Bye week provides different options
Now Lobos back, prepping for SJSU
Over the weekend, with his New Mexico Lobos idle on Saturday, Blaise Fountain drove some 1,200 miles round-trip in order to spend approximately a day-and-a-half with friends and family in suburban Wichita, Kan.
Having left Friday morning, the University of New Mexico’s starting center was back in Albuquerque Sunday evening, at the athletic complex for meetings and breakfast Monday at 7 a.m. and on the practice field at 9:45.
Was the trip worth the time, effort and gasoline? Absolutely. “I enjoy road trips, so even the drive was nice,” he said.
In contrast, Lobos inside linebacker Dakota Cox remained in Albuquerque throughout the weekend. Cox, who missed UNM’s game at Rutgers on Sept. 17 after taking a blow to the head at New Mexico State the previous week, could have gone to visit his family in Scottsdale, Ariz. He chose instead to “just relax, kind of get off my feet and regroup a little bit.”
For both players, the focus now is the journey that begins Saturday at University Stadium. The Lobos (1-2) begin Mountain West Conference play that afternoon against San Jose State (1-3) in the first of nine remaining games.
Ideally, perhaps, a bye week would take place at midseason or later. But, Cox said, there’s no bad time for one.
“I think bye weeks are really good for any team, and especially kind of give guys a chance to refocus, a chance to go through and see what we’ve been doing wrong or right through the first part of the season,” he said. “... Then take some time to get your mind off it all.
“To get that time off just gives guys a chance to regroup and really get ready to go for those next coming games and the next part of the season. It’s pretty much a new season now.”
For Fountain, a bye week is something new. He never had one in three years at Maize (Kan.) High School — that’s right, he’s Blaise from Maize — and never had one in two seasons at Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kan. He likes the concept. “I think the bye week’s definitely beneficial,” Fountain said. “I feel refreshed, and I think everybody has a new mentality because they got away from it for a little while.
“I think everybody’s raring to go now.”
Lobos coach Bob Davie is counting on that.
“It’s all about the mental approach,” Davie said. “I think, for us, it came at a great time. We’ll find out.
“But we do have a lot of little nagging injuries, and I think it gives you a chance to just see the positives, too, as you just sit there and watch college football.”
INJURY REPORT: Of those aforementioned injuries, Davie said he’s most concerned about the availability for Saturday of sophomore wide receiver Matt Quarells (foot) and sophomore running back Diquon Woodhouse (hip flexor). Cox and senior running back Teriyon Gipson, who both took shots to the head at New Mexico State and missed the Rutgers game, are expected to be ready.
GIPSON UPDATE: Davie said Gipson will play against San Jose State despite, as initially reported by KOB-TV on Sept. 13, having been arrested in January in his hometown of Dallas.
Gipson still faces a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana. Davie said he didn’t learn of Gipson’s arrest until two weeks ago.
Davie has said he will impose some form of discipline on Gipson but won’t necessarily say what that is or when it will be imposed.
THE POTTER FACTOR: San Jose State starting quarterback Kenny Potter missed the Spartans’ 44-10 loss at Iowa State last week after suffering a leg injury the previous week against Utah. During his Monday teleconference, SJSU coach Ron Caragher said he didn’t know whether Potter will be able to play against UNM.
That’s of significant interest to Davie, who watched Potter pass for two touchdowns and run for another during the Spartans’ 31-21 victory over the Lobos last fall in California.
Redshirt freshman Josh Love, who started in Potter’s place against Iowa State, threw four interceptions.
Potter had only 30 yards net rushing against UNM last year, but his 12-yard scramble for a touchdown gave the Spartans a two-touchdown lead that proved insurmountable.
“He’s definitely a runner, a scrambler, a very hard guy to tackle, as evidenced last year,” Davie said. “We couldn’t tackle him, which was a big part of the game.
“The other kid (Love) isn’t quite the runner Potter is. He’s more of a thrower.”
Potter was extremely effective against the Lobos through the air last season, as well, completing 16 of 20 passes for 181 yards.