UNM gets passing grade
Air attack improved as spring drills end
Long before Saturday’s UNMUNLV baseball game got under way Saturday afternoon at Santa Ana Star Field, pitchers and catchers were having quite a fine day across the street.
Throughout UNM’s now-completed spring football practice, coach Bob Davie has praised the passing of his quarterbacks
and the play-making of his wide receivers. Both were on display Saturday as the Lobos staged their annual Spring Showcase at University Stadium.
In front of several hundred fans in near-perfect weather, all three of UNM’s scholarship quarterbacks — senior Lamar Jordan, redshirt freshman Tevaka Tuioti and junior graduate transfer Coltin Gerhart — threw the ball with touch and accuracy.
Junior wide receiver Matt Quarells hauled in a long touchdown pass from Jordan. Junior Delane Hart-Johnson, senior Emmanuel Harris and sophomore Anu Somoye made impressive sideline catches.
“Our receiving corps as a whole had been outstanding and has continued to get better, and our quarterbacks can throw the
ball,” Davie said. “That’s the two things that you take away from the spring.”
In a controlled workout that featured no 11-on-11 tackling, the Lobos’ breadand-butter ground game was difficult to evaluate. But, without question, the Lobos have runners as well as pitchers and catchers.
Even with the departure of 2016 senior Teriyon Gipson (1,269 yards rushing last season, a nationalbest 8.8 average yards per carry), the Lobos return 3,027 of the national-best 4,550 yards rushing they compiled last season. The quarterbacks, Jordan, Tuioti and Gerhart, run at least as well as they throw.
Davie’s two major concerns when spring drills began, though, remain largely unanswered.
Can the Lobos block, and can they cover?
Regarding the latter, UNM’s receivers have had their way with the secondary most of the spring. That was true as well on Saturday, though it wasn’t a case of receivers running wide open.
“They’ve been dropping dimes,” senior running back Richard McQuarley said of the quarterbacks. “The secondary’s young. They have work to do ... (but) they’re really trying to learn and trying to get better.”
It helps, Davie said, that junior-college cornerback D’Angelo Ross has been a breakout performer all spring. Ross had his hands on a potential interception Saturday — the defense forced no turnovers — but couldn’t haul it in.
Regarding the blockers, the offensive line blocked well enough Saturday to allow the quarterbacks to throw to all areas of the field. But the departure of 2016 seniors Reno Henderson, Chris Lewis and Garrett Adcock has left holes to fill.
It may have hindered the offensive linemen this spring, Davie said, that they were working against an athletic defensive line. But that should help them come the fall.
Davie said the same of his young secondary, having worked for 15 spring practices against some talented receivers.
“Sometimes you go into the season totally naive, because a few years ago we didn’t have many receivers out there,” he said. “Then, it’s like, ‘Oh my God, what happened,’ when you get into the season. It’s kind of flipped now that our DBs have to cover really good receivers.
“I think the same thing with (the offensive line) . ... We’re still thin because of injuries up front, but I think our defensive line is pretty sudden and pretty athletic.”
His major regret, Davie said, is that NCAA rules don’t permit him to have more than 15 spring practices.
“It’s been an absolute joy every day to be out there coaching,” he said. “... I’m not sure the players felt that way, but as a coaching staff across the board, we hate to see it end.”
Senior defensive end Garrett Hughes, who led the team in sacks last season with 6½, stopped short of saying he wanted more spring practices.
But, he said, “I’ve enjoyed the spring, I can’t lie. For a senior, to see where we were (on March 22, when spring drills began) to where we’ve come, it’s amazing.
“I can’t wait for the season.”
KICKING IT: Senior kicker Jason Sanders, who made 12 of 13 field-goal attempts last season with a longest kick of 52 yards, made all of his attempts on Saturday and from far out as 47 yards.
His backup, redshirt freshman walk-on Vincent Alerding, missed once, but — albeit with a breeze at his back — hit one from 50 yards out with yards to spare.
“We’re gonna have a scholarship kicker next year after Jason leaves,” Davie said, “and (Alerding) certainly has put himself into contention for it.”