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UNM football: Coach calls on seniors to display leadership

By Iliana Limón
Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin calls it the difference between senioritis and greatnessitis.

The new coach prowling the sidelines wants senior wide receivers Marcus Smith and Travis Brown to go from being strong and reliable players to great athletes and inspiring leaders.

"I told both Marcus and Travis they have all the talent in the world, but they aren't living up to it," he said. "They are good. As seniors, they can just continue to be solid and think that's enough, because they've been through all of this before. But I want them to be really great. I want them to be perfect. I want them to be the playmakers this team needs."

After installing about 75 to 80 percent of his offense, Baldwin is looking forward to seeing great improvement during the second week of UNM spring football workouts.

He wants players such as Smith and Brown to lead the charge, thinking less about the nuts and bolts of what to do and spending more time just doing their jobs.

"With football, when you think too much about what you're supposed to be doing, you worry more about making a mistake and don't go full speed," Baldwin said. "We're certainly nowhere near perfect, but I think we're getting to the point where guys can start picking up speed and really start showing what they can do with this offense."

He figures Smith and Brown, the wide receivers who earned first team All-Mountain West Conference honors last season, are in the best position to show their teammates how to stay sharp while ratcheting up the intensity level.

Baldwin, never one to mince words and lose valuable learning time in the process, threw down the gauntlet with his receivers after what he called a mediocre scrimmage Saturday.

"They caught the ball, but they didn't run their routes sharply and weren't as fundamentally sound as they should have been," Baldwin said. "I'm demanding more out of them, because they're good and it's what I expect out of every player."

Smith has taken heavy doses of hollering from both Baldwin and new wide receivers coach Matt Wells, making it clear exactly where he needs to improve.

"It's all good for me," said Smith with a grin. "It shows they want us to be the best we can be, and who can really argue with that kind of focus? It's a little tough getting shouted at when you run an 11-yard route when they wanted a 12-yard route or flinch at the wrong time, but it's what going to make us better. But I would be way more worried if they stopped talking to me, because that would mean they had given up and didn't think I could be better.

"I want to be one of the playmakers this team needs. That's my job as a senior, and it's a cool title, too. Who doesn't want to be a playmaker for his team?"

Smith said he sees junior running back Rodney Ferguson rushing for another 1,000 yards next season, leaving it up to the receivers to make sure they hold up their end of the bargain so the offense takes flight. If either component slips up, Smith knows the Lobos face a repeat of the miscues that were so painful for the team as it adapted to a new offense last season.

It means ugly losses early, an uphill battle to bowl eligibility and even could squander a run at a conference championship.

"I think we're all really playing close attention right now, because we remember how tough it was to start off slow last year," Smith said. "We don't want to be making excuses for losses because we didn't work hard enough earlier when we had the chance."

Clark out: Senior offensive tackle Devin Clark, who suffered a right ankle sprain during Saturday's scrimmage, will have surgery on the ankle Thursday.

UNM head trainer Dave Binder said Clark did not suffer a fracture, but the ankle is unstable and the surgery will correct the problem. Binder said Clark should be able to rehabilitate quickly and be ready to play in August.

Silver lining: Clark's injury leaves the Lobos with senior Anthony Kilby as the only offensive lineman in the spring football lineup who started all of last season. Sophomore Erik Cook, who is penciled in to start at guard next season, is working out at center and is the only other athlete on the line with playing experience.

Junior transfer Sylvester Hatten is the latest to reap the rewards of the injury bug, stepping in for Clark with the top offensive squad.

Junior quarterback Donovan Porterie said the backups are strong and smart players, and injuries aren't a major hurdle for the offense.

"They're (the backups) definitely not holding us back or anything, learning the offense," he said. "They're good guys who are pushing just as hard as the rest of us to get their jobs right. I think they've done a real good job so far and aren't making more mistakes than the rest of us."

The offensive line's mistakes in the short term may be frustrating, but UNM coach Rocky Long and Baldwin said it's a blessing in disguise.

"It's a good time to have this type of problem, because it gives younger guys some experience and lets us see what they're capable of doing," Long said.

Baldwin added, "Someone is going to get hurt during the season, and these guys will be ready to step up. It's good for us."