by Kristie Boudwin
Daily Lobo
The Lobos will face their first conference opponent on the road without starting quarterback Kole McKamey.
According to head coach Rocky Long, McKamey told the coaches Sunday he was sick to his stomach and did not remember playing some of Friday night's game.
Doctors gave McKamey an MRI and a CAT scan. The test results came back normal, but the doctors did not clear him to play.
"Everything according to the tests is normal," Long said. "But considering that he does not remember the game last Friday, the doctors have decided that he should not play this week."
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
McKamey suffered a concussion during the first half of the Oregon State game on Sept. 18 and was unable to play in the second half. Long said the memory lapse during the Utah game could be a continuation of the first concussion or a new injury all together.
Though McKamey could be up for challenging Air Force tomorrow, the UNM coaches were not willing to take the chance.
"We decided to give him a break and make sure that he feels completely at 100 percent before they put him back on the field," Long said.
Backup quarterback Tali Ena will step up to the starting position against the Falcons. Ena is a senior who transferred to UNM from Washington State.
Ena and McKamey battled for the starting position through the spring and half of preseason practice before the coaches named McKamey the starter.
The quarterback substitution will change the Lobo offense to favor passing over the option.
"These changes will limit our option game," Long said. "We won't eliminate it, but we won't be as prone to run the option."
Center Ryan Cook said he and Ena practiced their hand placement throughout the week. Cook said Ena is a different quarterback than McKamey, but he is confident Ena will perform as well as the starter.
"Tali is more of a passer than an option runner," Cook said. "Other than that, their abilities are the same."
Junior receiver Hank Baskett said he and McKamey have established a rhythm, but in practice he catches the ball from Ena just as often as he does from McKamey. Baskett said he looks forward to the passing game between he and Ena against Air Force.
"Tali has a cannon for an arm and is an exceptional athlete," Baskett said. "I am looking forward to receiving throws from him, and hopefully, we will get to go long a few times this game."
Long also said DonTrell Moore, who was cleared to play against Utah but never saw game time, will play against Air Force. Moore sprained his left knee ligament against New Mexico State two weeks ago.
"Since he wasn't 100 percent, we didn't want to risk making his injury worse," Long said. "It's much more likely that DonTrell will play this Saturday."
