No one can relate to a lame-duck journalist like college football coaches. The Tribune will be closing very soon, a dead-man-walking experience coaches go through often during their careers. Rocky Long cheered me up this morning with this hilarious tale I absolutely had to share on my blog:

Long was coaching at Wyoming, and the staff was fired before a bowl game in Australia. The coaches were allowed to coach the bowl game, and took off with the team. About half-way through bowl week, the bowl went bankrupt but organizers agreed to play the game anyway. The only problem is the teams did not get any return tickets home. So the schools had to start booking flights from anywhere they could in Australia. Long and his wife traveled on commercial flights with about seven to 10 players they had to corral home. They stopped in Fiji, Hawaii, San Francisco and Denver en route to Laramie. When the coaches finally got back to the Wyoming campus, they noticed all the courtesy cars from the school they had left parked in front of the football offices were gone. They headed inside the building to call for rides, but their keys to the offices did not work. The school had changed the locks while they were gone. Then they noticed a bunch of boxes in the hallway labeled with each coach's name. The school had packed up their offices and left their personal items in boxes in the hallway. Nice.

So at least the E.W. Scripps Co. gave us one to three months notice and a severance package. Leave it to a football coach to help me find the silver lining.

Posted by ilimon at 05:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I wrote two stories for Lobo Zone and today's paper about Lauren Taylor orally committing to the Lobos. I always end my interviews asking if the person has anything else they'd like to add. Sometimes people respond as though they think I'm retarded since I'm the one who called them and should have all the questions. But every once in awhile my curiosity is rewarded enough that I keep asking the dopey question. Taylor was one of the rewards. I asked if she had anything else she'd like to add and she paused, giggled and said "Woo-hoo! I'm going to be a Lobo." I can't convey her excitement about coming to UNM any better than that remark.

In other news, I saw Valerie Kast on her way to the training room Tuesday, and she had good news. She's off her crutches and continues to improve. She was all smiles and really happy to be off those crutches and walking normally. I don't know what kind of magic mojo they have in the UNM training room, but every athlete who suffers an injury always seems to recover ahead of schedule.

Posted by ilimon at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

As many as you have already heard, the Tribune staff got some sad but not entirely surprising news today. The E.W. Scripps Co. has put The Albuquerque Tribune up for sale and will close the paper if it fails to find a buyer. It is highly unlikely the newspaper will be sold and it appears we will be printing our final edition with within the next two months.

I cannot say enough good things about this newspaper and the experience I've had at the Tribune during the past five years. I''ve been privileged to work some wonderful journalists who did everything possible to live up to the Trib's motto -- "Give light and the people will find their way."

I appreciate all the kind e-mails and phone calls I received from so many readers and friends today. It meant an awful lot to get your support at a difficult time.

I'll keep blogging and covering University of New Mexico sports as long as the Tribune continues to operate. I hope you'll stick around for the ride. Let's make it a good one.

Posted by ilimon at 08:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The UNM football team practiced in the Indoor Practice Facility Monday night because a thunderstorm was brewing and the artificial turf will help prepare the team for the turf in the Sun Bowl. The coaches also set up speakers and played some crowd noise loudly to give the players a sense of what it will be like to play in front of 50,000 rowdy UTEP fans. It wasn't anywhere near as loud as the Sun Bowl was two years ago when the Miners beat the Lobos, but it was loud enough to cause some trouble for the offense.

"It was definitely loud," UNM quarterback Donovan Porterie said. "I think it's really good for us because it reminds us that this is what college football is like. You're going to be playing in front of some loud fans on the road."

UTEP coach Mike Price said during a Conference USA teleconference that he is expecting a sellout. If you haven't gotten your tickets and are planning to make the trip south, you better hurry up. There aren't many left and the ones that remain are getting pricey.

I wonder if teams dread playing the Lobos as much as the Lobos dreaded facing Air Force's old triple-option offense. Price has talked extensively about how hard it is to prepare for Rocky Long's defense and how the Lobos have gotten the upper hand against the Miners thanks to the unconventional attack. He said he was grateful to have extra time to prepare for the Lobos' defense instead of just two or three days. UNM's defense, which thrives when it keeps opponents guessing, may lose a slight edge during the first two weeks of the season. The Miners had extra prep time in fall camp and the Aggies play Southeastern Louisiana Thursday night, giving New Mexico State a few extra days to get ready for the Lobos. You can't say Hal Mumme didn't do a good job lining up his schedule.

Posted by ilimon at 08:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I just confirmed Darrington Hobson is still not enrolled at UNM. The coaches expected to have an update as soon as this week, so I wanted to keep tabs on his status. The longer this drags out, the more likely it seems he will start school in December because it would be challenging to catch up on class work.

Posted by ilimon at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

UNM head men's basketball coach Steve Alford and his top assistant, Craig Neal, will be out of the office for a few days this week to hit the golf course.

No, they're not kicking back and celebrating their work on the recruiting trail.

They are participating in the Neal-Delagrange Golf Classic, a celebrity golf tournament Neal co-founded in Fort Wayne, Ind. The tournament has little overhead and the proceeds benefit a variety of children's charities. The event has raised more than $600,000 during the past five years. This year a big chunk of the change raised will go to Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

Alford and Neal must like golf. They're planning a golf-related meet-and-greet with UNM fans before the basketball season. The coaches are still hammering out the details, but I'll post more info as soon as they settle on the details.

Posted by ilimon at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Trib is bringing back a feature we introduced last year called Ask the Coach. We invite fans to submit questions they have for any of the University of New Mexico football coaches. We will get the answer to at least one question each week online and in the print edition of Lobo Zone.

You can use this submission form we set up at LoboZone.com, post your questions in the comments section of this blog or send me an e-mail ilimon@abqtrib.com.

Posted by ilimon at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I wrote a story for Saturday's Trib about men's basketball recruiting. I wanted to take a quick step band and actually ask coach Steve Alford about his approach to recruiting. I also wanted to include a 2008 recruiting list, which I needed as much, if not more, than fans to get a clear picture of who the Lobos are courting. I know the list of guys they talked to is huge, but I tried to go with the 12 that are either really into the Lobos or the Lobos are really pursuing.

During my research, I learned that Nate Garth isn't a hot prospect for the Lobos. They'd love to have him, but he's shopping around and isn't looking that hard at UNM. Of course, that could change.

The big prize remains Phillip McDonald. I think the commitments UNM has will most certainly stick if McDonald commits to the Lobos. He will be here the weekend of the New Mexico State football game, Sept. 7-9, but he also has some official visits lined up to other schools.

Posted by ilimon at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

UNM football coach Rocky Long surprised his team with a day off from practice Saturday. Instead the Lobos took a ride on three charter buses and went bowling. They also had a team meal together. Rudy Garcia, the team's equipment manager, got to tell the players they didn't have to dress out for practice and needed to wait for Long for more information. "As soon as they heard that, they were whooping and hollering," Garcia said. "It was great." The players were still smiling a few hours later when they filed off the team buses and headed for their cars instead of the sunny practice fields. Long has organized fun days for the team before, but it has been a few years since the players went out as one big group instead of with their position coaches.

On Thursday, Long had said the Lobos had a rough workout and it was obvious the team was tired of just practicing. On Friday, he gave them higher marks. It didn't hurt that the team was installing its game plan for UTEP.

The team is scheduled to have Sunday off, then the Lobos begin game-week workouts for UTEP Monday. If you are still jonzin' Lobo football news, I did have a story in today's paper about Brad Gruner, who has earned the third-string quarterback job.

Posted by ilimon at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Linz has done something unprecedented.

The Arrogant One has asked readers for ... help!

He actually wants your opinion. The Linz is searching for a suitable nickname for new UNM men's basketball coach Steve Alford. I've heard some of the candidates (Steve Un-Alfordable) and The Linz really, really needs your help. This nickname matters. It will be repeated hundreds of times, so give it some thought and fire away. You can post suggestions in the comments section of the link to the Linz's story or in the comments section of this blog. You also can e-mail Richard Stevens at rstevens@abqtrib.com.

Posted by ilimon at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Does UNM have more than one men's basketball team?

It's starting to feel like the Lobos are stocking up on enough recruits to fill, like, five or six teams.

Tons of sites, including The Red Menace, are reporting Curtis Dennis has orally committed to the Lobos. I still have not been able to corner Dennis for a phone interview, but I'm certain it's true because it has been so widely reported by so many different sources.

During my research, a few red flags popped up. Dennis has moved a lot. He has high school stops in New York, two different schools in Houston and he may move to yet another school in Nevada this coming year. That can be a really sticky issue for the NCAA Clearinghouse, as Darrington Hobson is figuring out right now. It doesn't help that Dennis' stops have included charter schools, where the impression is that the emphasis is on basketball and not school. Of course, some really awesome basketball players come out of those schools. So if the coaches can work out all the paperwork, he could another coup for the Lobos.

Posted by ilimon at 08:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I have been juggling an awful lot of stories this week, and I'm starting to run out of steam. So that's why I'm barely getting around to my blog Thursday night when practice was early this morning. Thanks for being patient.

I'm thrilled to be finished with our series on Rookie Life, a spotlight on UNM and Albuquerque-area NFL rookies. (James Staley is writing the final installment on Alan Branch for Friday's paper.)

Today's story was about Kenny Byrd, who had an awesome training camp. Unfortunately, he just hurt his ankle and probably has a long way to go before he gets to really stick with an NFL team. He's very nice and obviously really talented, so it's tough to see him deal with setbacks. At the same time, he's really upbeat and seems to be in this for the long haul. Everyone tells him it takes two to four years to make in the NFL as a kicker, and he's willing to wait. Even if he gets cut after training camp and doesn't kick competitively again all year, next year teams will say he has one year of experience under his belt and take a closer look at him. It's a strange process, but kickers always have been the red-headed stepchildren of football.

The first four players in our series were former Lobos, and it was interesting because Robert Turner, Quincy Black and Byrd were all really eager to hear about their old team. During the interviews, they wanted to know how the team was doing and what was going on at practice. They're all fans who are following the team as closely as they can while their lives are consumed by making it in the NFL.

In UNM football news, the Lobos took a bit of hit on the depth chart. Sophomore cornerback Aaron Lenard, who was missing from yesterday's practice, told coach Rocky Long he was leaving the team to go home and take care of his 60-year-old mother. He was the strongest backup corner, so his departure hurts in terms of depth. And it hurts the APR, the academic bottom line the football team always has to watch carefully.

The team worked out in the practice facility this morning. The bubble is still really nice and it wasn't that hot inside the facility, which was nice. Construction crews are still putting on some finishing touches, including big fans that will help even more with the temperature.

That's all for now. Check out Friday's Trib for more on the Lobos.

Posted by ilimon at 08:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Red Menace first reported Will Brown committed to the Lobos while I was out of town last week at a conference. I called and called and called his cell phone when I got back, but it kept going to voicemail. He probably had dozens of messages from me. Brown called me back yesterday, and I wrote a story about his decision for today's Tribune. It turns out he was moving to Florida and the battery on his cell phone couldn't hold a charge.

Brown is the latest big man with Texas ties eager to follow assistant coach Chris Walker to UNM. He played on the T-Mac All-Stars and he is rated a Top 125 recruit by a whole bunch of recruiting services. He obviously would be a very strong addition to the Lobos' lineup, but I wonder if the transfer to a prep school will raise any eyebrows with the NCAA Clearinghouse. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Posted by ilimon at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We've been doing a series this week on Rookie Life in the NFL, and former Lobos are four of the players we are highlighting this week. Today we profiled Quincy Black, who seems to be fitting in really well with the Bucs.

I actually got to go to the Bucs game against the Patriots right before I went to my online conference. I didn't blog about it live because we wanted to keep the series under wraps until this week. Here are some of the things I saw that didn't make it into the story:

Black was getting ready for his welcome-to-the-NFL moment. The rookies were responsible for taking all the other defensive players out to dinner. Black said he had to take care of the limos. "I gotta find the right place and make sure we have plenty of room for everyone," he said. "It's going to be expensive." Then he added it could have been worse. "At least I'm not one of the guys who has to pay the restaurant bill," he said. "You know the limos are going to be bad, but that check is going to be huge."

In my story, I mentioned Black had befriended Adam Hayward, who played for Portland State and Colorado State. I asked Hayward if he ever teased Black about Portland State upsetting the Lobos. "Yeah, I have mentioned it a few times," Hayward said, grinning. "Then he always tells me it doesn't count. He said it was early in the season and they still had a good year. I can't really argue with him there because they went to a bowl game."

The Tampa Bay stadium is pretty cool. I had never been to the stadium before, but I had seen it on TV. I thought it was actually on the bay, perhaps because of the city name and the giant pirate ship you always see in stadium shots. Alas, not. It's in the middle of the city with no water around. And it's right next to Legends Field, where the hated Yankees hold spring training. Reporters are allowed to walk onto the field as soon as the game ends. I had absolutely no reason to be out there since they don't allow print folks to interview players until they open up the locker room, but I took a stroll anyway. It's really cool. Think University Stadium but about 10 times bigger. Plus fans happened to be really happy because the Bucs beat the Patriots.

You can look out for a story tomorrow on Kenny Byrd, the last Lobo in our series. Friday's story is about Alan Branch.

Posted by ilimon at 01:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I met with Steve Alford Monday to introduce myself as the Trib's new men's basketball beat writer. It was good to chat and get started on the right foot. Based on our conversation, I wrote a story for today's Trib that Darrington Hobson and Kem Nweke may not be cleared to play this year. Hobson is still waiting on approval from the NCAA Clearinghouse, while some poor grades may trip up Nweke.

Alford said he thinks Hobson will get approved, but he isn't sure what will happen with Nweke. The team won't begin the fall semester basketball workouts for about 10 days while all the newcomers get their NCAA paperwork sorted out. While Alford's fast and furious recruiting helped the team in the long-run, I think it's been a bit of a nightmare for the UNM compliance office making sure everyone is ready to go. Here is a link to the updated men's basketball roster on the UNM athletics Web site. It does not include Hobson because he hasn't been approved by the clearinghouse.

While I was chatting with Alford, he apologized for his crowded office space. He has been on the road recruiting and taking care of so many other things that he still hasn't unpacked all the boxes in his office. Maybe he'll get around to that at some point. Maybe not. When Kentucky men's Billy Gillespie was still at UTEP, a TV crew came to film the Miners watching Selection Sunday at his home. Gillespie is a bachelor and basketball junkie, so everyone had to avoid the Christmas tree still set up in his living room in March. I give the guy credit for actually setting up a Christmas tree.

I'm curious how the new and old players will mesh on Alford's team, but I did get a glimpse of the coaching staff bonding. Alford, Craig Neal, Chris Walker and Ryan Miller played full-court two-on-two at the practice facility. They aren't exactly racing up and down the floor like would have 10 years ago, but they were still pretty entertaining to watch. Alford's shot is still as smooth as ever. I don't understand why anyone would ever double Neal on pick-and-roll and leave Alford open, but it happened a few times. And Alford talks a lot of smack. Clean trash talk, but trash talk nevertheless. It'll be interesting to see if his teams play with that much fire and intensity.

Posted by ilimon at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I wrote a story for today's Tribune about the injury bug that bit the UNM women's basketball team. In addition to Dionne Marsh, who is recovering to back surgery, the Lobos lost Nikki Nelson for the season to a severe knee injury. Valerie Kast also suffered torn ligaments in her right leg and will miss the next few months of workouts.

The good news for fans is Dionne Marsh is healing quickly. I got a chance to see Marsh shooting in the practice facility while talking with the men's and women's basketball coaches. It's really nice their offices are so close together. Anyway, Dionne looked great for someone who just had back surgery. UNM coach Don Flanagan said she had just been cleared to jog, but she looked pretty fluid in her movement. She wasn't sprinting or doing anything too challenging. She was just shooting at a basket with Amy Beggin. Her release doesn't seem to have been impacted by any lingering pain.

I also think getting Georonika Jackson some playing time at point guard is good for the Lobos. There were a few times late last season when Flanagan threw her in the bring the ball up under pressure. Katie Montgomery was beat up with a ga-jillion injuries and Amy Beggin was taking a beating physically too. Jackson has a strong enough build and speed that she was able to take care of the ball nicely. If she spends more time at the point, she'll get more comfortable and become a nice option for the Lobos when teams like UNLV decide to roll out a vicious full-court press.

Nelson's injury is tough, but I think the Lobos will be able to compensate well with Jackson. Kast's injury is much worse even though she'll be back for most of the season. The only thing stopping Kast from getting a lot more playing time has been mediocre conditioning and a few habits she picked up playing European ball that Flanagan hates. Those problems are easily corrected with more practice time. The problem is she missed all that time with the injury.

And for the record, this is Exhibit A in my argument we aren't going to be ignoring women's basketball this year.

Posted by ilimon at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Lobos went back to practicing bright and early today. The only injury news was that George Carter left practice with a groin injury. UNM head trainer Dave Binder said he still hasn't had a chance to assess the severity of the injury.

Donovan Porterie continues to run hot and cold leading the offense, but by all accounts is much improved from Saturday's scrimmage. I talked with Donovan after practice about moving on from one of his worst performances ever as a Lobo. "I wasn't happy with it, but I have to focus and work hard every day out here," Porterie said. "Everyone's going to have bad days, but I don't want them to hurt the team."

Porterie said while the interception-fest was inspiration to work harder, he has pretty much put the day behind him. "When you're the quarterback, the game doesn't just end because you had an interception," he said. "They don't let you off the hook once you start playing bad. You have to keep fighting to get your team back in the game. I have to forget things like that pretty fast and find ways to be a good team leader. Right now, I'm focused on being that leader."

I also wanted to pass along some information about The Red Menace's annual fund-raiser to send YAFL teams to UNM games. The group is asking fans for donations that will allow them to buy enough season tickets to send 24 YAFL teams to football games this season. They explain it as season tickets for two YAFL teams, but that really adds up to 24 teams getting to see a Lobo football game this year and that's a little easier for me to understand. If you want to help, you can e-mail admin@theredmenace.com or call 505-239-4584. The deadline is the Wednesday before the first home game (Sept. 5), but the group can take a few late donations to get some extra kids tickets.

Posted by ilimon at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tonight was my first practice back with the team after spending about 10 days at a multimedia and online workshop.

I heard the offense performed pretty badly during the fall scrimmage, but the group had a little better luck today. There were still some mistakes, but we're not talking about Donovan Porterie forgetting how to throw or anything that drastic. UNM coach Rocky Long said he wasn't happy with the offense, but he also wasn't ecstatic about the defense. He said he didn't think either unit played with the type of energy he needs out of the team -- and he wasn't accepting blistering heat as an excuse. While he said the offensive line provided good protection, he noted the defense wasn't blitzing.

Like I said, I don't think the sky is falling. And I don't think the defense is unbelievable. It really won't be sorted out until we see the Lobos play a few games.

Ivan Hernandez returned to full pads practice today after missing several workouts with a torn medial collateral ligament. Head trainer Dave Binder said Hernandez should have no problem playing with the injury. Ian Clark, who dislocated his shoulder, was cleared to jog and Binder said Clark should be cleared to practice in a few days.

The walk-ons still have to get academic clearance, physicals and prove they are in good enough shape physically not to get hurt during workouts.

That's all for now but look for more football coverage in Tuesday's Trib. We will continue our series on former Lobos and Albuquerque area athletes in their rookie seasons with the NFL. The next player featured in the series is DonTrell Moore.

Posted by ilimon at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As many of you already know, my job at the Tribune is changing in a big way. Jeremy Fowler, our Lobo men's basketball beat writer, left last week for a job at the Orlando Sentinel. It's his hometown paper, and I wish him nothing but good fortune in the future. It was great working with Jeremy for three years.

The Tribune, like most newspapers throughout the country, isn't adding any new full-time staff members right now. As a result, I will be taking over Lobo men's basketball in addition to Lobo football. I will be getting some help from Richard Stevens (yes, he does a ton of great work for us) and Phil Parker, whose formal title is sports copy chief but his real job is the early morning sports editor. Richard, Phil, sports editor Mike Garcia and possibly a few other people will split the responsibility of covering women's basketball. I'll also pitch in as often as possible with women's basketball coverage, but my plate is going to be awfully full. You can still e-mail me with suggestions about the Trib's women's basketball coverage. I will keep a section of the blog alive for women's basketball entries and remain an advocate for strong women's basketball coverage.

I'm really bummed about losing the women's basketball beat. I met a lot of great people and really enjoyed my two years covering the beat. At the same time, I'm really excited about the new challenge of covering men's basketball and the opening of the Steve Alford era.

My goals are pretty simple. I want to do the best job I can covering my new beats, offer a lot more options for fans in the print and online editions of the Tribune and do my job so well you don't really notice our sports staff is short one person.

Wish me luck ...

Posted by ilimon at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I am on my way back to Albuquerque after attending a week-long online and multimedia seminar sponsored by the Freedom Forum in Nashville, Tenn. And I just love flying. On this trip, my flight out of Nashville on American Airlines was delayed because of a faulty battery charger. I had to find a new flight out of Dallas to Albuquerque. Eventually I'll make it back to New Mexico.

I have to give the Albuquerque airport loads of credit for actually having tons of long tables, comfortable business chairs, power strips and free wireless. I'm sitting on the floor near an outlet to get some work done (yes, I will be writing loads more stories for you very, very soon).

I learned a ton of things at this workshop. I discovered some amazing Web tools that will help with research and make this blog much better. I also worked with audio, pictures, soundslides (a cool slideshow with pictures and audio) and video.

There's a lot of different theories about what readers like to see when they go online, although I've been told many times sports fans don't care and will read about their favorite teams upside down just to get their fix. I give you all more credit and know from your e-mails you are a lot more demanding.

So, I want to know what you want to see more on this blog, in Lobo Zone and in the print edition of the Trib. Do you want more video? More audio? More pictures with audio? More blog updates? What elements of our Web coverage do you like? What do you hate or think is a waste of time? You can post your thoughts in the comments section of the blog or shoot me an e-mail at ilimon@abqtrib.com.

Thanks for being patient while I've been away and for answering those questions for me.

Posted by ilimon at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I am a little late reporting this, but I'm out of the office this week attending an online and multimedia seminar in Nashville, Tenn.

The bad news is I won't have practice reports. I'll still post updates from here with some news tips and other stuff, but it won't be the same as actually being at the workouts. Richard Stevens will cover the workouts for me. You can stop groaning now. I know he'll do a great job.

The good news is that I'm learning a ton about multimedia work that will make Lobo Zone really awesome this year. Thanks for your patience, and I promise I'll be back at practice soon.

Posted by ilimon at 02:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

It's late, so I'll keep this Tuesday night post-practice report brief.

I never expected John Sullivan to have strong fall camp after tearing his ACL in spring football. Sullivan opted not to have surgery to repair the injury because he didn't qualify for a medical redshirt and end up missing his senior year recovering from surgery. So the trainers treated his injury aggressively and sent him back onto the field in a knee brace. Sullivan, who is called Sulli by several coaches and teammates, was jogging by June. But I still wondered if he could overcome such a severe injury on the leg he plants on during kickoffs and field goals.

Much to my surprise, Sullivan's kicks have been among the strongest and most precise during fall camp. He missed a kick to open Tuesday night's practice, but he closed it by booting a 49-yard field goal. It was pretty.

No news on freshman Mike Love. UNM coach Rocky Long said he had not talked with Love today. Love left the team indefinitely to deal with a personal issue. Long said Love is welcome to rejoin the Lobos at any time. Today was not that day.

That's all for now. I'll post a few more notes tomorrow.

Posted by ilimon at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

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 | Comments (2)

Today marked the final midday practice until the Fan Photo Day scrimmage that marks the end of fall camp. The Lobos tackle two-a-days the rest of camp.

Today also was the first day of practice with full pads. UNM coach Rocky Long said he thought the team looked a little ragged, with the hard hits and heat impacting how sharp the team looked. I thought the offensive looked better than it did than the first day fall camp, opening holes for the running backs early in practice. The offense always has had a hard time getting many runs off against the defense because the defense knows a lot of what to expect in practice. There were also some nice passes. On the flip side, the defense also had some good, big plays. One of my favorites was when Frankie Baca intercepted a pass by Bryan Clampitt. Baca returned it for a touchdown, but Clampitt ran back trying to take him out and prevent the touchdown. He was the only offensive player anywhere near Baca around the four-yard line, but Baca did a quick fake and sliced the other direction into the end zone. Props to Clampitt for trying, but he just wasn't going to save this play.

Mike Love missed practice due to personal reasons. Long said he was not sure how long Love would miss practice, but the coach did say Love was not absent due to a rules violation. Long said Love will be welcome back to the team any time he is able to resolve those personal issues. If he misses a lot of fall camp, Long said Love probably won't play much during the first part of the season.

Zayn Bin-Bilal hurt his knee toward the end of practice and limped off the field. Team trainers were going to examine him afterward.

That's all for now. Check out tomorrow's Trib for more UNM football coverage.

Posted by ilimon at 03:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We're about to find out how successful the New Mexico Bowl will be standing on its own. The Lobos can only play in the bowl game once every three years, which means they can't appear in the second edition of the game. I'm sure organizers are hoping New Mexico State lands a spot in the bowl game and boosts ticket sales.

If you're a true-blue college football fan and are ready to step up to support your city, the New Mexico Bowl is ready to sell you some tickets. Bowl organizers announced ticket go on sale today at the same price as last year, which actually was a pretty good deal for a bowl game.

Premium seats can be purchased for $30, tickets in the North end zone are $23 and the McDonald's family zone, located in the South end zone will feature four tickets for $60 with a voucher from New Mexico McDonald's locations. I'm not sure how you get those McDonald's vouchers since you have to jump through some hoops and go to a specific location to get a similar offer for UNM football tickets at Pizza Hut. I would call the New Mexico Bowl offices at (505) 925-5999 before running off to your nearest McDonald's.

This year's game will once again feature a team from the Mountain West Conference (not the Lobos) against a team from the Western Athletic Conference (maybe the Aggies) on Saturday, December 22, at University Stadium. The game will kickoff at 2:30pm and be broadcast on ESPN.

Posted by ilimon at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was scheduled to have a Lobo football story today, but a guy named Barry Bonds stole a big chunk of our paper. One more reason why I really don't like him. I know it hurts that the Journal and Trib didn't have big Lobo football coverage today, but that just means there will be more tomorrow.

Here are a few tidbits before I head off for today's very exciting practice, the first in full pads. That means lots of good hitting, and we finally get a real taste of how much everyone has learned. I hope they scrimmage a lot.

Sunday night was probably the nicest practice the Lobos have enjoyed in terms of weather. Very cool and with a nice little breeze. The lights on the practice field seem to be a little dimmer, which could make those early morning practices interesting.

Former Lobo clutch kicker Wes Zunker watched practice. He said he was there to watch his brother, who is walking on as a kicker, and just check out the team.

While most of the drills seemed to run smoothly, the team had a hard time closing out practice. I've never really asked, but I suspect the coaches -- like all coaches at any level -- like to end workouts with a good play. In basketball, it's usually a made basket. It's about superstition and positive momentum. Well, the Lobos struggled during their final scrimmage to end practice. Lots of fumbles and unforced errors for the offense. So they kept going at it until they got it right.

Today should be much more interesting. I'll have notes from the midday practice up later today.

Posted by ilimon at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sorry for the delayed updates. I'll be blogging after every practice this week, which includes the one from 7-9 p.m. tonight.

First of all, here's a link to my past story with notes on how the team is approaching the season and C.J. Oakley's official decision to leave the team for this semester. So far the Lobos have been doing very well in the injury department, with guys just sitting out because of the heat more than anything else. It will be more challenging to keep them all on their feet once the team goes all in full pads Monday.

Offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin told me he is pleased with the team's progress on offense. He said the team is much farther along than it was during spring football, and he is comfortable with its progress. While Baldwin said he would always like to be sharper and better, he thinks the team's unsupervised workouts and time watching game film this summer paid off.

That's all for now, but I'll have more notes after tonight's practice.

Posted by ilimon at 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Man, today was a really long day.

The long, dark summer for Lobo football fans is finally over. Sure, the first game isn't until Sept. 1, but the Lobos officially began practice today. UNM also hosted a media lunch and the women's football clinic.

I'll have full coverage in Friday's Trib, but here are a few highlights:

Six freshmen playing in the Class-5A North-South All-Star game missed the first practice of fall camp. Those players will practice with their all-star teams this week and join the Lobos on Saturday. Will CJ Oakley join the Lobos after his all-star appearance representing Alamgordo? UNM coach Rocky Long said he doesn't know yet. Long spoke with Oakley and his parents two weeks ago and thought Oakley was slated to be with the team for camp, but rumors have surfaced in several places, including The Red Menace, that Oakley will transfer to New Mexico Military Institute. Long said Oakley is dealing with an illness in the family and hasn't been comfortable living in Albuquerque. There were some rumors Oakley also wanted to leave because he was unhappy about playing on defense instead of at running back, but Long said that was highly unlikely. "We let all our freshmen try any position they want, so he could try working out for us at any spot," Long said. "Eventually, we might ask them to change positions based on our needs, but that really wasn't going to be an issue for him this year."

The Lobos also will have to do without Jerrell Miller, a Highland High grad and redshirt freshman, and Matt Streid, a junior offensive tackle from California. Miller and Streid are academically ineligible, so they cannot play for UNM this fall. They have to miss fall camp, but they will be allowed to play on the scout team this year while they work on getting their academics in order. Miller and Streid lose a year of eligibility as a result of their academic problems.

The first practice ran smoothly, with no one injured. All the players who sat out the spring due to injuries were back in action.

NCAA rules mandate that the team wear helmets only for the first two days and shoulder shells and helmets the next two days. So Monday will be the first workout with full pads. So it's hard to get a great sense of how much the team improved from the spring, but the players did seem to have a better grasp of the offense.

That's all for tonight, but check back tomorrow for more blog updates. Practice is from noon to 2 p.m., so I'll try to post an update pretty quickly afterward.

Posted by ilimon at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BYU head football coach Bronco Mendenhall, who previously was a defensive coordinator at UNM, has made a lot of Cougars fans happy. Bronco is 17-8 entering his third season, leading the Cougars to an 11-2 record and a Mountain West Conference title last year.
BYU officials rewarded Mendenhall by extending his contract through the 2011 season. Terms of the deal were not released.

Posted by ilimon at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)