March 22, 2004
The University of New Mexico football program is quietly developing a tradition of excellence and blueprint for enduring success that is beginning to catch the nation’s attention. Under seventh-year head coach Rocky Long, New Mexico is the only school in the country to increase its win total every year since 1999, moving from 3-9 to an 8-5 mark last year. After a 36-year drought, the Lobos have appeared in three bowl games in the past seven years, including consecutive appearances the past two seasons under Long. Since 1998, six UNM players have combined to earn All-America honors eight times, 16 have participated in collegiate all-star games and four players have been selected in the NFL Draft. New Mexico’s defense has also solidified itself as one of the premier units in the country, joining powerhouses Kansas State, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas as the only schools to finish in the top-30 in total defense each of the past four seasons. Equally tenacious in the classroom, the top-six semester grade-point averages in program history have also come under Long’s watch.UNM has established itself as one of the elite teams in the Mountain West Conference as well, finishing one game out of first the last two years. New Mexico is tied for the most conference wins since 2002, posting a 10-4 conference record over the past two seasons.
In 2003, a program and league-best 13 all-MWC honorees led the Lobos to an 8-5 mark and a second straight bowl game. New Mexico dominated the Mountain West statistics, leading the league in rushing offense, total offense, rushing defense, scoring defense and total defense in MWC games. The Lobos went undefeated in conference road games for the first time since 1982, including a convincing 47-35 victory over No. 23 Utah, the eventual MWC champion. UNM quarterback Casey Kelly became the program’s all-time wins leader, tailback DonTrell Moore shattered the school single-season rushing record, tackle Jason Lenzmeier was the first offensive lineman ever to be named MWC Player of the Week and wide receiver Dwight Counter led the nation in yards-per-catch. The Lobos’ growing fan base responded with its best season as well, helping UNM set school records for single-game attendance (44,075 for New Mexico State), season attendance (245,891) and average attendance (35,127).
“I thought the last two-thirds of the regular season was as good of football as we’ve played around here in the last six years,” said Long. “I think we’ve improved yearly, so there’s a standard that’s been set where we anticipate getting better every year.”
After losing 25 lettermen and 14 starters from the 2003 squad, some pundits will likely count New Mexico out of the 2004 MWC title chase. However, past years have proven the folly in underestimating Long and his hard-working, hard-hitting Lobos. A tremendously talented group of players returns in 2004 ready to solidify their own legacy in the program, including candidates for the Doak Walker Award, Lombardi Award, Lou Groza Award, Rimington Trophy and Outland Trophy. New Mexico will have a chance to prove itself against the nation’s best with a schedule that includes five bowl teams, including the ESPN-televised season-opener at home versus Washington State. UNM also welcomes Texas Tech, travels to Oregon State and has several MWC games in the works for national television coverage.
“We lost a lot of experience from last year’s team and we have a lot of inexperienced players coming back, but we have a lot of confidence in their athletic ability,” said Long. “There’s no doubt that this is a very challenging schedule for what will be a young football team, but it will also be very exciting for our team and especially our fans. It’s a real thrill to start the season at home on national television. We’ve been trying to get recognition for our program and I believe our success the past few years is being rewarded.”
OFFENSE
The Lobo offense enjoyed a resurgent 2003 season under coordinator Dan Dodd, putting up numbers not seen in a while around Albuquerque. UNM averaged an MWC best 30.1 points a game, the most since 1997, and its total offense average of 400.5 yards was the most productive by a Rocky Long team. Powered by perhaps the most dominant offensive line unit in school history, New Mexico’s running game finished the year ranked second in the Mountain West and 16th in the nation. Six members of the offense earned all-conference honors, including four first team selections, while three garnered All-America laurels.
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“Going into the spring, we’ll give both Kole (McKamey) and Tali (Ena) equal opportunities to prove themselves in as many game-like situations as we can. We might even make them live in our scrimmages to give them a better opportunity to compete for the job.” UNM head coach Rocky Long |
The offensive unit will have a bit of a different look in 2004. Gone are standout tackles Jason Lenzmeier and Justin Colburn, explosive wide receiver Dwight Counter, and the savvy Casey Kelly, who led the Lobos to 19 victories over his career, the most of any starting quarterback in UNM history. However, New Mexico returns a stellar foundation of talent this year, including a trio of All-Americans in junior tailback DonTrell Moore (Honorable Mention – SportsIllustrated.com), senior offensive guard Claude Terrell (Third team – Associated Press) and sophomore offensive guard Robert Turner (Freshman team – Football Writers Association). Another first team all-MWC honoree in junior center Ryan Cook also returns, to help give the UNM coaching staff an excellent environment in which to groom a new starting quarterback, as well as a fresh group of wide receivers and tight ends.
QUARTERBACK
For the first time in nearly three years a new quarterback will lead the New Mexico offense. Fortunately, the coaching staff has the luxury of picking between two tremendously talented, if not experienced, players in senior Tali Ena and sophomore Kole McKamey.
“Going into the spring, we’ll give both Kole and Tali equal opportunities to prove themselves in as many game-like situations as we can,” said Long. “We might even make them live in our scrimmages to give them a better opportunity to compete for the job.”
McKamey spent the 2003 season as Casey Kelly’s back-up and saw action in six games under center. The 6-2, 194-pound McKamey also lined up several times at wide receiver, where he excelled as a junior at Artesia (N.M.) High School. Combining outstanding speed and agility with a deceptively strong arm, McKamey possesses a rare level of athleticism that could cause fits for opposing defenses as he develops his understanding of the offense.
At 6-5, 235 pounds, Ena brings a classic, NFL-style physique to the quarterback mix. Though he only attempted two passes last fall in his debut season at UNM, Ena has shown, in two seasons on the Lobo practice field, the incredible arm strength and poise in the pocket that made him a top recruit for Washington State University in 2000. A confident and mature leader, Ena needs only to gain more consistency and greater familiarity with Dan Dodd’s offensive system to become an impact player for New Mexico.
“I think they both need to have a better understanding of our entire offense,” said Long. “We got used to Casey Kelly changing plays for us and reading defenses. Both of them are inexperienced, so they’ll have to improve on that, but they both have valuable assets. The person who wins the starting job is simply whoever is going to be able to move the ball the best and score the most points.”
RUNNING BACK
New Mexico returns one of the top running back tandems in the nation in junior Doak Walker Award candidate DonTrell Moore and senior D.D. Cox. The duo combined for 12 100-yard games and rushed for 26 touchdowns in 2003 to lead the nation’s 16th-ranked rushing offense.
After winning MWC Freshman of the Year honors in 2002, Moore continued his assault on the UNM record books with a stunning sophomore season. The electric 5-11, 214-pounder shattered single season records with 1,450 rushing yards (111.5 average) and 21 total touchdowns. While still laboring in relative obscurity, Moore opened some eyes around the nation in 2003, earning Honorable Mention All-America honors from SportsIllustrated.com and second team honors by CollegeFootballNews.com. CFN also named Moore the conference player of the year and ranked him the 17th-best player in the country. A unanimous first team all-MWC selection the past two years, Moore enters 2004 just 1,278 yards shy of the Mike Williams’ UNM career rushing record. Despite his accomplishments though, Moore remains committed to becoming a complete back. Improving each year as a runner, he made great strides to improve his ball control during the spring of 2003 and this offseason, the coaching staff would like to see him develop as a pass blocker.
Cox, meanwhile, quietly enjoyed a fine season at New Mexico after transferring from Oklahoma State in 2002. A more straight-ahead, downhill runner, Cox and the shifty Moore kept opposing defenses on their heels throughout the season. The 6-0, 205-pound Cox finished ninth in the Mountain West with 642 yards rushing (53.5 average) and was tied for sixth with seven rushing touchdowns. He surpassed the 100-yard mark three times on the year, including twice in the final month of the regular season, and proved to be one of the league’s premier backs when given the opportunity. While he notched double digits rushing attempts in just five games last fall, Cox averaged 113 yards per game and 5.9 yards per attempt when he carried the ball at least 10 times.
According to head coach Rocky Long, the UNM coaching staff has equal confidence in both running backs’ ability to carry the ground game and plans to continue their rotation. Like 2003, Long said playing time will be determined by whoever performs the best in practice.
“It’s a security blanket for us as coaches to have two quality guys because running back is a very dangerous position that has more risk of injury,” said Long. “I think it’s a healthy competition and having both of them there adds to the excitement. Neither one can take a day off and neither one of them can take a break. There’s always someone there nipping at the other one’s heels and they’ll both be better because of the competition.”
Though they may not receive the same attention as the tailbacks, New Mexico also features a pair of bruising and skilled fullbacks in junior Adrian Byrd (6-1, 225) and senior Landrick Brody (5-11, 240). The incumbent starter, Byrd enjoyed a solid 2003 campaign, rushing for 202 yards (5.9 average) and improving each week as a lead and pass blocker. Brody, meanwhile, displayed impressive power running ability in practice and is also an experienced blocker.
“Both of them played quite a bit last year and both are quality fullbacks,” said Long. “They did a lot of good things for us, even carrying the ball at times and doing a good job of playing smashmouth football, but they’re in there to block most of the time. I think we really have four very good running backs coming back this year.”
OFFENSIVE LINE
Over the past several years, New Mexico has established a tradition of excellence in the offensive line that few schools in the Mountain West Conference can match. One of the largest starting units in the country each year, the group known as “The Hitmen” is the power behind the Lobos’ ground-attack offense. Since 2001, New Mexico has had 11 individual rushing efforts of 145 yards or more and nine different players have rushed for over 80 yards in a game. The UNM single game (Quincy Wright, 2002 – 265 yards) and single season (DonTrell Moore, 2003 – 1,450 yards) rushing records have also been shattered in that time.
In 2003, the Hitmen landed three starters (Jason Lenzmeier, Claude Terrell, Ryan Cook) on the all-MWC first team, while a fourth (Robert Turner) earned Freshman All-America honors. Stalwart tackle Jason Lenzmeier also became the first offensive lineman in conference history to be named MWC Offensive Player of the Week. The UNM coaching staff will have to fill a pair of significant holes on the ends with the graduation of Lenzmeier and fellow tackle Justin Colburn, but returns two Lombardi Award candidates in senior guard Claude Terrell and junior center Ryan Cook, as well as standout sophomore guard Robert Turner in 2004.
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Claude Terrell moved to strong tackle just before the start of spring practice. |
A three-year starter and two-time all-MWC honoree, Terrell is the leader of the unit. Known simply as “Big C” around Albuquerque, the 6-3, 330-pound Terrell combines great power with deceptive quickness and athleticism. After testing the 2004 NFL Draft waters, Terrell decided to return to UNM where he has started 37 straight games and notched 350 career knockdown blocks at strong guard.
At 6-7, 339 pounds, Cook is perhaps the biggest starting center in the country and also one of the nation’s best. A candidate once again for the Rimington Trophy (top center), the former walk-on enters his second season anchoring the middle of the gigantic offensive line.
Turner, meanwhile, could be a future star at quick guard where he started all 13 games last year after working with the travel squad as a true freshman in 2002. Bringing outstanding size (6-3, 320) and strength, as well as great passion, to the field, Turner appears to be the next in a growing line of dominant lineman at New Mexico.
“That’s a darn good foundation to start with,” said Long of his interior line. “We’ve got quality players that have little experience that will move into the starting lineup this season, so how quickly they get up to speed means how good that offensive line is going to be as a group.”
The top candidates to replace Lenzmeier and Colburn at the tackle positions entering the spring are junior Terrance Pennington and sophomore Fred Tucker. One of the largest of the massive group of linemen, Pennington (6-7, 325) has shown flashes of brilliance in his career, which includes four spot starts at both tackle spots. The 6-4, 330-pound Tucker, meanwhile, is a promising young talent who saw his first significant action subbing for an injured Colburn in two games last year. According to Long, however, several other lineman, including sophomore transfer Nate Weber and senior Bryan Humphreys, will audition for the open starting jobs in what will be a critical spring.
“We’re going to give several guys an opportunity to compete for those spots and even some backup guards may go out there and compete to be a starter,” said Long. “We want to start the fall with the five starters in place, so there will be heated competitions in the spring to determine who the five best offensive linemen are.”
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
The biggest changes in the UNM offense this season will be seen in the wide receiver and tight end corps, where the Lobos lost three starters and seven veteran lettermen from 2003. Among the list of the departed is a 32-game starter in tight end Bryan Penley along with Dwight Counter and Adrian Boyd, who combined for 72 catches, 1,357 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago.
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Hank Baskett was the Lobos’ third-leading receiver in 2003. |
“We lost a lot of firepower at wide receiver due to graduation and we have to fill the hole left at tight end,” said Long. “We’ve got some quality guys, but that group is going to have to improve before the season starts.”
Fortunately, the Lobos have a promising wide receiver to build around in junior Hank Baskett, who was third on the team last year with 17 catches for 288 yards and three touchdowns. A dedicated player on the practice field and on gameday, the 6-4, 215-pound Baskett is a big target and a real threat in the red zone. Also a two-time all-MWC high jumper and a former hurdles standout at Clovis (N.M.) High School, Baskett is deceptively fast and athletic in the open field. After a preseason injury slowed him in his first collegiate season, Baskett made major strides last fall and could be poised for a stellar 2004 campaign.
“Hank continues to get better and he’s going to have to be a key guy in our offense,” said Long. “We expect him to continue his improvement and we also expect some real help out of some freshmen and JC transfers to make that group as good as it was last year. We’ve got several guys in the program now who will need all of spring practice to improve what they do, but all of them are good athletes who will have a chance to prove they can play.”
Among the returnees are redshirt freshmen Marcus Smith and Major Mosley. Smith began his UNM career at running back, but at an athletic 6-3, 210 pounds, seems to have a solid future at wideout. Mosley also displayed excellent potential during his redshirt season before suffering a knee injury. Another big, athletic target at 6-3, 215 pounds, Mosley could be a key player for the Lobos in 2004. A pair of veteran scout team receivers in senior Mart’n Romero and junior Mike Powdrell will also have a chance to break into the rotation. Romero (5-11, 189), a former running back, found a home at wide receiver last year, appearing in two games and displaying good quickness and solid hands in practice. Powdrell (5-10, 178), meanwhile, brings excellent athleticism to the group and could vie for time with a strong spring.
Chris Brawley will be the only one of the Lobos’ three junior college transfer wide receivers participating in spring practice. The 6-3, 205-pounder will be joined by Anthony Carter (6-0, 190) and highly-touted speedster Kenneth Shelton (6-1, 190) in the fall.
Despite losing Penley and skilled receiver Zach Cresap, New Mexico’s tight end unit shouldn’t miss a beat with senior Mike Augustyniak leading a talented group in 2004. A physical presence at 6-5, 256 pounds, Augustyniak put together his best collegiate season last fall, recording 85 knockdown blocks along with 6 catches for 85 yards. Junior college All-American Logan Hall (6-4, 250) will go through spring practice and should make a solid impact in both the running and passing game as well. The Lobos also have a pair of bright prospects in redshirt freshmen Jordan Adams (6-4, 235) and Allex Alvarado (6-5, 235) who will also compete for playing time this year.