It's hard to get a reaction from Rocky Long, the Lobos' stone-faced head coach.
Ask him about his two stud cornerbacks, though, and his face lights up for just a moment.
"They are both good athletes, and they both have good experience," he said. "Being an ex-cornerback myself in the Canadian Football League, I am really critical of that position, and they have both played really well."
And how. Brandon Payne and Gabriel Fulbright have become the unquestioned lords of the defensive backfield in the Mountain West Conference. They are tied atop the interception leader board with four picks a piece, more than any other conference corners. Payne is leading the entire nation in passes defended - pass breakups plus interceptions - with 18.
Having one shutdown cornerback is a luxury for many teams all around the country. The Lobos have two.
Their progression is noticeable as the season wears on, particularly for Payne. At the beginning of the season, teams were wary of throwing toward Fulbright, who was a preseason, all-conference selection.
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"They came out and decided to see what I could do," Payne said of the opposing offenses' game plans. "If I see the ball in the air, I'm going to go up and get it. That's just what I was taught to do."
His hands have been like magnets for footballs. Payne has three more passes defended than the next closest Division I player, Gabe Franklin of Boise State.
If Fulbright's numbers aren't as impressive - he has seven passes defended - it's only because quarterbacks were nervous about throwing the ball his way.
"At the beginning of the season, the teams were all respecting Gabe," Payne said. "I got tested the first five games."
It was apparent teams wanted to test the other side of the field and stay away from the all-conference defensive back.
"It's been a competition between them for who can make a big impact," senior linebacker Nick Speegle said. "Teams started throwing one way against us, then he (Payne) was playing so well, they had to throw the other. Now they can't really go either way."
It's a credit to both players that they've done so well in Long's tricky defense.
"We put more pressure on our corners than any other team in the conference," Long said.
The Lobos' defensive backs play man-to-man 80 percent of time. It's a daunting task at a position that may be the toughest in football.
"We're out there by ourselves with no help," Payne said. "It's just us and the guy we're covering. We can't mess up either, or everyone sees it. If a linebacker or someone else screws up, it may not get noticed. But if we give up a touchdown, everybody sees it."
And the rest of the defense appreciates their work.
"It's definitely the hardest position on our defense," Speegle said. "They're one-on-one with a guy, and their timing and instincts have to be so fine tuned. There are so many fast receivers, and sometimes they're out there on an island with their guy. When they make plays, it's phenomenal."
Phenomenal - as in Payne's end zone interception against Utah, a fading pick that was the first of the season thrown by potential Heisman finalist Alex Smith. Phenomenal - as in Fulbright's two picks and two passes batted-down in a crucial game against UNLV and Earvin Johnson, one of the best receivers in the league.
Entering the home stretch of the season, don't sleep on the Lobos' chances at the postseason.
And to opposing quarterbacks in the MWC - don't throw on them, either. Your passes might end up in the wrong hands.
