April 18, 2008
The University of New Mexico capped its first week of spring football practice with a chilly sunrise session on Thursday. The Lobos started their first early morning practice at 6 a.m. and went through full pads drills and scrimmage for approximately one hour and 45 minutes. UNM is off on Friday but will be back on the field from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday night.
Here are some of the practice highlights and observations from the first week of the New Mexico spring football season, compiled by UNM assistant media relations director Alfredo Moreno:
Fair Trade: In what amounts to a straight up trade between the running back and defensive back groups, sophomores Terrance Brown and Mike Love moved from one side of the ball to the other…Brown, who appeared in five games in 2007, primarily on special teams, moved from cornerback to running back…Love, who saw special teams action in two games last year, went from running back to safety…Brown immediately becomes the Lobos’ fastest running back after setting season and career rushing records during his prep career at Phoenix Cesar Chavez High School…the 6-0, 186-pounder had 1,212 yards on just 174 carries (7.0 avg.), and scored 15 touchdowns as a senior…Love, a 6-0, 221-pounder, was a two-year starter at free safety at Rio Rancho (N.M.) High School and could develop into an intimidating presence in the secondary.
Getting A Leg Up: There are five men battling for the starting kicking job this spring with second-semester freshman James Aho (Roswell, N.M.) owning a slight lead on senior Yousuf Shakir (Albuquerque Highland), redshirt freshman Drew Zamora (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and second-semester freshman Garrett Hentrup (Indianapolis)…Aho has displayed a strong leg and the most consistency early on, but this competition likely won’t be decided until the week before the season opener…Shakir has been part of the program for five years, while Zamora and Hentrup have both shown excellent leg strength, but lack consistency thusfar…regardless of what happens during the spring and August training camp it should be noted that former Lobo John Sullivan struggled quite a bit with his consistency last August and had some well-documented issues in his career debut at UTEP…as most Lobo fans know, however, once Sullivan got the first game under his belt, he relaxed and went on to have the greatest kicking season in the nation and UNM history in 2007.
Hold It Now, Hit It: While the guy actually putting his foot to the ball gets all of the praise and criticism for his performance, every kicker will tell you that a good snap and hold on extra points and field goals is the key to their individual success…following his consensus All-America campaign in ’07 Sullivan predicted that finding a holder to replace the vastly underrated Bryan Clampitt would be the biggest challenge for the PAT/FG team in 2008…according to Sullivan and fellow first team all-MWC kicker Kenny Byrd, who have both watched several spring practices this year, Clampitt was simply automatic in his placements and a big reason why UNM has boasted one of the top PAT/FG teams in the country over the past two seasons…the good news for the Lobos is that lobo safety Ian Clark has begun to emerge as a solid option as the holder…Clark, who is barred from contact drills after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, has increased his consistency each day and the kicking performances have improved as a result…punter Adam Miller and quarterback Brad Gruner have also spent time at the undervalued position.
McQueen On The Rise: After a 2007 season in which he admittedly felt a little behind and out of synch, senior Jermaine McQueen appears to have taken a big step forward as he enters his second year of Division I football…the speedy 6-2, 180-pounder has made several outstanding plays in scrimmages deep downfield and off wide receiver screen plays…while he continues to polish his consistency catching the football, the former North Carolina prep 100 and 200-meter champion has shown that he can be a legitimate threat midway through spring practice…McQueen will need to continue to work on his blocking technique in order to become an every down player for the Lobos, but showed some positive signs on Thursday morning with a big crack block downfield on linebacker Carmen Messina to get running back Paul Baker into the end zone on a screen pass.
The Glove: While first team all-MWC honoree DeAndre Wright receives much of the attention given to the Lobo secondary – and deservedly so – fellow senior and third-year starter Glover Quin could be one of the best all-around corners in the Mountain West…Quin blends outstanding technique and the physical play of a linebacker to lock down receivers in man coverage…through the first week of spring practice Quin has shined in the secondary, particularly with Wright out due to a lingering illness…the product of tiny Summit, Miss. has smothered the wide receivers, recording several break-ups and jumping an out route for an interception return for a score in Wednesday’s scrimmage.
Felder Bringing The Heat: Senior linebacker Herbert Felder – who claims to be the best grill man on the team – has gotten off to a hot start to spring practice, clogging running lanes and causing havoc at the line of scrimmage…a veteran member of the LB rotation, Felder has been known primarily for his timely forced fumbles and plays in the backfield…the 2008 season, however, should see Felder shatter his career high for tackles in a season (31 – last year) as he teams with fellow senior Zach Arnett to lead a young linebacker group.
The Catch: Redshirt freshmen Blair Peterson and Michael Scarlett hooked up on one of the plays of the spring on a third-and-long situation in Thursday morning’s scrimmage…Peterson, a lefty, scrambled away from pressure, sprinted out to the left and lofted a deep pass to Scarlett just before running out of bounds…the ball started out of bounds and hooked back into play just in time for Scarlett to stretch out and make the sure catch in traffic while keeping himself in bounds.
The Catch Pt. II: Not to be outdone, junior Daryl Jones capped the scrimmage with a diving grab in the back corner of the end zone to haul in a 20-yard pass from Donovan Porterie…the imposing 6-3, 207-pound Jones has shown flashes of his talent and potential throughout his career and confidence-building plays like that could help him emerge as a consistent force on gameday.
Last, But Not Least: Redshirt freshman safety Mica Williams (Lakeland, Fla.) has worked his way onto the first team defense…at 6-2, 195-pounds, Williams has given the secondary a physical presence opposite diminutive, but extremely active junior Frankie Solomon (5-10, 173)…senior standout Blake Ligon, however, is expected to return to the starting lineup when he resumes contact drills in August after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery…with Trey Buckley’s departure, UNM has three tight ends in the program – senior Chris Mark and juniors Mitch Straub and Tim Merrill – a group head coach Rocky Long jokingly refers to as “the few and the proud”…however, fullbacks Matt Quillen and Josh Fussell have both seen more action at the line of scrimmage this spring as they take on more of a true H-back role in second year offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin’s system…perhaps the best blocking fullback in the MWC, the 6-0, 250-pound Quillen gives UNM an athletic sixth offensive lineman when he’s on the field…Fussell, meanwhile, came to New Mexico as a tight end and is comfortable playing at the line and in the backfield.