Sept. 26, 2008
Lobo Football
Saturday: Lobos at New Mexico State
When: 6:05 p.m. (MDT)
Where: Aggie Memorial Stadium
Television: Aggie Vision (also broadcast on Fox Sports Arizona) – Comcast Ch. 10 & 77 in Albuquerque, DirecTV Ch. 699, Dish Network Ch. 447, ESPN Gameplan/ESPN360.com
Next up: Wyoming at Lobos (Oct. 4), 7:30 p.m.
By Richard Stevens
Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
It’s not that this rivalry needs anything more than Lobos and Aggies drawing a line in the dirt and scowling across the line of scrimmage at each other. There is a healthy mixture of respect, disdain, pride and emotion stirred into this battle of turf, this yearly scuffle for a state’s bragging rights.
But there are some neat story lines too in 2008 to spice up the 6:05 p.m., Saturday kickoff between the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State – a game projected to be an Aggie Memorial Stadium sellout (30,343).
You have a former Lobos head coach, Joe Lee Dunn, standing across the field from UNM as the defensive coordinator for NMSU’s Hal Mumme. Dunn resigned from UNM in 1986 with a .362 winning percentage (17-30) after four years of battling teams with superior talent and programs with superior facilities. But there is no question Dunn’s resignation was simply a case of beating the hangman to his door.
“I don’t think he (Dunn) has real fond memories of New Mexico, so I’m sure that he would love to be on the winning side,” said UNM head coach Rocky Long.
You also have coach Long looking across at a former mentor, who was one of the first football coaches to ignite in Long the passion for gun slinging, gambling and blitzing defenses. Long was a secondary coach at UNM in 1980 when Dunn was the defensive coordinator to Joe Morrison.
This is a classic battle of wits. Sure, Long’s defense will be attacking Mumme’s offense, but don’t you think Long has a few theories on how Dunn plans to attack a UNM offense giving a redshirt freshman, Brad Gruner, his first start?
Another story line is Lobos going at Aggies trying to extend a UNM five-game win streak and placing much of the responsibility for that win on the shoulders of the young Gruner. Flip the coin, and you have NMSU senior QB Chase Holbrook trying to snap that haunting streak. This is the rookie vs. veteran thing, but you can bet both quarterbacks have a huge supporting cast backing their cause.
As always, the game boils down into an us vs. them thing, North vs. South, Lobos vs. Aggies. It’s also a game that reaches into the past. Aggie Derrick Richardson said the 2008 Aggies also are trying to win “for all the other guys who didn’t get a chance to beat them in the past few years.”
The Aggies have to be figuring this is one of their better shots to beat the Lobos. The 2008 Lobos’ team is dotted with vulnerable pockets of youth besides the young one standing in the pocket. The Lobos are 1-3 on the season and coming off a dismal 56-14 beating at Tulsa. The Lobos’ offensive line is young. The Lobos’ secondary is beat up. Junior QB Donovan Porterie is gone for the season.
Holbrook, who completed 37 of 56 passes for 472 yards and 4 TDs against UNM last season, marks the third consecutive game in which UNM will be facing an outstanding arm. Tulsa QB Dave Johnson threw 6 TD passes and 469 yards against UNM last week. Holbrook threw for 329 yards and 5 TDs in NMSU’s win over UTEP last week.
“He’s an NFL quarterback,” said Long.
Said UNM defensive back Jake Bowe: “They have a very good quarterback. He’s very experienced and he has a good arm. Their wide receiver core; they’re pretty darn good as well. So for us, they have an offense with huge potential and we’re going to have to figure out how to stop them.”
The Lobos’ strategy, obviously, will be to get to Holbrook and end it either with a sack or a hurried pass. Turnovers probably will be a key factor in this game. NMSU had four turnovers against UTEP. The Lobos have given up 12 turnovers in 2008. Gruner has been intercepted four times.
“There’s nothing you can do about it,” Long said of throwing Gruner at the Aggies. “That’s the reality of the situation. He’s liable to play very good and he’s liable to play like a redshirt freshman. He’s not going to be (awed) by the physicalness of the game, the speed of the game because he’s been out there before. He’s still a rookie, but at least he has had some playing time.
“He also gets (all week) to think about the good and the bad things that could happen to him. But he appears to be confident, not worried or scared or nervous. Some of that is probably lack of knowledge, but that’s good.”
If Gruner has an ace-in-the-hole, it’s the bullish tailback in the UNM backfield: Rodney Ferguson. The Aggies’ Achilles Heel might be a question mark defensive front. The 1-1 Aggies are allowing 303.5 yards per game via the rush. The Lobos have said they will simplify their offensive package for Gruner, which likely translates into Aggies seeing a whole lot of Ferguson, who averages 118.5 yards per game.
“We expect balance from UNM, but we are also ready for them to try and run a little more,” NMSU safety Alphonso Powell said.
Yeah, the Lobos probably will try to establish the running game. But will Joe Lee Dunn stack the line with eight Aggies and dare Gruner to pass the ball? That strategy would be different than what the Aggies used against Nebraska and UTEP.
“Most of the time they’re playing two down linemen, four linebackers and five DBs, and using linebackers to play defensive ends,” said Long.
The personnel at NMSU obviously influences what Dunn can and can’t do. If he moves two linebackers into defensive end spots, does he have enough depth at the linebacker spot to give his defense a 4-4 front and challenge Gruner to pass?
It’s a chess game. Long vs. Mumme. Dunn vs. UNM offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin. Gruner vs. Holbrook. And even Long vs. Dunn.
Great story lines, sure. But who needs them? This also is Lobos vs. Aggies – a rivalry that has stirred emotions since 1894.
“I don’t think you have to play this game up,” said Long.
Editor’s note: Richard Stevens is a former Associate Sports Editor and sports columnist for The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net. Previous articles are available at The Richard Stevens Corner