New Mexico Lobos Football
Up Next: Lobos at New Mexico State — Sept. 20, Las Cruces
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
In looking for answers for a defense looking to make more tackles and give up fewer big plays, Lobo Coach Bob Davie might do some shuffling around of players.
The Lobos’ defensive puzzle needs a new look.
“We’re looking at different guys at different positions,” said Davie.
For sure, there needs to be some changes, some improvement, on the defensive side of the football. The Lobos gave up 446 yards to UTEP and bent for 621 yards against No. 17 Arizona State. Those numbers are one reason UNM will carry an 0-2 record to New Mexico State on Sept. 20.
A game vs. the Aggies of Cruces is always a big one, but this game might be as big as any NMSU game for an obvious reason: the Lobos need a win. The Lobos need to avoid an 0-3 start.
The Lobos are in a bye week and it comes at a good time for several reasons. UNM has some “fixing” to do on the defensive side. They have some smoothing out to do on the offensive side.
If Cole Gautsche’s hamstring isn’t ready for the Aggies, freshman quarterback Lamar Jordan could use the extra snaps and improve his timing on handoffs and pitches.
The Sun Devils of the Pac-12 obviously were better on the offensive side of the ball than they were on the defensive side. They were veteran on offense and young on defense. This is an offensive unit that will score a lot of points and UNM’s young defense was overmatched.
But on the offensive side, the Lobos lost three fumbles to ASU. The Lobos lost two fumbles to UTEP, one trying to fair catch a UTEP punt.
Coach Davie has preached long and hard about the need for his team not to shoot itself in the foot with turnovers, penalties or poor execution. He also stresses the importance of execution on special teams.
These are the sort of gifts the Aggies are hoping the Lobos bring to War Memorial Stadium. These might be the sort of things that decide the winner or the loser. The Aggies play UTEP this weekend and that border war should be a physical one.
The Lobos will be practicing three days this week before taking Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. The Lobos return to the practice fields on Monday.
There might be a few defensive positions up for grabs next week.
“We’re making some changes,” said Davie. “We can’t just stay the same.”
The Lobos pretty much stayed the same in 2012 and 2013 because Davie didn’t have a lot of choices. He had to dance with who he came with because there weren’t many options on the sidelines.
Davie has more depth in 2014 – and more talent – but any changes on defense are still a small step into the unknown. If Davie replaces any Lobos who played against UTEP or ASU, the replacement players won’t exactly be veterans. In a way, UNM will be rolling the dice again.
But, like Davie says: “We can’t just stay the same.”
Cox Update: One Lobo that appears to have locked down his position is linebacker Dakota Cox. Cox leads the Mountain West in total tackles with 27. He had 17 against UTEP. Cox is ranked fifth in the nation in tackles per game at 13.5. He is 1.5 tackles a game away from the top spot, but no defender in the nation has more tackles than Cox.
MW Defense: The Lobos aren’t exactly thrilled with their defensive play so far this season, but their numbers are better than Mountain West brothers UNLV and Fresno State. The Lobos have an average yield of 533.5 yards per game. UNLV is giving up 557 yards per game and Fresno State is bending to the tune of 613.5 yards in two games.
The Lobos play Fresno State Sept. 26 on Branch Field. The Bulldogs lost 52-13 at USC and lost 59-27 at Utah. The ‘Dogs get to host Nebraska on Saturday and the Cornhuskers might be a hornets’ nest after avoiding disaster in a come-from-behind 31-24 win over McNeese State.
The Fresno Bulldogs aren’t happy with their defense either, but what about Florida Atlantic which gives up 702 yards per game? Of course, you have to cut the Owls a break. They opened at Nebraska followed by a visit to Alabama. The Owls get to play Tulsa next – a team that averages only 460 yards per game.
Editor’s Note: Richard Stevens is a former national award-winning Sports Columnist and Associate Sports Editor at The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net.