by David J. Chavez
Daily Lobo
The UNM football team will open conference play against one of the most elite offenses in the nation Saturday.
The Lobos will travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., to take on Air Force's dangerous triple option. The Falcons kept the Lobos from appearing in a bowl game last season by winning 42-24 at University Stadium on Nov. 19.
UNM quarterback Chris Nelson said he has a personal beef to go along with the team's dislike of the Falcons.
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"Last year, I broke my collarbone in the Air Force game, so it kind of gives you a little extra incentive personally and as a team," Nelson said. "They kept us from going to a bowl game, and that's big, so we need to make sure we beat them this time."
The Lobos have a lot of success on the road, with a 9-2 record since 2003, but they have not won at Falcon Stadium since 2000. UNM is now riding a four-game road winning streak going into this weekend's game.
The Lobos are heading into Colorado Springs with their rush defense allowing 86.8 yards per game. Meanwhile, the Falcons' rush offense is averaging 304 yards per game, which is second in the nation.
Linebacker Herbert Felder said the defense needs to play a flawless game to prevent Air Force from putting on an offensive display.
"Their offense is very complicated, so if you make any mistakes against them, they're going to beat you," Felder said. "We take pride in our defense, but I'm not going to say that we're going to stop Air Force's rush offense, but we'll at least slow them down."
The Lobos showed they have a rushing game of their own last week against UTEP by racking up 193 total rushing yards.
Rodney Ferguson contributed 162 yards, boosting his average to 93.2 yards a game, which is second in the Mountain West Conference. Air Force's Chad Hall is leading the MWC with 101.5 yards a game, and Falcon quarterback Shaun Carney is third, averaging 91.5 yards per game.
Head Coach Rocky Long said the Falcons' triple-option offense is hard to prepare for.
"It's an offense that you only see once a year, and it's an established offense that has so many variations," Long said. "If you don't play exactly right, they can keep the ball away from you and make big plays."
The offensive line allowed three sacks in last week's game, but it opened up numerous holes for UNM's rushing offense.
The Lobo pass offense didn't perform as well with only 96 total yards passing.
Nelson said the team's pass offense needs to back up the rush better. One key factor to winning this week's game is the offensive line's performance, he said.
"It starts with the O-line," Nelson said. "They need to continually dominate the line of scrimmage and make holes for our running backs and protect me. When your running game's not working, we need to have something to fall back on, so we need to be able to pass the ball better, too."
Aleem Harris update: Harris participated in his first full practice on Monday after being suspended in March. He was charged with three felony counts of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and one felony count of kidnapping in March, according to court documents. The charges stemmed from an altercation with his ex-girlfriend at the Redondo Village Apartments.
Harris was allowed to rejoin the team after pleading guilty to three misdemeanor counts of battery on a household member. He was sentenced to two years probation.
Long also placed him on probation with the team. Harris is required to be in shape before he plays in a game, but Long has not disclosed any other conditions he must meet to play.
Fight at practice: Ferguson, the Lobos' starting running back, was asked to leave practice early on Wednesday following an altercation with a teammate.
After carrying the ball on a run play, Ferguson returned to the line of scrimmage and got into a pushing match with a member of the scout team. Some teammates joined the scuffle, and the scout member was knocked to the ground. Ferguson then kicked the player while he was on the ground and was scolded by wide receivers coach Dan Dodd.
Offensive coordinator Bob Toledo dismissed Ferguson from practice 30 minutes early. Long didn't see the incident take place. He said he didn't know what he was going to do about it until he talked to the other coaches that saw it.
Football at Air Force
Friday, noon
Colorado Springs, Colo.
