Lobos’ quarterback, receiver share a special connection
Lobos’ quarterback, receiver have shared history they hope to leverage in Saturday’s contest with No. 7 Texas A&M
Terry Wilson took a long and winding path to the University of New Mexico.
Recruited out of high school in Oklahoma five years ago, he originally committed to Oregon. He never played a down for the Ducks in his redshirt freshman year, then went the junior college route in Kansas before landing at Kentucky in the vaunted Southeastern Conference for three years.
He transferred to UNM a few months ago and assumed the starting role at quarterback to begin the Lobos’ season. Off to a 2-0 start that included 11 straight completed passes in the opener against Houston Baptist, the one thing he needed to do, according to his head coach, was develop chemistry with a few receivers.
“He’s spreading the ball around a lot, but as we go along he’ll settle on three or four that he really trusts and has a good connection with,” said UNM coach Danny Gonzales. “He’ll get there. You see those targets shrink a little.”
After two games, it seems he’s already got a good thing going with the one guy with whom he has the longest mutual history.
In 2017, Lobos receiver Mannie Logan-Greene was at an offseason training camp in Arizona when he crossed paths with Wilson. A product of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Logan-Greene was trudging his way through the ranks at Central Florida for two years before heading to junior college in Iowa.
“We got some chemistry then and we threw a lot, I mean we were with each other a lot — we were together about a week and a half,” Wilson said. “I knew about Mannie coming into New Mexico. I knew he was a dynamic player and he could do a lot of special things.”
As matter of fact, Wilson can be pragmatic when breaking down his history with Logan-Greene, the receiver takes a different tact. A deeply religious player who leans on his faith, he said it’s a bit like divine intervention he and Wilson wound up in the Mountain West Conference together.
“The Lord, he works in mysterious ways,” LoganGreene said. “Now we’re here together in my last season, his last season. It’s just amazing. It’s God at work, to be honest.”
As dynamic as Logan-Greene has been since becoming a Lobo in 2019, he had never found the end zone until scoring his first career touchdown at UNM in last week’s win over New Mexico State. His 58-yard catch and score was part of a
seven-catch, 106-yard night.
It was a dramatic leap from catching two balls in the season opener and continued a trend extending the past two years when he caught 49 balls for 470 yards — and no touchdowns, not even special teams where he’s had 350 yards in kickoff returns.
Logan-Greene said he had nothing to do with recruiting Wilson to New Mexico after his stint in the SEC, again claiming it was God who led Wilson to the Lobos.
“I had nothing to do with that,” Logan-Greene said. “It’s just crazy how things work, but it’s meant to be.”
Wilson said he’s been searching for a reliable deep threat in big-play situations. With speed and great hands, Logan-Greene is making a strong case to fill that role. At this point, he said, it’s more about Wilson settling in, learning the offense and finding confidence in the people around him.
“Terry’s taking those shots; he’s putting those balls where they need to be,” Logan-Greene said. “You can see guys making those contested catches. That’s what really matters, right?”
Gonzales said he’s just happy he still has Logan-Greene around. When the coach was hired nearly two years ago, one of the players he immediately butted heads with was the receiver he now sees as an invaluable resource for the offense. After the two worked out their differences, LoganGreene
said he has been all-in with the Lobos’ new system.
Together, he and Wilson will have a chance to score one of the biggest upsets in school history this weekend. UNM heads to No. 7 Texas A&M on Saturday, looking to extend a four-game winning streak that suddenly gives the Lobos the unusual sensation of momentum.
“To me, it’s just these big-name teams, that’s all it is,” Wilson said. “They’re nothing special. They may have a few more guys that are talent-wise five stars, but other than that they’re regular football players in my eyes.”