April 21, 2008
The vaunted University of New Mexico defense lived up to its reputation in a dominant performance on a balmy Saturday evening scrimmage at University Stadium. Coming off a 2007 season in which it finished 13th in the nation in total defense, the white-clad Lobo D recorded five interceptions, returning three for touchdowns, and held the offense to 167 yards on 62 plays.
The New Mexico offense had fared well in recent scrimmages, including a fine performance to cap Thursday morning’s practice. Following Friday’s day off, however, it was the white shirt’s time to shine.
With the Lobo front seven applying pressure, the defense picked off five passes with every quarterback except for junior Victor James tossing at least one interception.
Junior lobo safety Clint McPeek struck first, snaring junior Donovan Porterie’s pass across the middle and returning it 28 yards for a TD. Redshirt freshman safety Mica Williams – who has moved into the starting lineup this spring while senior Blake Ligon recovers from shoulder surgery – then picked off redshirt freshman quarterback Brad Gruner.
Sophomore linebacker Seth Johannemann got to Gruner again, scrambling 15 yards for a score on his interception return. Following senior lobo Jake Bowe’s pick, second-semester freshman Chris Biren intercepted sophomore transfer Tate Smith and went 33 yards for a touchdown.
Junior wide receiver Daryl Jones had a solid performance with three catches for 30 yards, while senior tight end Chris Mark grabbed two for 26 yards.
Porterie finished 9-15 for 65 yards, while Gruner was 2-10 for 24 yards and James was 2-2 for 21 yards.
Senior Rodney Ferguson led the Lobos on the ground with 24 yards on 6 carries and a score. Redshirt freshman James Wright had 9 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown, while fellow redshirt freshman Drew Zamora hit a 35-yard field goal.
New Mexico wraps up spring practice this week with 3-5 p.m. sessions Monday through Friday and the Cherry-Silver Game in Santa Fe on Saturday at 1 p.m. Saturday’s game will be held at Santa Fe High School’s Ivan Head Stadium with free Lobo football t-shirts to the first 500 kids in attendance and a postgame autograph session. Admission is free.