Get Your Motor Started!

Time to start meeting some of our newest Lobos, while watching veterans prepare for the 2008 season!

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

#80 Andre McQueen

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.

#44 Joe Harris

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 [e-mail]

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!