The UNM football team’s final scrimmage, during Fan Appreciation Day at the newly renovated University Stadium on Saturday, mirrored a dress rehearsal: good at times, sloppy at others, but overall, a good effort.
The offense and defense had their moments during the two-hour scrimmage in front of about 3,500 fans. The good included:
l A three-catch, 65-yard performance by junior wide receiver Joe Manning.
l A 65-yard touchdown strike from sophomore backup quarterback Casey Kelly to senior wideout Joe Baker.
l A stout goal line stand by the defense from the one-yard line.
l A strong final drive led by Kelly, which ended with a 23-yard field goal by senior kicker Valdimir Borombozin as time ran out.
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Still, the offense looked out of sync at times, with both Kelly and starting junior quarterback Rudy Caamano overthrowing their targets. Several of the receivers dropped passes or let the ball slip through their hands. The defense weakened toward the end of the game, and freshman tailback Tony Frazier amassed 14 of his scrimmage-leading 28 yards during the final drive.
Head coach Rocky Long said the team looked tired and a little beat up, but he was pleased with their effort.
“We’re real leg-weary and we’re not quite as sharp as we will be, obviously, in a couple of weeks when their legs come back,” Long said. “When your legs are tired, sometimes your mind doesn’t work quite as sharp either. When we get our legs back and everything, we’ll be sharp, and we’ll look a lot better than we did this evening.”
Manning, who saw limited playing time last year, looked good right from the start, grabbing a 20-yard pass from Caamano early in the scrimmage. He followed it up with a 15-yard catch on a second-down-and-21 play to get the offense into field goal position.
Offensive coordinator Dan Dodd said Manning’s off-season work ethic was extremely good and that he has practiced very well during the fall camp.
“We expect Joe to be one of our playmakers,” Dodd said. “He has made a concerted effort to be a great player. I think Joe’s going to be a real quality player for us.”
Long said Manning has great ability, but he has to become more consistent.
“He makes some big plays once in a while, but he has the ability to make big plays all the time,” Long said. “We got to get him to the point where he’s consistently making those plays.”
However, the timing seemed to be off between the quarterbacks and the receivers. Aside from Kelly’s scoring play, passes were either off the mark or the receiving corps dropped some well-placed footballs.
“Up until this point, our quarterbacks have really thrown the ball real good,” Long said. “They’ve completed about 80 percent of their passes. Tonight, they weren’t quite as sharp. I think maybe it was the idea that the crowd was here, it’s almost game time and this is as close as we can get.”
The offensive backfield tandem of Jarrod Baxter, Javier Hanson and Holmon Wiggins saw limited playing time because Long said he wanted to avoid injuries to some of his starters. He said he also wanted to give some of the younger players, especially the freshman, playing time.
Wiggins had 15 yards on two carries and a catch for five yards, Baxter carried once for no yards and Hanson had two carries for minus-one yard. Caamano, who completed nine of his 20 passes for 118 yards and no interceptions, saw his day end after the second quarter when freshman Jeff Grady entered the game.
