With each passing hot summer day, football fans across Albuquerque inch closer and closer to the highly anticipated UNM home opener on Aug. 30. But before everyone starts rolling their barbecues and coolers into the University Stadium parking lot, the Lobos must work out all the off-season kinks in preseason practice.
"You want to get it started right from the jump," offensive coordinator Dan Dodd said. "We really try and focus on effort and concentrating when you're tired."
This season's team is potentially the best that UNM has seen in years, if not decades. The Lobos are deeper and more experienced than last year's squad as they saw just five starters leave the program due to graduation. With several high-profile recruits joining the pigskin party, expectations are high and the pressure is on from day one.
But before the media can scrutinize every player and coaches' decision that will ultimately be made, the team must get reacquainted on the gridiron.
It has been almost four months since the Lobos were on the same field competing at full speed. Although the players have been hitting the weights hard all summer, getting everyone on the same page in less than a month before the first game will not be an easy task.
"You've got to put yourself in a position where those practices are meaningful," Dodd said of preseason workouts. "We have to have them physically ready as well as mentally ready."
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Players are set to report to camp Aug. 5 and practice officially begins Aug. 6. The NCAA has implemented several new practice rules this season after deaths occurred in the college and professional levels during last year's preseason workouts.
This fall, there will be no two-a-day practices during the first five sessions of workouts as mandated by the NCAA. After the first week, in which players get acclimated to full-speed practices, two-a-days will be allowed but not on consecutive days.
Defensive coordinator Osia Lewis said he agreed with the new practice rules because of the risks that rigorous practice can have, especially on out-of-shape players.
Lewis, in his first year at UNM, will have the task of gaining the veterans' confidence and trust. He said that earning respect from the players is key to building a successful defense.
"You want to get players to play for you and make sure they trust that you know what you're doing," he said.
Lewis will oversee the defensive line while his assistants assume coaching duties on the other defensive positions. He expects his new team to work 100 percent from the first day. Lewis also said he will run the same attacking defense the Lobos have become so well known for in recent years while adding his own subtle twists here and there.
With nearly every position on defense and offense returning starters, both lineups should look very similar to last year. However, a couple of names to look out for on offense are wide receiver Hank Baskett and running back D.D. Cox.
Baskett has great potential with his size. Listed at 6-feet-4 and 215 pounds, he can out-muscle smaller defensive backs.
Cox is the X-factor in a running game that can be dominant. He comes highly decorated from Oklahoma State University and could team up with sophomore sensation DonTrell Moore for a deadly duo in the backfield.
One thing for sure is that the coaches and players are just happy to get back on the field.
"Everyone is excited for the first day because they've been lifting weights and running all summer and now we're getting to the task of playing a real game," Lewis said.
