Once again junior Sheriron Jones will lead his University of New Mexico teammates as the starting quarterback, this time as the Lobos travel to Las Vegas to take on UNLV in their conference opener.
But New Mexico (2-2, 0-0 MW) has many things to fix, point one being turning the ball over less, especially for Jones.
“We have things we need to correct,” UNM head football coach Bob Davie said on Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “The goal is no different than it would be if we beat Liberty, or however the ebbs and flows of the season goes we have to continue to get better.”
Jones is replacing starting QB Tevaka Tuioti, who fractured his clavicle last weekend. Tuioti is expected to miss the remainder of the season, as he was scheduled for surgery on Monday, according to Davie.
Jones, who threw for 312 yards and four touchdowns — both career-highs — against the Liberty Flames last Saturday, also had three interceptions too, one of which came in the remaining seconds and secured New Mexico’s loss.
Jones has six interceptions this season.
“He has thrown some really bad interceptions,” Davie said of Jones. “He’s got to control that football better. And with more exact reads, he’ll make better decisions.”
But Jones was the starter, against NMSU — a game in which UNM defeated its in-state foe for the first time in two years. However, Jones looked rusty in that game, throwing for 127 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
UNLV (2-2, 0-0), who also finds itself in a similar predicament as UNM as it also lost it’s starting QB last week, is coming off of a BYE week. Before that, a loss. In a rainy game on the road at Arkansas State, the Rebels lost 27-20.
Armani Rogers, UNLV’s original starting QB, injured his toe last weekend against Arkansas State. The sophomore led the team with 488 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. He also had 369 yards and six touchdowns through the air, but had four interceptions as well. He’s expected to miss six weeks.
In his place, sophomore Max Gilliam will helm the Rebels’ offense.
Davie said that with two quarterbacks down — Tuioti and Colton Gerhart — his team will utilize the spread much more than the triple option. He framed it as a safety measure, adding that you wouldn’t want to utilize QB runs in the triple option with just two true scholarship quarterbacks left on the roster.
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UNLV’s two wins this season came against UTEP and Prairie View A&M at home. Its losses were both on the road, including the season opener at USC.
Kickoff is set Saturday, Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. in Las Vegas. The game will be aired live on AT&T Sports Network.
Matthew Narvaiz is a sports beat reporter and senior writer for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers football, but also contributes content for other sports. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz.
