by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
Rocky Long can't say enough to endorse the triple-option offense that Air Force will be running against the UNM football team Saturday.
So how can the Lobos stop, or at least slow down, an offense that is invincible?
Without a little luck, you can't,
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Long said.
"It's impossible to stop on a chalkboard," said Long, head coach of the UNM football team. "Any kind of triple-option play, you don't block at least two guys. So that means you have at your disposal nine blockers, which obviously you can't stop."
The UNM defense will be tested this weekend against the Falcons.
While the Lobos have been solid against the run in their first four games - allowing just 86.8 yards on the ground per contest - Air Force has been a superb rushing team.
In their first two games, the Falcons have averaged an outstanding 304 rushing yards per contest.
What the Lobo defense has accomplished so far this season doesn't matter because of the style of offense Air Force uses, Long said.
"Statistics mean nothing," he said. "You can be real good against the run in all those other offenses we've been playing, and it does not relate to playing against the triple-option team."
The triple-option is a system in which the quarterback lines up with a tailback behind him and two more potential ball carriers, one on each side of him. When the ball is snapped, the quarterback runs either right or left and has the option of either taking off himself, pitching to the running back behind him or the other player on the side of him.
The blockers set up in front of the quarterback, making it difficult for defenders to disrupt the play.
In Air Force's 31-24 victory at Wyoming on Saturday, the Falcons rushed for 327 yards.
"Wyoming's really good on defense - really good," Long said. "They didn't look like it against Air Force."
Lobo Quincy Black, who is a leader of the defense and plays a combination of linebacker and safety, will be relied on to get on the edge and try to break up the option.
Because the triple-option is so effective, there are going to be mistakes made, but the Lobos need to stay aggressive, Black said.
"The reads are so hard, and it comes at you so fast, so the biggest thing would be probably just running to the ball and recognizing things a little quicker," he said. "Just flying to the ball would help us a lot."
The UNM defense has improved its play lately. In the loss to Missouri, it kept the game close and scored a defensive touchdown.
Last week against UTEP, the Lobos held the Miners' high-powered offense to 13 points. However, the UNM defense cannot be satisfied with that performance and must be focused if it is to slow down the Falcons' triple-option.
"It's a different scheme," Black said. "I kind of wish Air Force would come out and line up in what UTEP did, but they're not going to do that. They're going to run the triple-option and do what they do, and we're going to do what we do."
