On Day 9 of the Lobos’ fall football camp, the whistles sounded the same, but the collisions didn’t.
After eight practices of wrapping and tagging, the Lobos finally got to hit at full speed during their scrimmage Saturday. Quarterbacks Luke Moga and Toa Fa’avae left their usual gray practice jerseys in the locker room, instead sporting red ones that signal to the defense they weren’t off-limits anymore.
James Laubstein, who’s very much in the mix for the starting job, was off-limits though. Head Coach Jason Eck said Friday that they knew what Laubstein brought to the table because they’ve seen him during live action, therefore he wouldn’t take live reps during the scrimmage. On the other hand, Moga and Fa’avae have seen few live reps throughout their career up to this point, making it paramount for Eck and his staff to get a full evaluation of what they could do in a live setting while the quarterback job remains in flux.
Fa’avae helps his case in the quarterback race
One could argue the defense won the day, which has been the case for the majority of fall camp, but there was enough to feel good about offensively, most notably being Fa’avae’s improvement since the spring.
“Toa, I thought, did some good things with his feet,” Eck said. “He impressed me.”
Coming into Saturday’s scrimmage, it felt like Fa’avae was on the outside looking in regarding the starting quarterback job behind Moga and Laubstein.
“I don’t think he was necessarily at the top of the race coming into today,” Eck said after the scrimmage. “But I thought he helped himself with what he did with his feet.”
If you couldn’t guess by now, Fa’avae got his cardio in. Whether it was extending a play outside the pocket or a designed run, Fa’avae’s legs were his superpower. He scrambled for multiple first downs, and despite being considered undersized, he was tough to bring down, and Eck later complimented his athleticism.
Fa’avae made a handful of decisive throws. His zip on the ball allowed him to fit throws into tight windows. He delivered a perfectly-timed throw to wide receiver Zhaiel Smith on a slant for a first down and found wide receiver Shawn Miller two plays later for another big gain.
“I feel like I made plays when I needed to,” Fa’avae said. “There were some plays where I probably could have stayed in the pocket a little longer and got the ball off, but if it’s there then I have to take it, if not, I’m gonna make it with my legs.”
Fa’avae went out with a bang by delivering a 25-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Dorian Patterson to cap off an encouraging performance. Patterson has made a name for himself throughout camp, headlined by his jaw-dropping one-hand snag in the endzone on Day 5 of camp.
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“(He’s) having a heck of a camp,” Eck said. “Dorian could be a red zone target, he’s a big body down there.”
There’s areas to improve for Fa’avae, and he knows that more than anyone, but it’s evident he possesses untapped potential both on the ground and through the air, making him an appealing option as the lead signal caller for UNM.
North Texas transfer sparks run game
Not one, but two house calls rang on Saturday for junior running back Kiefer Sibley.
Two of the three touchdowns can be attributed to Sibley’s acceleration down the sideline, one being a 55-yard score, and the other going for 38 yards (unofficially).
“It was good to see the offense, especially Kiefer hit some explosive runs…one of them was against the (first-team) defense,” Eck said.
Though running backs Scottre Humphrey and Cameron Mathews receive a majority of the buzz, Sibley’s talents have been evident throughout fall camp, most recently by hauling in what would have been a 20+ yard catch on a wheel route during Friday’s practice.
The relationship between the three runners is built on making each other better — driven by their competitive nature, they said.
“We all got this relationship where we are always trying to be right,” Sibley said. “If we (have) a play or something that we aren’t sure about, we go up to each other, quizzing each other, trying to see who can get it right. If you’re wrong, we (aren’t) gonna tell you you’re wrong, we are gonna ask somebody else and see who knows the answer.”
“I’m excited for this season, I’m excited to see all of our guys do what they’re capable of,” Humphrey said regarding the running backs. “Our room from top to bottom is incredible.”
It’s worth mentioning the defense dictated the two-minute drills. Freshman linebacker Hayes Baum sealed one drive with a strip sack at the 13-yard line, and Jaxton Eck stalled another by dropping the quarterback and forcing a long field-goal attempt that resulted in a miss.
The Lobos will be back on Monday from 3:05 p.m. to 5:05 p.m. and will hold another scrimmage-like practice on Thursday from 3:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., according to Jason Eck.
Standouts from Day 9:
Nick Wheeler, linebacker
Tavian Combs, safety
Shawn Miller, wide receiver
Dorian Patterson, wide receiver
Hayes Baum, linebacker
AJ Robinson, defensive tackle
Nick Romero, kicker
Edge Garcia is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @ByEdgeGarcia
