2008 New Mexico Football
Rocky Long has the New Mexico Lobos heading in the right direction after a 9-4 season last year. The Lobos put a 23-0 beat down on Nevada in the New Mexico Bowl last year to put the exclamation point on a solid year. New Mexico lost only one non-conference game last year, but their non-conference schedule appears a bit tougher this year on paper. Let’s see what the team at Info Plays feels about their chances to compete in the MWC with their 2008 New Mexico Lobos football predictions below.
Offense:
There won’t be much change in the Lobos’ offense this season. Offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin sticks around for another season, and brings the same wide-open scheme with him. Having a third-year starter at quarterback will help the continuity of this ball club. Junior Donovan Porterie helped lead New Mexico to the postseason each of his first two seasons. He’s a super athlete that will make a run at All-Mountain West honors for sure. The Lobos do lose a pair of first-team All-MWC receivers in Marcus Smith and Travis Brown, though. But players like Bryant Williams and Jermaine McQueen stepped up big in the spring. Williams is a junior college transfer originally recruited by Baldwin in his stint at Michigan State.
The ground game is in good hands for the Lobos. Power tailback Rodney Ferguson finished third in MWC rushing at 98.1 yards per game. And when Ferguson turned up academically ineligible for the New Mexico Bowl, Paul Baker stepped in with 167 yards in his first ever start. The result was a nine-win season for Rocky Long’s team that ended New Mexico’s 46-year drought without a bowl victory. The biggest question for this offense will be how the offensive line develops after losing four starters.
Defense:
The defense was superb for the Lobos last year, finishing 13th in the nation in total defense at 319.19 yards and 14th in scoring defense at 19.0 points/game. But Troy Reffett replaces Osia Lewis as defensive coordinator after Lewis left for UTEP in the offseason. But regardless of the coordinator, Long made his reputation as a defensive coach and his unorthodox scheme won’t see much change. The personnel is a different story where change is a must. All three starting linebackers, both ends and standout safety OJ Swift are gone.
The strength of this unit is at cornerback where Glover Quin and DeAndre Wright return to form one of the best tandems out West. Long says they are both capable of playing at the next level in the NFL. But his biggest concern is at linebacker. Only two players have any experience with Zach Arnett and Herbert Fielder. That makes depth a major concern, but New Mexico has reached the point in its system and recruiting philosophy that when the names change, the effectiveness of the scheme rarely wavers.
New Mexico Football Predictions at Info Plays: 4th in the Mountain West
The Lobos don’t have the luxury of easing into the season, but fans get the luxury of an impressive home schedule. UNM hosts TCU, Texas A&M and Arizona in the first three weeks of the season before playing at Tulsa. It could be a tough start, but New Mexico has as much offensive talent as ever and could finish well in the MWC if a rebuilt offensive line comes together sooner rather than later.
Get a more in-depth team breakdown of the 2008 New Mexico Lobos with CSTV here.
Mountain West Wins Expected in ‘08: WYOMING, SAN DIEGO STATE, at Air Force, at UNLV, at Colorado State
Potential Scares/Losses: TCU, at
BYU, UTAH
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