Head coach Mike Locksley starts off with a home game for the first time in his Lobo career in an attempt to erase the memory of back-to-back 1-11 seasons.
The Lobos open the season this Saturday when they take on Mountain West Conference (MWC) rival Colorado State (CSU) at University Stadium.
CSU is one of the two teams the Lobos have beaten in the past two seasons.
“We expect Colorado State to come out and be a physical team,” Locksley said. “To open up at home is exciting for me and the players and for the Lobo nation. It’s my expectation that we can get the 12th man involved.”
The Lobos are picked to finish eighth in the MWC this year and the game against CSU will be one of three conference games that will be played across the nation during the opening week.
Tight end Lucas Reed said it’s very essential to win this game and get a head start in conference play.
“It’s very important to win this,” he said. “Being 1-0 in conference would be a very good thing for us and to have a good start to the season.”
Under Locksley’s tenure the Lobos have been able to only put six points on the board during their two season openers, including last year’s 72-0 blowout away to Oregon, the team that would be the national runners-up.
Locksley said that he is ready to put the team he has been training during the offseason out on the field for their first test.
“I am excited to put a product on the field this year that our fans can be proud of,” he said. “I know our players are excited about the opportunity to show our fans the improvements we have made in our game.”
Reed said that the team has been preparing for this game for quite some time and that the team is prepared to win.
“We have been looking forward to this for the past few weeks,” he said. “We are really excited and we are feeling pretty positive about this weekend. We are going out more ready than we have ever been and it’s going to be a really competitive game.”
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The quarterback situation has finally been solved after Locksley announced, last Friday, that sophomore Tarean Austin will be leading the team out against CSU.
Austin has little experience in a Lobo jersey after playing in just seven games last season, but Locksley said he has the skills to become a good quarterback and he expects him to limit his turnovers.
“He is a talented quarterback and he has a bright future in this conference,” he said. “Offensively it’s going to be really important that we don’t beat ourselves. We have really put a point of emphasis on that.”
Reed said that he looks forward to Austin throwing him the passes.
“He is a solid starter,” Reed said. “He has more chemistry with the receivers, and every game and every practice we are going to get better together.”
Last season the Lobos had one of the worst run defenses in the nation and gave up 328 rush yards and 584 yards overall in last year’s 38-14 loss.
Even after losing standout linebacker Carmen Messina to graduation last year, Reed said he expects the defense to come out much stronger this year.
“We are really going to try and stop the run and play good, solid defense,” he said.
The home game against a familiar foe, Locksley said, provides a chance to win his first game of the season and get a lead in MWC play.
“Playing at home is what I am most excited about,” Locksley said.
“The fact that it’s a conference opener puts that much more importance on the game and gives us a chance right off the bat to get a jump start in conference play.”
