This Saturday, first-year head coach Mike Locksley will be doing the Hokey Pokey for the first time.

His Lobos will head up north to face Mountain West Conference foe, Wyoming.
But it won’t be the first time Locksley’s run into Dave Christensen, now the Pokes’ first-year head coach.

Christensen faced Locksley twice during his coaching tenure at Missouri. At the time, Christensen was Missouri’s assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, while Locksley was offensive coordinator at Illinois. Both times Christensen came out on top.

“The thing that jumps out are his offenses at Missouri — they were always prepared,” Locksley said. “He is one of the bright minds in college football, from an offensive standpoint.”

The forecast for Saturday puts temperatures in the low 30s with a chance for rain and snow, which could slow up the Lobos’ and Cowboys’ offenses.

Defensive linemen coach Rubin Carter said to look for the Lobos’ defense to disrupt Cowboys’ quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels’ play.

The defensive line has had 14 sacks this season, eight coming in the last two games.

“It’s the desire to want to (rush),” Carter said. “At the same time you want to put pressure on the quarterback. I think this group has maintained the focus and understands the urgency it takes on third down to get yourself off of the field.”
However, the Lobo defense has, on average, been on the field for 15 more snaps than the offense. That’s helped linebacker Carmen Messina lead the nation in tackles and tackles per game.

The Lobos generated turnovers in the last two games, too, nabbing seven takeaways.
Against Texas Tech on Saturday, the defensive line forced Tech quarterbacks Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield into throwing a trio of interceptions.

Cornerback Nathan Enriquez picked off Potts twice in the first half, and safety Frankie Solomon stepped in front of Sheffield’s pass early in the fourth quarter before jolting to the end zone for a 29-yard score.

A lot of those interceptions can be attributed to the pressure UNM’s line has created, especially sophomore defensive end Johnathan Rainey, Carter said.

“Johnathan has been blessed with great acceleration and speed to be able to turn the corner,” Carter said. “He has the desire to be a great player, not only in this
conference, but also in the country. As long as he maintains that competitive spirit, I see him doing something special during his years here with the Lobos.”

Rainey is the unsung hero of the defensive group. Because opposing offenses don’t focus on Rainey, he’s been an unusual suspect, totaling 3 1/2 sacks in the last two games. He has had 6 1/2 sacks in the Lobos’ first five games.

“Timing on defense is everything, including getting sacks,” Rainey said. “We’re getting used to each other a lot more. We’re getting the timing down, too.”

*Football vs. Wyoming
Saturday
12:00 p.m.
Laramie, Wyo.*