The newly renovated practice fields at
the UNM Football complex sprung to life for the first time on Monday as
the 2008 New Mexico Lobos began
their preparation for the upcoming season in earnest.
The first day of training camp always raises a few intriguing
questions: How do the newcomers from the
high school and junior college ranks look? Which,
if any, may be able to contribute on the field for the Lobos this
season? As
the team broke into individual position drills and later one-on-one
passing practice I was able to get a look at one of the positions under
the microscope this August – the UNM receiving corps.
Lobo Wide Receivers Coach
Matt Wells began individual drills by stressing the importance of the
stance at the line of scrimmage. On
this first day of camp without the benefit of pads Wells and the other
UNM coaches focused on fundamentals, the stance being chief among them
for the receivers. Wells stressed the
importance
of eliminating wasted motion and getting from the stance down the field
with as little effort as possible. Soph.
Chris Hernandez of Las
Cruces
Mayfield High drew praise as the Lobo with the most unique stance and
most effortless transition to full speed among all the UNM receivers.
#89
Carmeiris Stewart
#84 Ty Kirk
Later the receivers began work
on route running with live passes being thrown their way.
It was here that one could begin to get an impression of the
skills possessed by the Lobo newcomers as well as the veteran WR's. Immediately impressive was the size of true freshman Carmeiris
Stewart of Apopka, FL. Stewart towered over the rest of the receiving
corps and has a similar build to junior Daryl Jones. Another
true freshman, Ty Kirk from Arlington Heights, IL
looked to possess some serious quickness and athleticism as he exploded
from his stance and was able to quickly cut up field after securing the
catch. Also worthy of note was Andre
McQueen, the freshman from Pinkston HS in Dallas. It
seems that the Lobos will have two fleet footed WR's named McQueen in
the program this season (Sr. Jermaine McQueen being the first).
Few
mistakes were made by the veteran Lobo receivers as Hernandez, Jermaine
McQueen, Roland Bruno, and JUCO transfer Bryant Williams all turned in
solid, spirited performances. Williams,
who
participated in spring drills with the Lobos, is among the most sure
handed of the Lobo receivers and runs very sharp routes.
Jermaine
McQueen continued to display solid hands to complement his speed and
Bruno looked like the leader of the unit now that standouts Marcus Smith and Travis Brown have departed for the NFL.
#9
Michael Scarlett
#8 Roland Bruno
The other positions that saw the most action in
Monday's workout were the quarterbacks and defensive backs. The Lobos will not don pads until later this
week making an assessment of the Hitmen and Lobo defensive front 6
difficult in these early practices. Freshman
quarterbacks B.R. Holbrook (Stevenson Ranch, CA) and Jonathan Mader
from Cibola HS in Albuquerque made their debuts in the UNM uniform
Monday. Holbrook looks to possess a fairly
quick
release and Mader seemed to become more comfortable as the practice
wore on under the direction of Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach Dave
Baldwin. However it was obvious to all
that UNM's leader at QB is Donovan Porterie, the Jr. who became the
first Lobo since Stoney Case to pass
for more than 3,000 yards in a season in 2007. Porterie
displayed the leadership
qualities
that were stressed throughout the spring and even elected to take extra
reps during passing drills to make sure he is as prepared as possible
when New Mexico
meets TCU on August 30.
The practice culminated in one-on-one passing
drills which consist of a receiver on each side of the field matched up
against a defensive back. Standout
plays were made by Jr. wolf safety Frankie Soloman throughout this
portion of practice as he blanketed receivers and made a great break on
hitch route for an interception. Later Sr.
Jermaine McQueen showcased his sprinter speed on a deep touchdown catch
vs. S Mica Williams. Not
to be outdone the younger Andre McQueen made a nice catch on a go route
to wrap up this portion of the first workout of training camp.
Offensive Player of the Practice:
QB Donovan Porterie. The
Jr. leader of the UNM offense along with Rodney Ferguson had great
poise and carried himself as a leader during Monday's first practice. Porterie lead by example and was vocal when
needed with his young receiving corps. Coach
Dave Baldwin stressed leadership over any other aspect of Porterie's
game during spring camp and their hard work seems to have paid
dividends. The Jr. from Port Arthur, TX
delivered crisp and accurate passes all afternoon as Lobo fans have
come to expect.
Defensive Player of the Practice:
S
Frankie Soloman. The
Lobo defensive backfield is loaded and will likely produce several
'Defensive Player of the Practice' awards during training camp. Jr. Frankie Soloman showcased his quick
closing speed on Lobo receivers and made an impressive interception in
Monday's practice
505/575 Pride
WR Chris Hernandez. Hernandez,
the Soph. from Las Cruces possesses great hands and solid leaping
ability. He
seems to have added a great bit of attention to detail in route running
and precision that has him poised to begin 2008 as a starter at WR.
Ticket Orders
for The Red Menace!
Okay folks, this week I'm turning in
our orders for Season tickets for the 2008 season! This year's season
tickets are $62.00 for adults and $36.00 for youth tickets. You can
contact us at our office phone number 505-917-1407 or e-mail us at
admin@theredmenace.com
Also, we are taking your donations for the YAFL Send-A-Kid Program! We
nearly have 3 full teams ready to go! We could use at least 1 more.
Tickets are $36.00 to send young boys and girls to every Lobo football
game. Please contact me at the same number and if you want to make a
large donation and need a tax write off we can help you out with that
as well!