New Mexico Lobos at UTSA Roadrunners — 1:30 p.m., Saturday — Alamodome
On The Air: My50-TV KASY; American Sports Network; 770-AM KKOB
GoLobos.com: Game Story, Complete Stats
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
The emphasis in San Antonio is obvious. The eyes of UTSA are on the New Mexico option. Can the Roadrunners slow it down? Can they eliminate the big play?
“That’s going to be key for us,” said UTSA Coach Larry Coker. “To make sure we’re assignment sound and not give up the big play.”
The order of the day for UTSA is similar to all teams that play the Lobos’ pistol which fuels itself on the triple option. Defenders need to be in their spot taking care of their responsibilities: I got the dive. You got the pitch. Who has the quarterback keeper?
This means defenders have to trust their teammates to do their job. The Lobos are ranked No. 4 nationally in rushing at 332.3 yards per game. They do this option thing very well.
One crack and the Lobo option can go all the way. There is speed in the UNM backfield and there are cracks in every defense. That’s how the points are scored. But UTSA has a group of savvy defenders facing UNM’s pistol.
“They are probably as good a technique team as we will play all year and they are going to give you absolutely nothing,” Lobos Coach Bob Davie said of the UTSA defense. “They are going to line up in the same defense they’ve been playing for six years now and that’s why they are good.
“They are going to make us earn everything. On offense, it really is how do you get big plays against them because they are pretty consistent with what they do.”
The Lobos have a few worries of their own. If you consider how much the Lobos are underdogs heading into this 1:30 p.m. (MT) battle on Saturday, maybe the Lobos have to worry about everything.
The Roadrunners might be 1-3, but the Roadrunners are pretty good. However, they have had inconsistent stretches that have hurt them. “We’ve got to pick it up,” said Coker referring to improved play on both sides of the football.
The Lobos’ option can move the ball without Cole Gautsche, but this 235-pound, runaway-train junior is one of the best in the nation in pulling the option trigger out of the pistol offense. He had 184 yards on 14 carries before pulling up lame vs. UTEP – UNM’s season opener. He has yet to reach 100 percent health. He is expected to play at San Antonio – how much remains to be seen.
“To me, he is their best quarterback,” said UTSA defensive coordinator Neal Neathery.
Yeah, the Lobos would say that, too. But freshman Lamar Jordan is getting better and like Neathery points out, the Lobos’ game plan doesn’t change much regardless of who is behind the center.
Like Lobos Coach Davie says: “It’s what we are,” referring to UNM’s lean to the option.
Said Bob DeBesse, UNM’s offensive coordinator: “How we go at the quarterback spot is usually how the offense goes.”
The Lobos step into the Alamodome looking for some payback. UTSA used a 99-yard, fourth-quarter drive to beat the Lobos last year on Branch Field. However, it will be tough to extract revenge from a UTSA team not happy with its 1-3 start. The Roadrunners have 36 seniors on their roster and return 20 starters. This is a motivated, veteran group defending their home turf.
Obviously, the Roadrunners have experience on both sides of the ball. UNM’s challenge on defense is to stop a balanced pass-run attack keyed by quarterback Tucker Carter. The UTSA offense also hinges on quarterback play.
“He is a quarterback who can operate,” said Kevin Cosgrove, UNM’s defensive coordinator. “They have just about every look on offense you can throw at a team. They have them all.”
The challenge in stopping the Lobos is simple enough – but not easy. It’s option football that might try to surprise you with some play-action stuff. But the Lobos run it, run it, run it. You stop the option, you probably beat the Lobos.
The challenge with UTSA is to be prepared for a little bit of everything. They will throw a lot of formations at the young UNM defense hoping to find one – or two – of those cracks. Actually, assignment football is a key for the Lobos on Saturday, too.
The Lobos will have specific assignments based on how UTSA lines up. Carter will be looking for the mistakes.
“This team is a multiple, multiple set team,” said Davie. “They do a lot of things one or two times. Very seldom do they do things over and over and over. So on defense it is probably more of the same of don’t break, don’t break and don’t bust.”
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.