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Football: Middle-of-the-pack Lobos have many questions to answer this season

By Iliana Limón
Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Can UNM offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin and sophomore quarterback Donovan Porterie get on the same page? The Lobos' success this season hinges on Porterie's and his teammates' confidence running Baldwin's attack, their fourth offense in four seasons.

Photo by Steven St. JohnTribune

Tribune

Can UNM offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin and sophomore quarterback Donovan Porterie get on the same page? The Lobos' success this season hinges on Porterie's and his teammates' confidence running Baldwin's attack, their fourth offense in four seasons.

Few know what to make of this year's University of New Mexico football team.

The Lobos are neither projected favorites or failures in this year's Mountain West Conference race. Their middle-of-the-pack, fourth place ranking simply means the Lobos have much potential and much to prove.

UNM will begin its charge for a conference championship and elusive bowl win Thursday, when summer ends and fall football camp begins.

Here are five questions the Lobos must resolve before they kick off the season Sept. 1 at UTEP:

UNM offense 4.0: Someday the Lobos won't be cramming during fall camp, struggling to learn a vast new offense.

This isn't one of those years.

UNM is running its fourth new offense in four seasons, this time adapting to new offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin's attack.

Sophomore quarterback Donovan Porterie has spent the summer studying the latest offense, but last year's Portland State debacle proved the Lobos' quarterback has to do more than just understand the offense. He can't lack any confidence on game day, or UNM is toast.

Can the Lobos run Baldwin's multiple offense, which can pass from both the modified spread and West Coast offenses?

Welcome back: The Lobos' offensive line was decimated during spring football practice, with most of the starters sidelined by injuries.

The full slate of linemen is back, but can they learn a complex offense without the benefit of spring workouts?

On his toes: Porterie went down with an injury last season, and the Lobos sputtered with understudy Chris Nelson at the helm.

The alternatives this season are even less savory.

With all due respect to backups Bryan Clampitt, Blair Peterson and Brad Gruner, UNM lacks a talented second-string quarterback with any game experience.

Can Porterie become just the third starting quarterback during the coach Rocky Long era to start every game in a season?

Golden toe: Long has said more than once he doesn't understand kickers.

Their quirks mystify him, but he knows one thing about players whose biggest hurdles are mental - the Lobos can't live without a good kicker.

UNM's most promising prospect to replace ace Kenny Byrd, senior John Sullivan, suffered a torn ACL during spring ball.

Can Sullivan bounce back or will another kicker step up for the Lobos this season?

In the red: UNM is operating without a tackling menace now that Quincy Black has departed for the NFL.

Black was the latest in a long line of roving tacklers who added teeth to UNM's defensive attack.

Junior cornerback DeAndre Wright should be the Lobos' biggest playmaker, but can he help the defense generate enough turnovers to compensate for his teammates still learning the offense?