The UNM football team produced expected results Saturday, with Cherry defeating Silver 35-7 at Ivan Head Stadium in Santa Fe.
The Cherry team, made up of starters on offense and defense, performed well on both sides of the ball.
UNM head coach Rocky Long said Cherry did what it was supposed to do, considering it was playing against the backups.
"The positive is that we put the first team against everybody else, and obviously the first team is much better than the rest of them," he said. "The red offense looked really good, and the red defense looked very good."
One of the biggest question marks heading into next season is how an inexperienced wide receiver corps will perform. Three receivers on the Cherry squad caught at least three passes and recorded 40-plus yards.
Speedster Jermaine McQueen caught six passes for 138 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown reception. Chris Hernandez had four catches for 45 yards, and Michael Scarlett caught three passes for 53 yards and a touchdown.
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Quarterback Donovan Porterie said the receivers showed their potential.
"I felt that they showed up today," he said. "They made a lot of big catches. ... I was very pleased with them today."
Porterie enjoyed an efficient performance, completing 10-of-18 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Porterie will enter his junior season in 2008, coming off a year in which he led the Lobos to a win in the New Mexico Bowl. He completed 58 percent of his passes and threw for 3,006 yards and fifteen touchdowns last season.
Tailbacks Rodney Ferguson and Paul Baker are expected to be an effective one-two punch in the Mountain West Conference next season.
The two played well Saturday, even with limited touches. Ferguson rushed 12 times for 67 yards and a touchdown, while Baker had five carries for 22 yards and a score.
Another group to watch this season will be the offensive line, which is returning just one starter in center Eric Cook.
Ferguson said the offensive line looked solid.
"They did real good today," he said. "They were knocking people down and making big holes."
The Cherry defense was dominant, recording five sacks and seven tackles for loss. Safety Mica Williams forced a fumble, which safety Frankie Solomon recovered and returned for 19 yards.
Solomon said Saturday's game was a step in the right direction, but the defense must improve.
"I thought we played pretty well, but we still got some work to do," he said. "Getting everybody to the ball and fixing a few things because we wanted to get a shutout. We're not satisfied, but we're a little happy."
