One week removed from absorbing a punch to its ego, UNM football’s defensive squad returned the favor Saturday at University Stadium. The defense baited quarterback Tarean Austin into an interception and a fumble on the first two drives, and the offense didn’t score until 30 plays in.
It was a successful revenge trip to Denver. The UNM men’s soccer team beat Creighton 1-0 in Saturday’s exhibition game, helping the Lobos exact payback on the Bluejays after they thumped UNM 4-1 in the first round of last season’s NCAA tournament. “It’s kind of a weird thing,” forward Devon Sandoval said.
Because the winners write the history books, UNM head coach Ray Birmingham won’t want to thumb through this text.
To his former players, Don Flanagan was stoic, detail-oriented, stubbornly obsessed with fundamentals and occasionally humorous — but he was unquestionably a great coach. Former UNM point guard Amy Beggin said Flanagan was like “a little kid on the basketball court,” always smiling and enjoying every second.
As Don Flanagan put it, he was just tired of basketball. So, too, were five freshmen players who pushed the UNM women’s head coach to resign.
Don Flanagan, after 16 seasons as UNM women’s basketball head coach, resigned Monday after initially deciding to return to the sidelines next season. The reason for Flanagan’s sudden change of heart: Five freshmen players (Tina Doughty, Erin Boettcher, Morgan Toben, Brianna Taylor and Jasmine Patterson) intended to quit the program, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
When UNM head men’s basketball coach Steve Alford says “no,” he means “no.” At least for now.
The UNM track and field team’s venue changed hastily, but it had little effect. The Lobos — after a long, successful indoor season — racked up eight first-place finishes and several personal records over the weekend at the Tailwind Invitational at the track and field complex.
Perhaps this will finally be the year the UNM football team needs that third digit on the scoreboard. The Lobos, in their first spring scrimmage Saturday at University Stadium, displayed the big-play capacity they’ve lacked for the last two years. Quarterbacks Stump Godfrey and Tarean Austin took all the snaps, and neither turned the ball over in the Lobos’ 90-play scrimmage.
Severe winds didn’t slow down the UNM men’s soccer team. The Lobos notched two exhibition wins Sunday — against Fort Lewis (3-2) and Colorado State-Pueblo (5-0) — at Robertson Field.
The UNM men’s soccer team is doing its own version of spring training. The Lobos will play two exhibition games Sunday against Fort Lewis at 10 a.m.
The Bracketbusters are breaking down college basketball’s classist narrative. Little attention has been devoted to the Connecticut-Kentucky Final Four matchup, so much diverted to the little guys’ coming-of-age.
UNM head football coach Mike Locksley will have a lot less to take to the bank if he’s let go at the end of the season or in the future. The Albuquerque Journal reported Wednesday that the third-year head coach signed a contract addendum Feb. 28 that reduces his buyout from $1.095 million to $450,000 if the University severs ties with him without cause after the 2011 season. Athletics Director Paul Krebs told the Journal that the restructured deal made “economic sense.” Locksley also stands to benefit from the renegotiated terms. If the Lobos win six games this season, Locksley gets a $50,000 incentive. The revised contract also gives him more wiggle room if he leaves the University on his own volition or for another coaching opportunity.
It appears the growing pains are starting to subside. The UNM baseball team used a late-inning rally, and closer Gera Sanchez got the final four outs to help the Lobos overcome UNLV 9-7 Sunday at Isotopes Park.
When the UNM baseball team finally got back to the NCAA baseball tournament for the first time since 1962, the Lobos were heavy hitters. Early on, the new-look Lobos struggled with the sticks, averaging just 4.4 runs per game in their 0-8 start to the year. And after sweeping UNLV 9-7 Sunday in a late-inning slugfest at Isotopes Park, the Lobos have gotten their swat back. “I’m glad, I’m glad, I’m glad and I’m glad,” head coach Ray Birmingham said.
The UNM men’s tennis team made it look effortless — but in the wrong way. The Lobos dropped a 6-1 decision to Nebraska on Friday, before falling 5-2 to Fresno State on Sunday at the Linda Estes Tennis Complex.
Twenty-one years removed from his college football heyday, George Barlow is still proving that he is a player’s coach, not just a coach who used to play.
From league-leading to middle of the pack, from the NCAA tournament to arguably the “Not Important” Tournament, the UNM men’s basketball team hit a wall one year after making a historic run. As head coach Steve Alford likes to remind people, the Lobos were without Darington Hobson and Roman Martinez — the latter graduated; the former left UNM to pursue a NBA career.
Lockout — it’s a word that hasn’t escaped the ears of former UNM football players Bryant Williams and Byron Bell. Yes, the NFL is at a collective bargaining standstill, but for draft prospects there is no work stoppage.
With off-season house-cleaning over, the UNM football team hopes to spring forward the next four weeks, so it doesn’t fall back to the bottom of the Mountain West Conference. Third-year head coach Mike Locksley added new faces and reshuffled his staff, patching personnel holes with coaches from last year.
Solutions by The State News
