Rodney Ferguson is smart. On the field, he talks smack and brags about his big plays. He has swagger and a lot of confidence in himself. A lot of his teammates call him one of the funniest Lobos. But stick a microphone in his face, and Ferguson is savvy enough to clam up. He says he is doing OK but has a lot of work left to do. He praises his teammates and says a ton of work must be done before the Lobos can claim success.

After Tuesday morning's practice, Ferguson and his teammates had a lot to brag about. The defense didn't just roll over and have a bad day. This was a day when the offense was clicking. There were crisp passes, great catches in traffic and break-away running plays.

Ferguson had a particularly good day after sitting out with an cold and allergy symptoms earlier this week. On one play, he turned the corner and burst forward for a long touchdown run. It's great for the Lobos that Ferguson may be faster than last year, but there was another play he made that is an even better sign for UNM. Donovoan Porterie was under pressure and was about to be sacked, but Ferguson stepped up for a strong block that allowed Porterie to connect with Travis Brown for a long touchdown pass. Offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin and several players came over to congratulate Ferguson for saving the play. Those were the kind of moves Ferguson hadn't mastered last season. Since it's pretty safe to say the Lobos need Porterie to stay healthy, Ferguson's blocking skills have become especially important.

Receivers Chris Hernandez and Marcus Smith also caught some balls in traffic, making it an all-around good day for the offense. The team did break down a few times at the end of the workout, but it wasn't too bad. Baldwin left the practice field with a smile on his face, saying "We're getting there."

I'll have more notes after tonight's practice.

Posted by ilimon at 10:08 AM | Permalink