seasons as an assistant at Florida State. He is 15-9 after two years with the Wolfpack, 8-4 at home.
? New Mexico looks to build upon last year’s strong finish when it went a bowl-eligible 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the Mountain West Conference. After a 1-3 start, the Lobos won 5 of their last 7 games. UNM tied Utah for third place in the MWC. It was just New Mexico’s fifth winning season since 1979. Despite last year’s strong finish, the league’s media predicts a sixth-place finish for the Lobos in 2002. North Carolina State was 7-5 in 2001, 4-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, good for fourth place. Included in the win total was a 34-28 triumph at 10th-ranked Florida State, the Seminoles’ first ACC loss in Tallahassee. NC State lost to Pittsburgh in the Tangerine Bowl, 34-19. The Pack enters the 2002 season ranked 25th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ poll of which Rocky Long is a voter. Prognosticators predict a second place ACC finish for NC State in ’02.
? New Mexico is opening the season against a ranked team for the first time since 1993. Nine years ago, the Lobos gave No. 19 (AP) Brigham Young all it could handle before falling 34-31 in Albuquerque. UNM narrowly missed a game-tying field goal in the final minute. UNM has lost five straight games to ranked opponents, three times to BYU (1996, ’99, 2001) and once each to Colorado State (1997) and Texas Tech (1995). The last win over a ranked foe was Nov. 5, 1994 as Dennis Franchione’s Lobos knocked off Utah 23-21 at University Stadium. The Utes came into the game 8-0 and ranked 9th in the nation. The last time New Mexico defeated a ranked team on the road was Oct. 25, 1975. UNM upset No. 13 Arizona 44-34 in Tucson. The Wildcats were 5-0 going into the game. UNM was 2-4.
? This is the earliest start – by date – in school history. The previous was Aug. 26, 2000, when UNM met Texas Tech in the Hispanic College Fund Classic in Lubbock. The Lobos are 1-3 all-time in August games.
? UNM is making a rare football trip east of the Mississippi. The Lobos’ last sojourn to the Eastern Time Zone was at Central Florida to end the 1998 campaign. New Mexico lost 38-6. Prior to that was a narrow 27-21 setback at Florida in 1989.
? The Lobos have dropped seven straight non-conference road games outside the state of New Mexico. The last win was a 25-22 decision at Utah State on Sept. 20, 1997. UNM did win at New Mexico State in 2000.
? New Mexico has one player on its roster from North Carolina. Junior LB Daniel Gawronski is from Marshville, which is 130 miles southwest of Raleigh. Gawronski, a transfer from Copiah-Lincoln CC in Wesson, Miss., is a 1999 graduate of Mt. Zion Christian Academy, the same school that produced NBA star Tracy McGrady. Gawronski also attended Forest Hills High School in Marshville for two years. Gawronski was born Jan. 15, 1980, in Monroe, N.C., and predicts more than 100 family and friends will be on hand for the game.
? Saturday’s television coverage is expected to reach nearly 10 million homes around the country. Fox Sports Net South covers nine million homes in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and parts of Kentucky. Fox Sports Net Arizona will also pick up the game. UNM-NC State is the first game of a Saturday doubleheader on Fox. Florida State meets Iowa State in the Eddie Robinson Classic from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., at 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time.
OPENERS ? The Lobos have a 61-39-3 (.607) ledger in season openers and they are 5-2 in their last seven lid-lifters. New Mexico has a 10-22-1 record when it opens the season on the road. UNM has dropped two straight season road openers: 2000 at Texas Tech and 1999 at UTEP. The last win was 1996 at New Mexico State.
LOBO HISTORY ? The University of New Mexico has a 402-470-31 overall record through 103 seasons.
? UNM was founded in 1889, although the territory of New Mexico was not granted statehood until 1912. Three years later, the school’s 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.
CAPTAINS ? New Mexico’s four captains were selected last spring by a vote of the team. The offensive captains are both juniors, QB Casey Kelly and WR Dwight Counter. NT Hebrews Josue and LB Charles Moss – both seniors – are the defensive captains.
SEASON TICKET UPDATE ? Through noon on Friday, Aug. 16, Lobo fans had purchased 12,161 season tickets. It’s the ninth straight season New Mexico has eclipsed 10,000. UNM sold 13,202 season tickets in 2002. The school record is 14,254 in 1998.
INJURY UPDATE ? RB DonTrell Moore (strained knee) is probable. TE Brian Beaty (concussion) and LB Daniel Gawronski (ankle) are questionable.
PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS ? The Lobos were picked to finish sixth in the 2002 Mountain West Conference race by the league’s media. That’s the highest predicted conference finish in Rocky Long’s five years at New Mexico. However, since the inception of the MWC prior to the 1999 season, the Lobos have proved the sages wrong every year:
Preseason 1999Final 1999BYUBYU5-2Air ForceColorado State5-2San Diego StateUtah5-2UtahWyoming4-3Colorado StateNew Mexico3-4WyomingSan Diego State3-4New MexicoAir Force2-5UNLVUNLV1-6
Preseason 2000Final 2000UtahColorado State6-1Colorado StateAir Force5-2BYUUNLV4-3Air ForceBYU4-3San Diego StateNew Mexico3-4WyomingUtah3-4UNLVSan Diego State3-4New MexicoWyoming0-7
Preseason 2001Final 2001Colorado StateBYU7-0UNLVColorado State5-2BYUNew Mexico4-3San Diego StateUtah4-3Air ForceUNLV3-4UtahAir Force2-4New MexicoSan Diego State2-5WyomingWyoming0-7
Composite MWC Record (1999-2001, MWC games only)BYU16-5Colorado State16-5Utah12-9New Mexico10-11Air Force10-11UNLV8-13San Diego State8-13Wyoming 4-17
2002 PREVIEW ? A total of 38 lettermen return for the 2002 season, including 15 starters, 6 on offense, 7 on defense and 2 specialists. It’s one of the Lobos’ youngest teams in a long time as only 10 seniors dot the roster, and just four of those are on the offensive side of the football.
Offense – The myriad formations employed by offensive coordinator Dan Dodd demonstrated remarkable improvement in 2001. The Lobos’ offensive averages increased by 8.5 points and 110.2 yards from the previous season. UNM’s primary offensive goal in 2002 is to improve its pass completion percentage. New Mexico was true on just 42.6% of its attempts last year, the lowest accuracy in NCAA Div. I-A and the school’s worst passing performance in 28 years. UNM’s pass efficiency rating of 95.3 ranked 107th nationally.
Quarterback – Former walk-on and now-junior and co-captain Casey Kelly is firmly entrenched as the starter, a position he manned for the final seven games of the 2001 campaign when UNM went 5-2. His back-ups have no collegiate experience under center. Another former walk-on – senior Justin Millea – last played quarterback in the fall of 1997 as a senior at Silver High School in Silver City, N.M. Millea has spent the past two years primarily on kick cover teams. He moved to offense in the spring when redshirt freshman Jeff Grady opted to play baseball for the Lobos. True freshman Kole McKamey has looked solid in preseason drills and could also see time should Kelly go down.
Running Back – Gone are three seniors – Jarrod Baxter, Holmon Wiggins and Javier Hanson – who combined to gain 1,684 yards and rush for 13 TDs last year. Baxter, a 240-pound workhorse, rushed for 907 yards and 11 TDs last year. He was a 5th-round draft pick of the Houston Texans and looks to make the team as a blocking back. Wiggins totaled 2,912 all-purpose yards in his career, 1,833 of those on the ground. He was also the Lobos’ leading punt returner in 2000 and ’01. The three replacements are redshirt freshmen DonTrell Moore and Tony Frazier and senior Quincy Wright. One of those players will be making his first start in a New Mexico uniform. Wright has gained 164 yards on 14 career totes.
Receiver– The Lobos are pretty deep here with seven players in the mix. The top-two receivers from last year are back in junior Dwight Counter (43-774-4 TDs) and senior Joe Manning (26-482-3 TDs). Three additional lettermen – senior Jake Farrel and juniors Rashaun Sanders and Terrence Thomas – return while redshirt junior Michael Brunker and sophomore Adrian Boyd are also expected to see action.
Offensive Line – With the unexpected exit of center Rashad McClure before preseason workouts, the Lobos now have an offensive line void of seniors. Sophomore guard Claude Terrell, a freshman all-America a year ago, and junior tackle Jason Lenzmeier are the returning starters. Junior Justin Colburn, who was supposed to start at tackle before McClure quit, moves over to the pivot, a position he manned in 2000. Redshirt junior Calvin McDonald starts at the other guard while sophomore Nate Hembree gets the nod at the other tackle spot. The average size of that quintet is 6-foot-4 and 307.4 lbs. True freshman Robert Turner has been a pleasant surprise and is expected to make the traveling squad as a back-up guard.
Tight End – Another position that has exclusively underclassmen. Junior Bryan Penley started last season and is a two-year letterman. Sophomore Mike Augustyniak and transfer Zach Cresap will play as well.
Defense – Only eight schools have finished in the top-20 in total defense each of the past two years and New Mexico is one of them. UNM ranked 17th in 2000, allowing 309.4 yards a game. The Lobos were No. 18 in 2001, yielding just 310.8 yards a game.
Defensive Line – All three starters return from last year in junior defensive ends D.J. Renteria and Daniel Kegler. Senior co-captain Hebrews Josue is getting pushed by junior Guillermo Morrison for the start at nose tackle. Like last year, UNM is expected to rotate 7-8 players on the line.
Linebackers – The Lobos should be able to go six, possibly seven-deep, at a position that features three starters. Senior co-captain Charles Moss and sophomore Nick Speegle – a freshman all-American in 2001 when he started 4 games – are both honors candidates. Shannon Kincaid is expected to start on the outside opposite Speegle. Kincaid set a UNM linebackers’ record, running a 4.49 in the 40. Reserves who should play are juniors Daniel Gawronski and Billy Strother and sophomores Chrishone Harris and Domingo Villarruel.
Safeties/Lobo– This is probably the team’s deepest position in terms of experience and ability. The two wolf safety spots and the lobo, or free safety, are patrolled by eight capable youngsters, five with previous playing expereince. There’s only one senior in the bunch in returning starter David Hall. The ubiquitous Terrell Golden – now a junior – will get the other start at wolf safety. Exuberant redshirt freshman Gabriel Fulbright and sophomore Josh Bazinet will provide relief. The lobo has three, maybe even four, solid candidates in sophomore Kevin Walton, 2000 MWC co-Newcomer of the Year Brandon Ratcliff and transfers Fola Fashola and Sidney Wiley all competing. All bring different attributes to the position and their playing time could be determined by the opponent’s offensive tendencies.
Cornerbacks – Senior David Crockett is one of the best in the conference after deflecting 14 passes a year ago, including an interception return for a TD. Senior Desmar Black looks to be the starter on the other side. Senior Brandon Gregory, junior transfer Corey Brown and redshirt freshman Jerrell Malone should also travel.
Special Teams– Sophomore Wes Zunker is expected to handle all placements and kickoff duties. The punter looks could be either transfer Matt Goldstein or walk-ons Tyler Gaus or Stephen Lemrond. Projected return men include Joe Manning, Brandon Gregory, David Hall, Brandon Ratcliff and Quincy Wright. Jake Farrel is the holder while Martin Lovato is back as the deep snapper.
GAME-DAY COACHING ASSIGNMENTS ? Head coach Rocky Long is joined on the sidelines by assistant coaches Bob Bostad (offensive line), Jeff Conway (special teams/receivers), Curtis Luper (running backs), Lenny Rodriguez (linebackers) and Everett Todd (cornerbacks). Upstairs in the press box are offensive coordinator Dan Dodd, defensive coordinator Bronco Mendenhall, tight ends coach Jason Strauss and defensive line coach Grady Stretz.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE NOTES ? The Wolfpack began preseason workouts with 42 returning lettermen. Among the returnees were 14 starters, 6 on offense, 6 on defense and 2 specialists.
? Head coach Chuck Amato is only the third coach in the 110-year history of Wolfpack football to win at least 15 games in his first two seasons, and is the third to take his first two teams to bowl games. Amato has been involved with teams that have played in 26 bowl games. He served 18 seasons (1982-99) under Bobby Bowden at Florida State, the last 14 as the assistant head coach. Amato also worked for Lou Holtz at NC State in the ’70s and spent two seasons (1980-81) at the University of Arizona. Amato was a defensive coach throughout his 27 years as an assistant.
? Junior QB Philip Rivers (6-5, 236) has passed for 5,640 yards in just two years at NC State. Rivers married his high school sweetheart, Tiffany, in May 2001 when he was just 19 years old and the couple had a daughter, Halle Elizabeth, on June 6. ? For the fourth consecutive season, NC State set a school record for selling season tickets. Wolfpack fans bought more than 31,500 for 2002.
? Heading into the season, the 10-man Wolfpack coaching staff can boast of an unreal 237 combined years of experience in the profession.
? UNM associate head coach/defensive coordinator Bronco Mendenhall and NC State quarterbacks coach Mike Canales were on the same coaching staff at Snow Junior College. Mendenhall, who played at Snow in 1985-86, was the school’s defensive coordinator and secondary coach in 1991-92. Canales was Snow’s offensive coordinator from 1987-94. Canales also tutored former Lobo standout QB Graham Leigh at Pacific in 1995. Leigh transferred to UNM after Pacific dropped football following the ’95 season. He was the 1997 WAC Mountain Division Offensive Player of the Year.
? NC State has blocked an unfathomable 30 kicks since the 1998 season: 18 punts, 11 field goals and one extra point. S Terrence Holt blocked four FGs last season and has rejected nine kicks in his career.
? Senior LB Dantonio Burnette tied Bill Cowher’s single-game tackle record when he had 24 stops against Clemson. Cowher is currently the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
NEW RULES FOR 2002 ? The ‘halo rule,” now states no player from the kicking team may be within two yards of a player on the receiving team positioned to catch a punt, kickoff or field goal. The penalty for non-contact violation increases from five to 10 yards. The penalty remains 15 yards when contact is made and flagrant offenders may be disqualified for the rest of the game. Also, flagrant personal fouls during possession by the defensive team can now carry from one extra period to the next. Previously, the player committing the foul would be disqualified for the remainder of the game, but the 15-yard penalty against his team was not assessed. Now, the player’s ejected and the penalty yardage is assessed at the start of the next overtime. It’s possible a team could start from the 10-yard line if there’s a flagrant foul at the end of the overtime.
? No team personnel shall engage in media interviews from the start of the first period until the end of the game, except for coaches being interviewed during halftime.
? All players of a team must wear facemasks of the same color.
? A team that scores a touchdown has the option of enforcing penalties for personal fouls by the opponent during the scoring down either on the try or the succeeding kickoff.
WORDS FROM THE COACHES ? (Rocky Long on preseason workouts) — ‘I think we’re further ahead as far as X’s and O’s than last year at this time, however, I don’t think we are as mature a football team as we have been the past few years. We probably have more talent and more depth, so the possibility exists that we could be a better football team later in the season. Because we’re counting on a lot of redshirt freshmen in several key spots creates some questions. Inexperienced players tend to lose their focus and intensity more than mature football players.’
? (Rocky Long on North Carolina State) — ‘It’s always fun playing someone that is supposed to be a lot better than you. They are a very good football team; great receivers and a great quarterback. On defense, they are not very big, but they have excellent team speed, which we cannot simulate in practice, and a great free safety in Terrence Holt.’
? (Off. coordinator Dan Dodd on NCSU defense) — ‘North Carolina State runs very well on defense, and that includes the linemen. They are not that big, but they can all go. Terrence Holt is a definite playmaker and we have to account for him all the time. We’ve got to trim our offensive package this week and limit it to the point where we can get specific things done against their defense.’
? (Def. coordinator Bronco Mendenhall on the NCSU offense) — ‘NC State runs a unique offense. When it says in the media guide that they run a ‘multiple offense,’ that’s exactly what it is. There’s every formation imaginable and every personnel group imaginable with an emphasis on possession throws. We’re facing one of the top – if not the biggest – quarterbacks in the nation in Philip Rivers. He has a quick release and he’s a really good decision-maker. The ball arrives to the receivers in a very short amount of time. It’s difficult to sack him. They have screens built in to control the pressure so we have a big task on our hands. What’s similar about Texas Tech is the lack of time available to get to the quarterback before the ball is gone. Our biggest chore, besides adjusting to the multiple formations, is to make sure we tackle well in the open field. Their goal is to get the ball in the hands of some talented receivers and let them make big plays.