The fierce winds that are commonplace in New Mexico in April
often make things difficult for quarterbacks, receivers and kickers. Who
better to grab the spotlight on such a day than those that thrive on
adverse conditions – the Lobo offensive and defensive lines? Wednesday's
practice session was a bit shorter than usual to give the team a slight
breather before their 6 am wakeup call for Thursday's workout. The
early session will be a preview for the new members of the Lobo squad
that will have to endure morning practices throughout the upcoming
season.
Today's action was focused heavily on the
technique and blocking schemes of the UNM offensive line also known as
The Hitmen. Their counterparts on the
defensive line also were given the opportunity to work on their pass
rushing skills Wednesday. The drill that
allowed for the greatest demonstration of skill by these linemen was
the "one on one." In
this scenario the full offensive line formation is in place but with
only one defensive lineman on the attack from either the NT or DE
position. Each member of The Hitmen was
challenged by a Lobo defensive lineman and given the sole
responsibility of keeping that defender out of the backfield.
Kennedy V. Cook
Jr.
Center Erik Cook continued to shine during this drill as he was able to
effectively stonewall the bull rush of rock solid Nose Tackle Wesley Beck and up and coming prospect Brett Kennedy. Kennedy,
the Fr. from Albuquerque
La Cueva High, has been impressive throughout spring workouts so far
while showing great strength, leverage, and a motor that just won't
quit. Also impressive during the one on
one drill was OT Byron Bell. The highly
touted Redshirt Freshman from Greenville, TX drew
praise from OL Coach Jason Lenzmeier for his solid stance and technique. Bell is making a serious push for the starting
job at RT and may well find himself atop the depth chart heading into
fall camp. Other standouts from the
defensive side of the ball included DE's DeAndre Davis (Jr.) and Jaymar Latchison (Fr.-RS). Latchison has been
showing flashes of brilliance with his speed, athleticism and arsenal
of pass rushing moves.
#74 Byron Bell
98
DeAndre Davis
To close out the shortened practice session the
team then broke into a live scrimmage. Contact
was kept to a minimum today as the team was in shells (shoulder pads
and helmets) only. As a result the live
scrimmage focused entirely on the passing game.
Jr. QB Donovan Porterie continued to look sharp
even in less than ideal conditions due to the wind.
The Port Arthur, TX native
is demonstrating enhanced leadership and decision making skills to
accompany his crisp passes this spring. For
the second consecutive day Porterie had a vastly improved receiver to
target in Sr. Jermaine McQueen. McQueen
made several difficult catches in traffic today including two that
required him to toe the sideline to stay in bounds.
Making
McQueen's performance even more impressive was the fact that he was
blanketed by Sr. CB Glover Quin throughout the scrimmage.
Quin has consistently delivered rock solid coverage and along
with DeAndre Wright provides New Mexico with the
best CB tandem in the Mountain West Conference heading into this season.
As
the team concluded their abbreviated scrimmage session they were
reminded by Coach Long that practice begins tomorrow (Thursday) at 6 am
and that everyone had better be on time. The
early morning workouts appeared to pay dividends for the team last
season as they increased the level of discipline and toughness that
helped propel the club to a 9 win season and its first bowl victory in
46 years.
Offensive Player of the Practice:
C
Erik Cook. The Jr. from Albuquerque was
effectively a stone wall during offensive line drills and did not allow
a single Lobo defensive lineman into the backfield.
We know Cook will be starting on the O-Line somewhere this fall
however it's still unclear at what position he will be utilized. At
this rate it will be very difficult for the coaching staff to move him
from the Center position due to the leadership, knowledge of the
blocking schemes, and toughness he has shown thus far.
Defensive Player of the Practice:
CB
Glover Quin. The native of Summitt, MS has
played at an all-conference level since returning from injury late last
season. If both he and DeAndre Wright can
stay healthy this year they will form a CB tandem that should get Lobo
fans very excited. With
the opposing team's receivers shut down Coach Long will be able to be
more aggressive with his playcalling and unleash a barrage of blitzes
from every angle on the opposition.
505 Pride:
NT
Brett Kennedy. So
far this spring former La Cueva Bear Brett Kennedy has been pushing
around Lobo offensive lineman that have a 40 pound weight advantage on
average over the Redshirt Freshman. The
consistently high level of effort he gives every down along with his
strength and 6'3", 260 lb frame will make him a force in the middle of
the Lobo D-Line in the years to come. Look
for him to continue to improve with added experience and as he
continues to get bigger physically.