Spring cleaning has begun for the Lobo football team. There are positions to fill, an offense to perfect and a little dust to shake off.
Head coach Rocky Long spoke about the holes he needs to plug.
"The key is kicker, linebacker and safety," he said. "We don't have a lot of depth on offense, but we do have a lot of experience."
One burning question on offense concerns the running back position. Could there be a changing of the guard with DonTrell Moore's condition yet to be determined?
If there is, freshman running back Rodney Ferguson is ready to make an impact.
"I feel like I can contribute a lot," Ferguson said. "I just need to basically get ready just in case he is not ready for the season. I want to make the team feel that we could do just as good with me as they could with him."
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Moore was injured in the Lobos' Emerald Bowl loss to Navy in December.
Media relations coordinator Greg Remington said it would be late summer before the team knew for sure when Moore could return.
A fresh offensive system has been put in to place for the Lobos. UNM has traded in its old, beat-down system for a new and improved model with all the latest features. Quarterback Kole McKamey will be in the driver's seat and said he welcomes the additions.
"We are going to more of a spread offense where we attack more parts of the field," he said. "We are going to make the defense play on our time and control the pace of the game."
The system will suit the mobile McKamey, who has been running this style of offense since the seventh grade.
"There's no doubt," he said. "I ran this style of offense all throughout high school."
The safety position is another question mark for the Lobos. Tyson Ditmore probably has an advantage because he started last year.
"I just have to bust my tail this spring and this fall," he said. "I know what I'm doing, because I have that year under my belt."
Ditmore said the position is up for grabs and will be won by whoever wants it the most.
Last year was supposed to be a redshirt year for Ditmore, but because of injuries, he was tossed into the starting lineup.
"Injuries became a huge factor at that position," he said. "I came in and played some special teams. I eventually worked my way in. It's just the fact that I wanted to play and do what was best for the team."
