The Lobo football team wrapped up their third week of spring practice on Friday, April 17. The University of New Mexico held its second scrimmage throughout practice as they inch closer to their annual spring game.
Linebackers kept making play after play during the scrimmage. The linebacker position has a case to be the strongest position group heading into next season.
Notes and takeaways
It’s spring practice for a reason. Nothing is set-in-stone. Nothing looks anything near perfect. So the lack of consistency from the quarterbacks should not be surprising.
Quarterback Jack Layne did not participate during the team’s scrimmage today, as he is still working his way back from an injury. Quarterbacks Luke Moga, Toa Fa’avae, Gabriel Motschenbacher and Cade Mitchell all participated during the team’s scrimmage.
Fa’avae showed his ability to scramble on a consistent basis, due mostly to the secondary’s consistent blanketing coverage on pure drop back passes. Moga had a few good moments, such as leading the team down the field to kick a field goal during the overtime period. Moga did, however, throw an interception that was called back due to pass interference, to safety CJ McBean early on in practice. It’s clear Moga is still finding his rhythm. He and Fa’avae continue to battle for the backup quarterback spot, but as it stands, Fa’avae seems to have the edge.
The interior offensive line deserves some recognition. While it wasn’t perfect, there was a lack of interior pressure from the defense throughout the scrimmage. On multiple occasions, the quarterbacks had running lanes up the middle of the defense when needed to bail from the pocket. With that being said, the Lobos still need to continue developing their run game.
The Lobos are still working through their depth at running back. Running back Scottre Humphrey showed the most juice amongst the group during practice. The wide receivers saw most of their work come from screen passes. Freshman receiver Miles Johnson had a couple of nice grabs, one coming from Mitchell while rolling to his right, fitting the ball in between two defenders. Receivers Abraham Williams and Shawn Miller both provided explosives after showcasing their yards after catch ability.
Here’s a few players that shined during the team's 11th practice of the spring:
Freshman Linebacker, Hayes Baum
The freshman linebacker, formerly of Cibola High School, had a handful of impact plays during practice. Baum recorded an interception off of quarterback Cade Mitchell that would have resulted in a pick-six. Baum made multiple tackles against the run, but that wasn’t where he made his presence felt the most. Baum recorded what would have been two sacks during the team’s scrimmage – one coming off a blitz, right past the left side of the line, and one on a bootleg to the right, where Baum showcased his closing speed. Baum also made an impressive tackle while trailing a receiver on a crossing route.
Redshirt Linebacker Mercury Swaim
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Swaim has proven he can be an impact player for the Lobos’ defense after recording 52 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks last season. Swaim was all over the field and had arguably the biggest hit in practice. He sniffed out a couple of screen plays and defended the run well. Swaim almost had a near interception, after tipping the ball on a swing pass intended for and caught by Humphrey. Expect Swaim to take another leap as he enters his senior season for the Lobos.
Sophomore Tight End Cade Keith
There’s a level of trust the quarterbacks seem to have in Keith. While Keith didn’t show much on Friday’s stat sheet, he was consistently a top-target on most passing downs. Keith had his fair share of targets throughout practice, notably when Moga was in the game. Moga targeted Keith on four separate occasions during a single possession. Keith recorded 20 catches, 253 yards and 3 touchdowns last season for the Lobos. With tight end Dorian Thomas taking his talents to the University of California, Berkeley via the transfer portal, Keith is in prime position to take over as the team’s starting tight end.
Flashes in the trenches
As always, the Lobos had position drills, before and in between the team’s scrimmage.
Defensive tackles Brian Booker and Deven Dyer had a couple of intriguing moments against the offensive line, displaying their power and pass rush moves, during one-on-one drills. Dyer sniffed out a screen-play to force a throwaway during the team’s scrimmage. Offensive tackle Elvin Harris, who was shaken up towards the end of practice, held his ground during one-on-ones as well.
The Lobos will have three more practices next week before their annual spring game Saturday, April 25. The spring game will allow fans to get an early look at the new team heading into next season, and for players, an opportunity to showcase their skills early in the off-season.
Edge Garcia is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @ByEdgeGarcia
