by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
Before the team's opening game, UNM head coach Rocky Long said the Lobos would find out a lot more about themselves than they could from any preseason practice.
What UNM found out from last week's 10-6 loss at UTEP is the offense can move the ball - amassing nearly 400 offensive yards against the Miners.
It also learned that execution on key plays needs to improve as the season moves along, evidenced by the six points the Lobos totaled.
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But as frustrating as the inability to score may have been, it's still early. And UNM center Vince Natali said the team can only work on improving.
"We know now that we need to finish those drives," he said. "We can't leave it up to chance. We can't leave it up to something happening on individual performances. We have to put it together as a team. As a unit on the offensive line, we need to put it in the end zone."
In his 10th season as head coach, Long found out that his defense can be a stingy one this year. Returning 10 starters, the Lobos held UTEP to less than 200 offensive yards and limited the Miners to 12 first downs.
And aside from the 36-yard touchdown run UNM gave up, UTEP did not have an offensive play longer than
20 yards.
If the Lobo defense is going to be an elite unit, it will need to prove that it can be effective against a variety of offensive systems.
Just because UNM limited the Miners does not mean it can get comfortable now, Long said.
"That's all based on the scheme that is run," he said. "You can't play New Mexico State the same way you played UTEP because they run a completely different scheme on offense."
So far, Lobo fans have just one game to judge the
team by.
But from that game, they found out that special teams - perhaps the most overlooked unit - will not run as smoothly with the loss of Kenny Bird, the Mountain West Conference's all-time leader in field goal accuracy.
Kicker John Sullivan missed two field goals in the loss to UTEP, and his job as starting kicker for the season is in jeopardy. This week, Long announced that punter Jordan Scott will take over for Sullivan on kickoff duties.
And even though Sullivan may still be the favorite, Long said there will be competition for the starting field goal kicker, and whoever performs the best this week in practice will get the nod Saturday against New Mexico State.
Long said the kicking game may be a concern this season, but he's understanding.
"Everybody - including me - after the game was upset that we missed field goals," he said. "That's the first time he's ever kicked in a college football game. I was a player one time. Guess what? You don't do everything right, and you do make mistakes."
Another key to a successful season is chemistry. As down as the players were after the opening loss, no one pointed fingers.
Defensive end Tyler Donaldson said errors are a part of the game, and each unit is just going to have to pick up slack when the others make mistakes this year.
"It's not a concern at all," he said. "Our kicking game is good. Everyone makes mistakes. It's just how you come back from them that really matters. We're a team. The offense is going to pick it up. We're just going to play harder all together."
