by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
After a frustrating loss to BYU, the UNM football team will have extra time to get banged-up players healthy and prepare for Wyoming.
UNM head coach Rocky Long said his team is also hoping to correct some mistakes during the bye week.
"No. 1, we're just working against ourselves to get the speed of the game," he said. "No. 2, we're obviously working on holding on to the ball better, catching the ball better, getting some of our fundamental skills back to where they were."
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In the Lobos' conference opener against BYU, turnovers hurt UNM the most. The Lobos coughed up the ball five times - on three fumbles and two interceptions - and fell short of making a comeback against their Mountain West Conference rival.
UNM had to dig itself out of a hole right off the bat after Cougar linebacker Bryan Kehl intercepted a Donovan Porterie pass and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown. Porterie threw two interceptions in the game.
But perhaps the most costly turnover came late in the game after UNM seemed to have gained momentum. Trailing 28-24, the Lobo defense stopped the BYU
attack.
But on the punt, returner Frankie Solomon fumbled the ball, leading to an eventual 31-24 loss.
Other than the errors, Long said the team played well and hopes the team can build off the positives.
"I think we are a team that has potential, that has shown signs of improvement weekly," he said. "Even in the BYU game, other than the turnovers, we actually played better against a quality opponent that we have before on defense. We move the ball pretty well on offense if we don't shoot ourselves in the foot."
In the first four games of the season, the Lobos executed a lot smoother. They committed just three turnovers in the first four games, going 3-1.
Sophomore quarterback Donovan Porterie was impressive in the beginning of the season, throwing at least one touchdown pass in each of the three wins and just one interception in the first
four games.
And even though he threw for 231 yards and a touchdown, the interceptions were costly against BYU.
Long said it's normal for a sophomore quarterback to struggle at times, and the team will have to rely on the young Porterie to limit those mistakes.
"I'm pleased that he's getting better as we go," he said. "He was hot for three weeks. He didn't have a very good game against UTEP, and he didn't have a very good game against BYU. I hate to say this, but as a sophomore quarterback, that means there's one or two more games he's not going to have a very good day."
On the defensive side of the ball, Long said the team is improving.
Even though BYU scored 31 points, that is not reflective of how the defense played, he said.
"I thought, considering who the opponent was, our defense had its very best game against BYU," he said. "That's an explosive football team we played that normally with those turnovers would have scored 60, and we kept them out of the end zone several times. We made them punt 10 times, and I don't know when the last time was a BYU team punted 10 times."
Overall, Long said this year's team has potential to improve from the 3-2 record and make a push in the conference.
"It's a team that has sufficient talent to win games," he said, "and we're getting better as the season goes on."
Football at Wyoming
Oct. 13, Noon
Laramie, Wyo.
