by David J. Chavez
Daily Lobo
The UNM football team will face its toughest test of the season Saturday - taking on Missouri without starting quarterback Kole McKamey.
McKamey is out for the season after tearing his left anterior and lateral cruciate ligament on the third play of last week's 34-28 victory over NMSU.
The keys to the offense will be handed to backup quarterback Chris Nelson, who started two games last season after McKamey injured his thumb and hip and aggravated an old back problem.
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Nelson said McKamey had some words of encouragement after his injury.
"He told me that he has confidence in my abilities, and he expects me to go out there and perform," Nelson said. "He wants me to help the team in every way possible and just do the best I can."
Nelson goes into this weekend's game against Missouri with a 3-1 record at UNM. One of those wins came against the Aggies last week. In that game, he threw for 283 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Junior wide receiver Marcus Smith was on the receiving end of two touchdowns from Nelson against NMSU.
Smith said the team is comfortable with Nelson as the starting quarterback.
"Last week, Chris stepped in and made some good throws without making some of the mistakes that people might think a second-string quarterback should make," Smith said. "The team knows what Chris can do, and we're only going to get better with him as the weeks go by and more reps are taken in practice."
Last year, Nelson led the team to two comeback wins on the road against Wyoming and Utah, before breaking his collarbone in the third quarter of the regular season finale against Air Force.
The injury still affected his throwing motion during spring training, but he is back to full strength after rehabilitation, Nelson said.
In 2005, he appeared in five games and completed 31-of-60 passes for 319 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He also rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Although Nelson is a backup, he worked with the starting receivers on learning the new West Coast offense in the spring and summer.
Head coach Rocky Long said the two quarterbacks are similar and fit into the new offense well.
"Chris has a real strong arm like Kole, but he's not quite as fast when he's forced to run with the ball," Long said. "They both fit the new scheme on offense, and we'll run the same exact plays for Chris that we would have run for Kole."
Nelson said McKamey's injury was unfortunate, but he's going to make the best of his opportunity.
"Kole's one of my best friends down here, and I feel really bad about the situation," he said. "It's a dream come true to be a starting quarterback at a Division I school, and I'm just excited to play and see what I can do for the team as the season goes on."
