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Last year’s New Mexico football was hampered by a defense prone to giving up big plays, one of the worst passing attacks in the nation and a losing tradition.
On Saturday, the Lobos concluded their 15th and final spring practice, and head coach Bob Davie said he’s seen marked improvement from last season’s spring session.
“You can only compare it to how your offense is doing against your defense, and so on and so forth,” he said. “There’s no question right now that it’s a whole different thing, a whole different mindset. … All I can do is judge it on what I see on a daily basis, and it’s better than it was a year ago.”
Davie said the defense is still a work in progress. Last year the Lobos were 119th in passing defense and 73rd in rushing defense out of 120 Division I football teams.
“I expected our offense to be ahead of the defense, but I think we’ve made some strides just on what the expectations are,” he said. “We now have a foundation, I think, on which to start building the defense.”
The defense has just two returning starters from last season’s 4-9 squad. Defensive coordinator Jeff Mills said he’s seen the competition among the group grow.
“They’re coming along as a group and as a whole, especially over the past week,” he said. “They brought more of an intensity this past week, and I was pleased by the way we finished.”
Incumbent starting quarterback Cole Gautsche threw tight spirals on primarily short routes at Saturday’s practice. Davie said that Gautsche has been looking much more confident in the position through the spring.
“He throws the ball a lot better against us than he did a year ago at this time,” Davie said. “How that compares to how he throws in the fall, none of us knows. That’s what we’re anxious to see. But we leave here, I think, feeling encouraged.”
Junior transfer quarterback Clayton Mitchem was pushing Guatsche earlier in the spring. However, Mitchem suffered a thigh injury and was unable to participate in the last four practices of the spring.
“He (Mitchem) desperately needed the work. He took a step backwards by not getting in there,” offensive coordinator Bob DeBesse said. “He showed some promise running and throwing, but mentally he’s not where he needs to be as far as the system is concerned.”
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Hard Hats awarded
The 2013 “Hard Hat Program Champion” was awarded to senior tight end Andrew Aho for his work within Coach Ben Hilgart’s strength-and-conditioning program.
Hard Hat awards were handed out to 34 Lobos.
Former Lobos receive NFL contracts
Tight end Lucas Reed, wide receiver Lamaar Thomas and cornerback Freddy Young inked free-agent deals with NFL teams on Saturday night.
Reed and Thomas both signed with the Denver Broncos and Young went to the Oakland Raiders.
