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LOBOS WELCOME WEEK OFF; FACE REBELS SATURDAY •After a week off, the New Mexico Lobos (2-4, 0-1 MWC) get back to Mountain West Conference action this week with a trip to Las Vegas. UNM and UNLV square off Saturday at 5 p.m. Mountain Time (4 p.m. in Las Vegas) at Sam Boyd Stadium. No television is planned for the game.•UNM is 2-4 following a 49-0 shutout at the hands of Texas Tech on Sept. 27. The Lobos have lost consecutive games for the first time since a three-game skid to end the 2000 season. UNLV is 2-3 overall following a 21-17 win against Nevada. This is the Rebels’ conference opener.•UNM is 4-0 following scheduled open weeks under current head coach Rocky Long. Looking back further shows the Lobos have won seven straight games – over a period of nearly six years – following a scheduled break. The last loss was 48-42 versus San Diego State on Oct. 19, 1996.
Bye dateNext Game ResultOct. 20, 2001Oct. 27W vs. Air Force, 52-33Oct. 14, 2000Oct. 21W at Air Force, 29-23Oct. 23, 1999Oct. 30W vs. UNLV, 27-6Oct. 2, 1999Oct. 9W at San Diego State, 24-21Nov. 8, 1997Nov. 15W vs. BYU, 38-28Sept. 27, 1997Oct. 4W vs. SMU, 22-15Nov. 16, 1996Nov. 23W vs. UTEP, 44-17 •New Mexico is 6-3 in October the past three season, 2-1 every year between 1999-2001.•Last year, New Mexico 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. Picked to finish seventh in the MWC preseason polls, UNM tied Utah for third place. It was just New Mexico’s fifth winning season since 1979. The league’s media projected a sixth-place finish for the Lobos in 2002. UNLV was 4-7 overall last year, 3-4 in the MWC. The Rebels won four of their last seven after an 0-4 start.•New Mexico has increased its win total by one each of past three seasons: 4 in 1999, 5 in 2000 and 6 in 2001. The only other schools to make that claim are Oregon and Fresno State.•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 against NC State was an exempt game, thus giving UNM 13 tries 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.
THE UNLV SERIES•It’s the 10th meeting and UNLV has a 5-4 lead. The Lobos have never won in Las Vegas, losing all three games. UNM has a 4-2 advantage in Albuquerque, and leads 2-1 in MWC games.•UNM won 27-17 last year in Albuquerque, blanking the Rebels for the last 2 1/2 quarters. The Lobos trailed 17-14 at halftime, but got a pair of FGs and a 2-yard run from Jarrod Baxter in the second half. UNLV QB Jason Thomas missed the game due to the flu. New Mexico held the Rebels to 266 yards of offense.•Two years ago at Sam Boyd Stadium, UNLV scored the go-ahead touchdown with 18 seconds left to win 18-14. UNM took a 14-11 lead with 3:01 remaining on a score that was set up by Larry Davis’ blocked punt. The Lobos fell despite causing five UNLV turnovers (3 int., 2 fumbles).
UNM HISTORY•The University of New Mexico has a 404-474-31 overall record in its 104th season.•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.
INJURY UPDATE•After having no major injuries to any frontline players last year, the Lobos’ training room has become Grand Central Station of late. Starting TB Quincy Wright (torn ACL) was lost for the season in the Baylor game on Sept. 14. Now, starting QB Casey Kelly (Portland, Ore.) will be on the shelf for at least the next three games due to a broken left arm suffered against Texas Tech.•Kelly had surgery Sept. 29 on his left ulna (outside forearm). A 6-inch by 1/2-inch plate was inserted where the fracture occurred. That plate, which runs parallel to the ulna, will probably remain in Kelly’s arm for a couple of years. He was placed in a cast and a bone stimulator was attached to help speed up the healing process. Kelly will have an X-ray every week to see how the healing is progressing.•Kelly, 7-6 in his UNM career as the starter, has completed 88 of 156 passes for 821 yards, three TDs and four inteceptions in 2002. He rushed 40 times for a net 42 yards, including three TDs. •Sophomore OT Nate Hembree (Carrolton, Texas) is out for the season with a torn left ACL suffered at New Mexico State. With the aid of a special brace, Hembree actually practiced and tried to play against Texas Tech. Hembree will have surgery Oct. 7.•Sophomore LB Domingo Villarruel (Fort Worth, Texas) is out indefinitely with a bulging disk in his neck suffered at New Mexico State.
WRIGHT DONE FOR THE SEASON•The Baylor win on Sept. 14 did not come without cost as senior RB Quincy Wright was lost for the season after suffering a torn left ACL and meniscus at the end of a 13-yard run in the first quarter. It was his fourth carry of the game. Wright finished with 21 yards on the night. He had surgery on Sept. 30. UNM will explore the option of Wright receiving a sixth year of eligibility in 2003. He was a redshirt in 1998.•In Wright, the Lobos lost a player that head coach Rocky Long described in the following way: “In a very short time, he developed into the heart and soul of our offensive football team.”•A virtual bit player on special teams in his first three years at UNM, Wright’s senior season of collegiate football looked to be nothing short of colossal before the non-contact injury. Wright came into the Baylor game ranked 3rd in the nation in rushing, averaging 158.3 yards a game. He was 6th nationally in all-purpose yards at 202.3 yards a game and had scored 32 points in the first three games. Wright even had a hand in the Baylor win before going down as he tossed an 18-yard TD to TE Bryan Penley that gave the Lobos a 7-0 lead.•Wright’s season-ending numbers: 67 carries, 496 yards, 7.4 ypc and 4 TDs…8 receptions, 132 yards and a TD.•Wright broke a 25-year-old school record against Weber State when he rushed for 265 yards, including 3 TDs. He gained 145 yards on 25 totes at Air Force. Wright’s 410 yards rushing is the highest consective-game total in school history. He scored on runs of 34 and 63 yards against Weber State and on a 48-yard screen pass at Air Force.
NOTES ON THE NEW LOBO QB•Head coach Rocky Long announced last Thursday that true freshman Kole McKamey (Artesia, N.M.) will start against UNLV for the injured Casey Kelly…senior Justin Millea (Silver City, N.M.), pronounced muh-LAY, will be the back-up•The 6-2, 185-pound McKamey will be the first true freshman to draw the starting assignment at UNM since Jeremy Leach in 1988…there appear to be only two other true freshmen starters in NCAA Div. I-A football at this time: Steve Jyles of Louisiana-Monroe and Army’s Zac Dahman•The last native New Mexican to start at quarterback was Barry Garrison (Albuquerque Eldorado HS) in 1987•McKamey will be the seventh starting quarterback the Lobos have employed since 1998, joining Graham Leigh, Eric Jaworsky, Sean Stein, Jeremy Denson, Rudy Caamano and Kelly•McKamey’s first action as a Lobo came against Texas Tech…rotating with Millea in the second following Kelly’s injury, McKamey participated in three series and 11 offensive snaps…he rushed twice for a minus-1 yard and completed 1 of 4 passes for 3 yards
LOBO QB DEBUTS• A look at UNM quarterbacks in their first career starts since Rocky Long became head coach in 1998 (Note: Graham Leigh, UNM’s starter in 1998, is not listed because he started in 1997 prior to Long’s arrival): Passing RushingDateQB / Site / ResultC-Att-Int-Yd-TDAtt-Yds-TD-LongSept. 4, 1999Eric Jaworsky at UTEP (L, 13-10)13-23-0-102-19-10-0-11Oct. 9, 1999Sean Stein at San Diego St. (W, 24-21)16-26-1-154-25-45-0-51Aug. 26, 2000Jeremy Denson at Texas Tech (L, 24-3)6-18-1-52-012-(-22)-0-14Sept. 9, 2000Rudy Caamano vs. Oregon St. (L, 28-20)12-21-2-130-210-(-8)-0-7Oct. 6, 2001Casey Kelly at Wyoming (W, 30-29)20-30-1-231-15-24-0-12
TEXAS TECH NOTES• New Mexico was shut out at home for the first time since 1988 when UTEP won 37-0…the 49-point differential is UNM’s largest at home since a 75-12 loss to UNLV in 1980 • The Lobos had 199 yards of total offense, the lowest amount since gaining 168 against New Mexico State in 2000…the 590 yards by Texas Tech is the most since Northern Arizona had 619 in 1996• New Mexico WR Dwight Counter (Lancaster, Texas) caught 5 passes for 22 yards, giving him at least one reception in 17 straight games…the junior has 75 receptions for 1,066 yards, and is close to cracking UNM’s top-15 in both categories•Texas Tech set or tied four opponent records against UNM: first downs (37), pass completions (47), pass attempts (68), total plays (102)•Junior DE Daniel Kegler (Frostproof, Fla.) notched 1 1/2 sacks, giving him a team-leading 4.5 on the year, while sophomore NT Kyle Coulter (Sapulpa, Okla.) notched his first career sack•Junior CB Corey Brown (Lake View Terrace, Calif.) notched his first career interception and returned it 42 yards, the Lobos longest of the season•The Lobos used 13 true or redshirt freshmen in the game•Senior LB Charles Moss (Dallas) had 10 tackles and leads the team with 58 stops on the season…Moss has 190 tackles in his career at UNM•Junior LB Billy Strother (Evansville, Ind.) led the team in tackles for the second time with a season-high-tying 11 stops
OFFENSE NOTES•UNM had scored in 111 consecutive games, the 15th-longest active streak in the nation, before the shutout by Texas Tech…the last team to blank the Lobos had been BYU (35-0) on Nov. 7, 1992•Lobo tight ends have caught 17 passes for 150 yards and 2 TDs this season compared to last year’s numbers of just 6 catches for 37 yards…junior Bryan Penley (Victoria, Texas) leads the way with 11 grabs for 110 yards and the 2 TDs…that’s the most receptions by a Lobo TE since Brian Johnson caught 18 for 212 yards in 1998
DEFENSE NOTES•In the 23-0 win over Baylor, UNM allowed just 107 yards, the stingiest effort since holding UTEP to 70 in 1983…it ranks as the 10th-lowest yards ever yielded by a Lobo team•Junior DE D.J. Renteria (Roswell, N.M.) has recovered four fumbles, a figure that leads the MWC…the UNM single-season record for fumble recoveries is 5 by Tom Cole in 1984 and Charles Butler in 1994…Renteria has 5 recoveries for his career•Only five backs have eclipsed 100 yards rushing against UNM since the start of 2000, a span of 29 games, however, two have done so this season: Oregon State’s Ken Simonton (184) and UNLV’s Jeremi Rudolph (106) in 2000, Utah’s Dameon Hunter (177) in 2001 and Air Force’s Leotis Palmer (125) and New Mexico State’s Paul Dombrowski (136) this year.•The Lobos had held 9 straight opponents to less than 200 yards rushing before Air Force totaled 261 and New Mexico State got 262…only three times in the past 26 games has an opponent reached 200 yards on the ground against UNM, but it has happened twice in the past three games…the 262 yards by New Mexico State are the most against the Lobos since Air Force had 283 in 1999•It’s been 46 games since UNM allowed 300 rushing yards…San Diego State churned for 349 yards in 1998•UNM’s first three opponents manufactured 8 scoring drives covering at least 80 yards…in 12 games in 2001, opponents only did that 7 times•Foes converted 58% (28-48) of their 3rd-downs the first three games before Baylor was held to 2-of-15…opponents have converted 47% this season compared to 34% all of last year…NC State was an unsettling 67% (10-15) on 3rd downs, the best percentage against the Lobos since Air Force made 73% (11 of 15) in a 56-14 win on Oct. 3, 1998…the Wolfpack gained 181 yards on those 10 conversions, including TDs of 21, 1 and 50 yards, respectively
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES•Dwight Counter would lead the nation in punt returns at 27.1 yards but he is 1 short of the NCAA required minimum…Counter has 7 returns…the minimum is 1.2 returns per game, meaning Counter needs 8…he scored on a 63-yard return against Weber State…Counter returned 4 punts for 107 yards against Baylor, the highest single-game total since Chad Smith set a UNM record with 142 yards on 7 returns against UTEP in 1996…Counter’s 74-yard return against Baylor – which was not a TD – ties for the 7th-longest in school history…the Lobos are 1st in the nation in punt returns, averaging 28 yards on 7 returns•The Lobos have returned 3 punts for TDs in the past 11 games…Counter had the 63-yarder against Weber State on the first return of his career…one of the previous scoring returns – last year versus New Mexico State – was the result of a blocked punt•UNM has blocked 10 punts since the start of the 2000 season – a span of 29 games…Brandon Gregory (St. Louis, Mo.) stuffed the Air Force punter earlier this year•True freshman P Tyler Gaus (San Diego, Calif.) has punted 32 times for a 40.4-yard average…12 of his kicks have landed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line…UNM is 2nd in the MWC and 16th nationally in net punting at 38.9 yards…only 13 of Gaus’ punts have been returned for a total of 35 yards, an average of 2.7 yards•New Mexico led the MWC in kickoff coverage last year, allowing just 18.6 yards a return…the Lobos are off to a good start in 2002 as well as opponents have returned 12 kicks for a 17.5-yard average•UNM has punted 196 consecutive times without having a kick blocked…the last rejector was Air Force’s Buck Hodgkinson, who did so in the first quarter of the 1999 season finale, 30 games ago
ATTENDANCE STRONG AGAIN•UNM has had four straight crowds in excess of 30,000, a first for the Lobo program…prior to the current string, the best was two in a row in 1997…the crowd of 35,765 for Weber State ranks third-best all-time while 35,111 for Texas Tech is No. 4 at University Stadium•New Mexico is averaging 33,630 fans through three games…the school record, established last year, is 31,268•Lobo fans purchased 14,142 season tickets in 2002, the second-highest in school history and easily eclipsing last year’s total of 13,202…it’s the ninth straight season New Mexico has sold at least 10,000 season tickets. The school record is 14,254 set in 1998.
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.
ALTERNATIVE SCORING•The Lobos have definitely found ways to put points on the board other than just on offense. Here’s a list of “other” scores since the start of the 2000 season:
2000 (3 TDs)Oregon State:Stephen Persley 20-yard punt return (on a block)Wyoming:Mike Barnett 25-yard fumble recoveryAir Force:Stephen Persley 19-yard punt return (on a block)
2001 (6 TDs, 2 safeties)UTEP:Terrell Golden safetyUtah:Gary Davis safetyWyoming:Stephen Persley 6-yard interception returnDavid Crockett 17-yard interception returnAir Force:Stephen Persley 25-yard fumble recoveryHolmon Wiggins 47-yard punt returnColorado State:Terrell Golden 24-yard fumble recoveryNew Mexico State:Amos Wilson 30-yard punt return (ona block)
2002 (2 TDs, 1 safety)Weber State:Daniel Kegler safetyBilly Strother 42-yard fumble recoveryDwight Counter 63-yard punt return
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.
BLOCK PARTY•The Lobos have rejected 10 punts since the start of the 2000 season, or the past 29 games. Four of the rejections have been returned for scores. After having gone 21 straight games during most of 1998 and all of ‘99 without blocking a punt, the Lobos established a school record with five blocks in 2000. The year-by-year blocks:
2000Texas Tech:Dave MaurerOregon State:Stephen Persley (TD by Persley)Air Force:Terrell Golden (TD by Persley)Utah:Stephen PersleyUNLV:Larry Davis
2001Texas Tech:Stephen PersleyBaylor:Derrick ShepherdSan Diego State:Derrick ShepherdNew Mexico State:Tony Mazotti (TD by Amos Wilson)
2002Air Force:Brandon Gregory
LOBOS IN OVERTIME•The Lobos are 1-3 all-time in overtime games, including a 38-31 loss this year at Air Force. UNM played a pair of OT games in 1998, winning a 39-36 triple-OT thriller against Utah State and losing to San Diego State 36-33 in a single overtime. The Lobos suffered a 16-13 setback last year at Baylor in single overtime.
GRADES KEEP CLIMBING•The University of New Mexico football team compiled a 2.63 grade-point-average for the 2002 spring semester, the highest GPA since UNM began charting grades in the fall of 1988. UNM had a 2.59 GPA in the spring of 2000 and 2001. That means five of the top-seven semester GPAs have occurred under current head coach Rocky Long. Thirteen Lobos earned academic all-conference laurels during the 2001 season, also a record.
STADIUM IMPROVEMENTS/ATTENDANCE MARK•Last year, the home of New Mexico football – University Stadium – received its most significant renovation since it was erected in 1960, and it proved to be a smashing success. A record crowd of 41,771 witnessed the Lobos’ season-opening 26-6 victory over UTEP on Sept. 1, 2001, crushing the previous mark of 37,156 for the Rice game in 1997. UNM averaged a school-record 31,268 fans in 2001.•While the expanded stadium has just 37,370 fixed seats, UNM was able to shoehorn nearly 4,000 more fans into the UTEP game by selling 1,000 bleacher tickets in the south end and standing-room-only spots.•A pavilion now connects the east and west stands for the first time. Renovation on the northwest corner of the stadium was completed in October of 2000 and includes new concession stands, restrooms, novelty stands and landscaping. The next phase is to renovate the remaining three corners with new facilities.•The highlight of the renovation is a $1.8 million state-of-the-art videoboard at the north end of the stadium. Appropriately named LoboVision, the system has instant replay and live-action capabilities. Manufactured by Daktronics, Inc., the board measures 60 feet high and 61 feet wide. The videoboard is 21’ x 28’. A staff of 10, including three cameras, is needed to operate the system during games.
LOBO TRACK SAYS THANKS TO FOOTBALL•Five members of the UNM football team combined to score 42.5 points at the 2002 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Track Championships. That was more than one-third of UNM’s team total of 125.5 points.•WR Hank Baskett III placed 2nd in the high jump with a leap of 6-10 1/4. WR Michael Powdrell placed 3rd in the high jump (6-10 1/4) and 5th in the long jump (23-11 1/4). LB Shannon Kincaid was 4th in the long jump with a career-best effort of 24-2 1/2. NT Guillermo Morrison was 3rd in the discus (160-0) and 5th in the shot put (51-10 1/2) while RB Quincy Wright ran the 100 meters in 10.53 to claim second place.
SUCCESSFUL WALK-ONS•Some of the better-known Lobos – past and present – began their careers as walk-ons, including four team captains over the past two years. Departed seniors Jarrod Baxter, Brian Johnson and Mohammed Konte all started their UNM careers without athletic scholarships, as did junior quarterback Casey Kelly, an offensive team captain for the 2002 season who was awarded a scholarship prior to his sophomore campaign.•Baxter, a fifth-round pick of the Houston Texans in the 2002 National Football League Draft, 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, a two-time first team all-conference selection, was a 195-pound walk-on running back when he came to Albuquerque in the fall of ‘97. He had to wait a year for a scholarship after impressing Long and his staff during ‘98 spring drills. Konte, also a redshirt in ‘97, paid his own way for three years before being placed on aid in the fall of 2000 and earned honorable mention all-conference honors.•Former walk-ons placed on scholarship prior to the 2001 season include junior S Terrell Golden, a two-year starter and honorable mention all-conference selection last year, and junior WR Terrence Thomas. This year’s recipients are sophomore S Josh Bazinet, redshirt freshman C Ryan Cook, sophomore deep snapper Martin Lovato, sophomore fullback Ryan Rice and sophomore K Wes Zunker.
THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE •After 37 seasons in the Western Athletic Conference from 1962-98, the University of New Mexico officially joined Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, UNLV, San Diego State, Utah and Wyoming in the Mountain West Conference on July 1, 1999. The 2002 season will be the fourth for the MWC. Craig Thompson is the commissioner after spending eight years as commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference.•This is the fourth conference affiliation for the University of New Mexico. The Lobos were in the Border Conference from 1931-50, Skyline from 1951-61, and WAC from 1962-98.•UNM was a charter member of the Western Athletic Conference in 1962 along with Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Wyoming and Utah. The Lobos compiled a 91-159-2 record in 37 seasons of WAC play. •UNM has claimed conference titles four times: the 1934 Border, and WAC in 1962, ’63 and ’64. The Lobos also won the 1997 WAC Mountain Division championship.
CLINIC HELPS UNDERPRIVILEDGED KIDS•The ninth annual UNM Women’s Football Clinic was held on July 30 with nearly 200 football-hungry females attending. Consequently, over 700 Albuquerque area children will be able to see a Lobo game as part of the UNM Send-A-Kid Program, which provides tickets for underpriviledged and disadvantaged youth. Since the program was founded in 1994, over 7,000 children have been able to see a game.
UNLV NOTES•UNLV picked up its second win of the season last Saturday, 21-17 against Nevada in Las Vegas. Jason Thomas’ 45-yard TD pass to Larry Croom with 6:03 left in the fourth quarter was the game-winner. The game took 3 hours and 41 minutes. The Rebels had 468 yards of total offense, 206 on the ground and 262 passing. Three UNLV backs – Thomas, Dominique Dorsey and Joe Haro – gained at least 60 yards apiece. •Thomas completed 16 of 35 passes for 262 yards, no interceptions and two TDs. Croom caught six passes for 114 yards and a pair of scores.•Senior LB Tyrone Tucker was named MWC Defensive Player of the Week after the win over Nevada. Tucker had 10 tackles, two stops for losses and half a sack. The Rebels deflected 10 passes against the Wolf Pack. •The Rebels rank 2nd in the MWC and 25th nationally in rushing, averaging 205.2 yards a game…they are 1st in the league in sacks with 14 and are allowing just 99 yards rushing a game…UNLV is last in the league in pass completion percentage (47.5) and 3rd-down conversions (27%)•John Robinson (Oregon ‘58), who doubles as UNLV’s athletics director, has a 121-58-4 overall record in his 16th season as a head coach, including two stints at Southern Cal. He is 17-23 in his fourth year at UNLV. Robinson is 1-2 against the Lobos, 1-0 in Las Vegas. Last week’s win against Nevada was the 200th of his his coaching career, including 79 triumphs in professional football.
WORDS FROM THE HEAD COACH•(On the off week) — “It allowed us to work on some fundamentals which we hope will help us and we worked on some schemes that fit our two new quarterbacks. It was used more to heal mentally and physically, especially mentally. I expect us to have a new enthusiasm and get after it at Las Vegas.”
•(On the quarterback situation) — “Both quarterbacks (Millea and McKamey) were playing pretty well in practice and it was pretty equal. For the benefit and the future of the program, though, we named Kole the starter because he is going to be with us for the next four or five years. The only advantage Kole has is he is a lot younger (than Millea). We expect him to be a real good player as time goes by. Since Casey is hurt and we are in this situation we decided to go with the younger guy. Kole comes from a great program at Artesia. He’s been coached well all the way up. He didn’t seem like he was nervous or off his game when he played against Texas Tech. We don’t expect him to be the leader or the talker. The other guys need to step up and protect him because he’s a freshman.”
•(On UNLV) — “Their record might not show it but they have some tremendous individual players who can change a game very quickly. Getting past Nevada was a very solid win for them. Nevada beat BYU and took Colorado State to the wire so that’s very impressive. They present some very tough challenges for us offensively and defensively. We need to establish our running game especially with a new quarterback, but they are very good against the run. On offense, Jason Thomas is dangerous running or throwing and they have two very good running backs. We’ve put the Texas Tech game behind us and we are looking forward to essentially starting our second season. We need to improve in all facets of the game.”adium – received its most significant renovation since it was erected in 1960, and it proved to be a smashing success. A record crowd of 41,771 witnessed the Lobos’ season-opening 26-6 victory over UTEP on Sept. 1, 2001, crushing the previous mark of 37,156 for the Rice game in 1997. UNM averaged a school-record 31,268 fans in 2001.•While the expanded stadium has just 37,370 fixed seats, UNM was able to shoehorn nearly 4,000 more fans into the UTEP game by selling 1,000 bleacher tickets in the south end and standing-room-only spots.•A pavilion now connects the east and west stands for the first time. Renovation on the northwest corner of the stadium was completed in October of 2000 and includes new concession stands, restrooms, novelty stands and landscaping. The next phase is to renovate the remaining three corners with new facilities.•The highlight of the renovation is a $1.8 million state-of-the-art videoboard at the north end of the stadium. Appropriately named LoboVision, the system has instant replay and live-action capabilities. Manufactured by Daktronics, Inc., the board measures 60 feet high and 61 feet wide. The videoboard is 21’ x 28’. A staff of 10, including three cameras, is needed to operate the system during games.
LOBO TRACK SAYS THANKS TO FOOTBALL•Five members of the UNM football team combined to score 42.5 points at the 2002 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Track Championships. That was more than one-third of UNM’s team total of 125.5 points.•WR Hank Baskett III placed 2nd in the high jump with a leap of 6-10 1/4. WR Michael Powdrell placed 3rd in the high jump (6-10 1/4) and 5th in the long jump (23-11 1/4). LB Shannon Kincaid was 4th in the long jump with a career-best effort of 24-2 1/2. NT Guillermo Morrison was 3rd in the discus (160-0) and 5th in the shot put (51-10 1/2) while RB Quincy Wright ran the 100 meters in 10.53 to claim second place.
SUCCESSFUL WALK-ONS•Some of the better-known Lobos – past and present – began their careers as walk-ons, including four team captains over the past two years. Departed seniors Jarrod Baxter, Brian Johnson and Mohammed Konte all started their UNM careers without athletic scholarships, as did junior quarterback Casey Kelly, an offensive team captain for the 2002 season who was awarded a scholarship prior to his sopomo!(|”(|”•Baxter, a fifth-round pick of the Houston Texans in the 2002 National Football League Draft, 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, a two-time first team all-conference selection, was a 195-pound walk-on running back when he came to Albuquerque in the fall of ‘97. He h