Fall Preview: New Mexico

Fall Preview for the New Mexico Lobos:

QB

#12 Holbrook, B.R. 6-3/195 Quarterback SR-3L Stevenson Ranch, Calif. Hart HS--11 games played, 8 starts. 60 carries for 93 yards and 1 TD. 141-236 passing for 1490 yards and 4 TD.

#?? Gautsche, Cole 6-4/220 Quarterback FR Rio Rancho, N.M. Cleveland HS--Incoming freshman.

#?? Vega, David 6-1/200 Quarterback JR-TR Roswell, N.M. New Mexico Military Institute--JUCO transfer.

BR Holbrook returns for his senior season as the New Mexico signal caller after starting 8 games and throwing for nearly 1500 yards in 2011. The Lobos are painfully thin at quarterback and only have incoming freshman Cole Gautsche and JUCO transfer David Vega joining Holbrook at quarterback for the 2012 season. Vega should back up Holbrook with Gautsche possibly being redshirted unless he is forced into action.

RB

#04 Rogers, Demarcus 5-11/185 Running Back JR-1L Oak Ridge, Tenn. Oak Ridge HS--10 games played, 4 starts. 81 carries for 242 yards and 3 TD. 9 catches for 36 yards.

#25 Clayton, Chase 6-3/205 Running Back SO-1L Carson, Calif. San Pedro HS--11 games played. 1 catch for 5 yards. 7 tackles.

#24 Wiggins, Carlos 5-7.5/165 Running Back/Wide Receiver FR Plano, Texas Plano West--Incoming freshman.

#?? Pressley, Jhurell 5-11/200 Running Back RS FR-RS Newcastle, Del. Red Lion Christian Academy--Redshirted in 2011.

#?? Madrid, Xavier 5-8/165 Running Back SO-SQ Albuquerque, N.M. St. Pius--No stats in 2011.

#21 Carrier, Kasey 5-9/180 Running Back JR-2L Pearland, Texas Pearland HS--No stats in 2011.

Junior Demarcus Rogers showed signs of being a good running back in his 10 games played as a sophomore in 2011. Rogers had 242 yards on the ground with 3 touchdowns and 9 catches on the season. The only other running back on the roster to have any playing time in 2011 is sophomore Chase Clayton who made more of an impact on special team making 7 tackles in 2011. A group of running backs including Wiggins, Pressley, Madrid and Carrier should battle for the #3 spot and a chance to make limited impact on the offense in 2012.

FB

#37 Biren, Chris 6-2/255 Fullback SR-3L Arvada, Colo. Arvada West HS--12 games played, 1 start. 2 carries for 4 yards. 2 catches for 9 yards. 1 punt return for 0 yards. 2 kickoff returns for 13 yard average. 4 tackles.

Senior Chris Biren is the only fullback listed on the roster and will be a do everything type of player again in 2012. He has no competition for the position but should expand his role even more in 2012 with more carries and catches and maybe even more punt and kickoff returns.

WR (3)

#85 Solomon, Quintell 6-3/185 Wide Receiver SR-3L Dallas, Texas Roosevelt HS--11 games played, 5 starts. 3 carries for -5 yards. 18 catches for 184 yards.

#07 Thomas, Lamaar 6-0/185 Wide Receiver SR-1L Fort Washington, Md. Ohio State--4 games played, 3 starts. 10 carries for 50 yards. 9 catches for 156 yards and 2 TD. 11 kickoff returns for 22.8 yard average. 2 tackles. 1 forced fumble.

#84 Kirk, Ty 6-2/180 Wide Receiver SR-3L Arlington Heights, Ill Rolling Meadows HS--9 games played, 8 starts. 3 carries for 15 yards. 0-1 passing. 47 catches for 376 yards. 2 punt returns for 1.5 yard average.

#05 Duncan, Donnie 5-11/183 Wide Receiver SO-1L Cerritos, Calif. Alexander Hamilton HS--10 games played, 1 start. 2 catches for 9 yards. 11 kickoff returns for 23 yard average.

#87 Magnant, Jeric 6-0/165 Wide Receiver SO-1L Rio Rancho, N.M. Rio Rancho HS--6 games played, 2 starts. 1 catch for 6 yards.

#81 Bundy, Marquis 6-3/190 Wide Receiver FR Anthem, Ariz. Boulder Creek HS--Incoming freshman.

#15 Edwards, Saqwan 6-1/190 Wide Receiver SO Manvel, Texas Blinn College--No stats in 2011.

#80 Adams, Daniel 6-2/207 Wide Receiver SO-1L Washington, D.C. Northwestern HS--2 games played.

#19 Jones, Ridge 5-10/165 Wide Receiver FR DeSoto, Texas DeSoto HS--Incoming freshman.

#?? Redmond, Morgan Wide Receiver RS FR--Redshirted in 2011.

#27 Struck, Nathan 5-6/167 Wide Receiver RS FR-RS Albuquerque, N.M. West Mesa HS--Redshirted in 2011.

The Lobos have a very inexperienced wide receiver corps returning in 2012 with only 2 players making over 10 catches last fall. Seniors Ty Kirk and Quintell Solomon will be the leaders for the wide receiver corps in 2012 after Kirk had 47 catches for 376 yards and Solomanhad 18 catches for 184 yards in 11 games played. Kirk and Solomon were followed by Lamaar Thomas (9 catches), Donnie Duncan (2 catches), and Jeric Magnant (1 catch). Bundy, Edwards, Adams, Jones, Redmond and Struck will all compete to get on the field in 2012 but it will be hard to break through the first five to get much playing time other than limited action as a reserve.

TE

#97 Reed, Lucas 6-6/232 Tight End SR-3L Tucson, Ariz. Sabino HS--12 games played, 12 starts. 22 catches for 241 yards. 7 tackles.

#89 Aho, Andrew 6-3/225 Tight End JR-2L Roswell, N.M. Roswell HS--11 games played, 2 starts.

#48 Edling, Chris 6-3/215 Tight End FR Corsicana, Texas Corsicana HS--Incoming freshman.

#88 Rebhun, Christian 6-5/235 Tight End FR Greenwood Village, Colo. Cherry Creek HS--Incoming freshman.

#82 Wilkinson, Michael 6-2/201 Tight End RS FR-RS Albuquerque, N.M. Cibola HS--Redshirted in 2011.

#86 Georges, David 6-2/221 Tight End RS FR Albuquerque, N.M. Valley HS--Redshirted in 2011.

Senior Lucas Reed returns for his senior season after making all 12 starts in 2011 for the New Mexico Lobos. Reed made an impressive 22 catches for 241 yards but did not find the end zone last fall. Junior Andres Aho looks to get more involved in the offense in 2012 after playing in all 12 games with 2 starts but no catches. A group of 4 redshirt and true freshmen will battle for a reserve 3rd tight end spot as well as action on special teams.

OL

#66 Bratton, LaMar 6-2/275 C SO-1L Riverside, Calif. John W. North HS--12 games played, 12 starts.

#68 Chambers, Korian 6-6/322 LT SR-1L Memphis, Tenn. Arizona Western JC--12 games played, 10 starts. 1 tackle.

#63 Farrell, Dillon 6-5/290 RT/LT JR-2L Baton Rouge, La. Christian Life Academy--12 games played, 9 starts.

#77 Price, Jamal 6-6/338 RG SO-1L Pomfret, Md. McDonough HS--12 games played, 2 starts.

#61 McDowney, Calvin 6-3/340 LG JR-2L Glenarden, Md. DeMatha HS--10 games played, 7 starts.

#71 Johnson, Darryl 6-4/305 LT JR-2L Baton Rouge, La. Southern Lab HS--12 games played, 7 starts.

#88 McBain, Mat 6-4/270 Offensive Line/Tight End JR-1L El Paso, Texas Burges HS--4  games played.

#62 Adcock, Garrett 6-2/275 Offensive Line FR Dallas, Texas Dallas Christian HS--Incoming freshman.

#70 Baggett, Josh 6-4/305 Offensive Lineman FR Rio Rancho, N.M. Rio Rancho HS--Incoming freshman.

#76 Romine, Dillon 6-7/268 Offensive Line RS FR-RS Bradenton, Fla. Braden River HS--No stats in 2011.

#56 Vizcaino, Johnny 6-3/290 Offensive Line FR San Antonio, Texas Lanier HS--Incoming freshman.

#?? Oldenkamp, Bryan 6-5/280 Offensive Tackle SO Hesperia, Calif. Chaffey (Calif.) College--JUCO transfer.

The Lobos return an experienced offensive line this fall with a group that made a combined 40 starts in 2011. Sophomore center LaMar Bratton started all 12 games as a freshman with senior Korian Chambers making 10 starts at left tackle, Dillon Farrell making 9 starts at tackle, sophomore Jamal Price making 2 starts at right guard, and junior Calvin McDowney making 7 starts at left guard. Junior Darryl Johnson should also make it into the rotation after making 7 starts in 2011. There will be a furious battle for the remaining offensive lineman spots and should result in some young players being thrust into action early.

DL

#60 Carr, Jake 6-3/248 Defensive End SR-3L Murrieta, Calif. Vista Murrieta HS--12 games played, 2 starts. 24 tackles, 5 for loss. 1 sack.

#50 Davis, Rod 6-0/300 DT SR-1L Houston, Texas Texas A&M/Fort Scott CC--11 games played, 5 starts. 12 tackles.

#92 Ellis, Reggie 6-2/285 NT SR-2L Washington, D.C. Illinois--12 games played. 16 tackles, 4 for loss. 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, 1 forced fumble.

#44 Harris, Joseph 6-2/222 Defensive End SR-2L Denver, Colo. George Washington HS--12 games played, 12 starts. 55 tackles, 4 for loss. 1 sack, 1 pbu, 1 pd, 1 fumble recovery, 4 forced fumbles.

#90 Greer, Jacori 6-3/240 Defensive Line JR-2L Little Elm, Texas Newman Smith HS--12 games played. 27 tackles.

#49 Uzodinma, Ugo 6-4/280 Defensive Line SR-2L Washington, D.C. Illinois--12 games played, 3 starts. 24 tackles, 3.5 for loss. 1 sack, 1 forced fumble.

#99 Ulale, Fatu 6-2/282 Defensive Line SR-1L Long Beach, Calif. Cerritos College--10 games played. 9 tackles.

#55 Ball, Toby 5-11/220 Linebacker SO-1L Wylie, Texas Wylie HS--7 games played. 1 kickoff return for 10 yards. 4 tackles.

#95 Borne, Gerron 6-2/275 Defensive Line FR Reserve, La. East St. John HS--Incoming freshman.

#71 Hightower, Paytron 6-4/260 Defensive End FR Dallas, Texas Pinkston HS--Incoming freshman.

#98 Allen, Darian 6-5/260 Defensive Line FR Dallas, Texas W.W. Samuell HS--Incoming freshman.

#94 Atkins, KevinJo 6-1/258 Defensive Line RS JR-SQ Poway, Calif. San Diego Mesa College--No stats in 2011.

#32 Arredondo, Michael 6-2/215 Linebacker FR Phoenix, Ariz. Desert Vista HS--Incoming freshman.

#53 Hunter, Mark 6-1/238 Defensive End SR-SQ Spring, Texas Klein Oak HS--No stats in 2011.

#?? Maestas, Brad 6-4/260 Defensive Line SR-SQ Albuquerque, N.M. Cibola High School--No stats in 2011.

#?? Mitchell, Adam Defensive Line RS FR-RS--Redshirted in 2011.

#93 Twitty, Dominic 6-2/270 Defensive End FR Mount Holly, N.J. Rancocas Valley HS--Incoming freshman.

Senior Joseph Harris leads the Lobos defensive line in 2012 after making 55 tackles and 4 forced fumbles in 2011 as a junior. He will be flanked by senior Jake Carr (24 tackles), senior Rod Davis (12 tackles), and senior Reggie Ellis (16 tackles). Greer (27 tackles), Uzodinma (24 tackles), Ulale (9 tackles), Ball (4 tackles) all contributed defensively in 2011 and look to expand their roles in 2012 for the Lobos. The Lobos have 5 incoming freshmen but will probably not be forced into action as freshmen due to the significant depth of the Lobos defensive line.

LB 4-2-5

#39 Stoner, Joe 5-10/224 WLB SR-3L Midwest City, Okla. Carl Albert HS--8 games played, 2 starts. 20 tackles. 1 fumble recovery, 1 forced fumble.

#41 Bollema, Dallas 6-2/225 Linebacker JR-2L Artesia, N.M. Artesia HS--10 games played, 9 starts. 68 tackles, 1 for loss. 2 pbu, 2 pd, 1 forced fumble.

#38 Daugherty, Zach 6-0/205 Linebacker SO-1L Las Cruces, N.M. Onate HS--5 games played. 1 tackle.

#?? Hubbell, Brian 6-0/181 Linebacker RS SO-SQ Albuquerque, N.M. Wagner College--JUCO transfer.

#18 Johnson, Javarie 6-3/222 Linebacker SO-RS Washington, D.C. Maryland--1 game played.

#45 Newman, Tevin 6-0/190 Linebacker SO-1L Tampa, Fla. Robinson HS--12 games played. 5 tackles.

#33 Orvick, David 6-3/225 Linebacker JR-TR Los Altos Hills, Calif. Foothill College--No stats in 2011.

#10 Rainey, Rashad 6-2/200 Linebacker JR Riverside, Calif. Riverside CC--No stats in 2011.

#24 Willis, Sean 6-0/175 Linebacker RS SO-SQ Los Lunas, N.M. Belen HS--No stats in 2011.

#?? Winston, Richard 6-4/225 Linebacker FR-HS Chandler, Ariz. Chandler HS--Incoming freshman.

In the primarily nickel defense (4-2-5) that the Lobos prefer to run, senior Joe Stoner and junior Dallas Bollema look to be the starters in 2012. Bollema made 9 starts in 10 games played and made an impressive 68 tackles good for 6.8 tackles per game making him the leading returning tackler from the 2011 New Mexico squad. Stoner added 20 tackles in limited reserve action for much of the year although he did eventually make two starts on the season. Sophomore Zach Daughtery added one tackle in 5 games played as a freshman in 2011 while fellow sophomore Tevin Newman made 5 tackles. They should be the backups with the remaining linebackers fighting for limited reserve roles and special teams spots.

DB

#34 Butler, A.J. 6-1/195 S SR-3L St. Petersburg, Fla. St. Petersburg Catholic HS--12 games played, 3 starts. 15 tackles.

#31 Caro, Dante 6-0/190 S JR-2L Las Cruces, N.M. Las Cruces HS--12 games played, 8 starts. 9 kickoff returns for 19.1 yard average. 28 tackles. 1 interception, 1 pbu, 2 pd, 1 fumble recovery, 2 forced fumbles.

#24 Berry, Destry 5-9/177 Cornerback SR-1L Suwanee, Ga. Erie Community College--12 games played, 8 starts. 47 tackles, 4 for loss. 5 pbu, 5 pd, 1 fumble recovery, 1 blocked kick.

#17 Young, Freddy 6-1/205 SS SR-3L Las Cruces, N.M. Mayfield HS--12 games played, 4 starts. 38 tackles, 0.5 for loss. 1 pbu, 1 pd.

#23 Tabannah, Devonta 5-10/161 Cornerback SO-1L Oxon Hill, Md. Potomac HS--6 games played, 3 starts. 13 tackles, 1 for loss. 1 pbu, 1 pd.

#37 Foley, Tim 5-7/169 Defensive Back SO-1L Rio Rancho, N.M. Rio Rancho HS--5 games played. 3 punts returns for 0 yards. 2 kickoff returns for 17.5 yard average.

#19 Lewis, Julian 6-2/205 Defensive Back SR-1L Shawnee Mission, Kan. Citrus College--7 games played, 1 start. 3 tackles.

#26 Merritt, Jamal 6-0/175 Defensive Back/Wide Receiver SO-1L Silver Springs, Md. Sherwood HS--12 games played. 3 catches for 29 yards. 9 tackles. 1 pbu, 1 pd, 1 fumble recovery.

#29 Mills, DeShawn 5-10/176 Defensive Back SR-3L Lawndale, Calif. Leuzinger HS--4 games played. 4 tackles, 1 for loss.

#01 Williams, Zoey 5-10/190 Defensive Back SO-1L Sugar Land, Texas Dulles HS--6 games played. 7 tackles, 0.5 for loss. 2 fumble recoveries.

#30 Raymer, Matt 5-9/185 Safety SR-1L Albuquerque, N.M. Manzano HS--7 games played. 2 tackles.

#36 Branch, Brandon 5-11/175 Defensive Back RS FR-RS Albuquerque, N.M. Albuquerque Academy--Redshirted in 2011.

#?? Brunson, Darien 6-1/190 Defensive Back SO Gilbert, Ariz. Mesa CC--JUCO transfer.

#47 Fatokun, Emmanuel 5-9/185 Defensive Back JR-1L Washington, D.C. McKinley Tech HS--2 games played. No stats in 2011.

#?? Gurule, Jayson 6-1/203 Defensive Back RS SO-SQ Belen, N.M. New Mexico State--Transfer.

#02 Jackson, Rashad 5-11/175 Defensive Back FR Missouri City, Texas Thurgood Marshall HS--Incoming freshman.

#03 Jackson, Vershad 5-11/175 Defensive Back FR Missouri City, Texas Thurgood Marshall--Incoming freshman.

#27 Jones, Cranston 5-9/170 Defensive Back FR Mesquite, Texas West Mesquite HS--Incoming freshman.

#12 Santos, Ryan 5-10/175 Defensive Back FR Klein, Texas Klein Collins HS--Incoming freshman.

#28 Young, JaMarcus 6-1/175 Defensive Back FR Englewood, Colo. Cherry Creek HS--Incoming freshman.

#16 Washington, Marcus 5-9/183 Defensive Back RS FR-RS Albuquerque, N.M. Sandia HS--Redshirted in 2011.

All 5 projected starters for the New Mexico secondary come back for 2012 with starting experience although limited in 2011. Senior cornerback Destry Berry led the secondary with 47 tackles in 2011 followed by strong safety Freddy Young (38 tackles), safety Dante Caro (28 tackles), safety AJ Butler (15 tackles) and cornerback Devonta Tabannah (13 tackles). With 16 other defensive backs on the roster, there will be backup positional battles all over the secondary this summer and even into the fall as the correct players find their spots in the defensive backfield.

LS

#54 Jacobsen, Evan 6-1/245 Deep Snapper SR-3L Laguna Niguel, Calif. San Clemente HS--12 games played. 2 tackles.

Senior Evan Jacobsen returns after making the snaps in all 12 games in 2011 and making 2 tackles on the season. The Lobos need a solid season from him in which he makes all of his snaps correctly to give the punters and kicker the optimal chance to get their kicks off in 2012.

P

#35 Skaer, Ben 6-0/185 Punter JR-2L Waterloo, Ill. Waterloo HS--12 games played. 73 punts for 39.7 yard average and 19 inside the 20 yard line and 10 punts over 50 yards. 1 tackle.

#84 Kirk, Ty 6-2/180 Wide Receiver SR-3L Arlington Heights, Ill Rolling Meadows HS--9 games played, 8 starts. 3 carries for 15 yards. 0-1 passing. 47 catches for 376 yards. 2 punt returns for 1.5 yard average.

#83 Rivara, Greg 6-0/205 Punter SR-SQ Albuquerque, N.M. New Mexico Highlands--No stats in 2011.

Junior Ben Skaer returns for the 2012 season after making a ridiculous 73 punts during the 2011 season for New Mexico. Skear averaged 6 punts per game and had a 39.7 yard average with 10 punts going over 50 yards. Skear also landed 19 inside the opponent 20 yard line and had none blocked.

K

#98 Adams, Justus 6-4/180 Kicker JR-2L Albuquerque, N.M. La Cueva HS--12 games played. 5 tackles.

#87 Rogers, Zach 5-9/180 Kicker RS FR-RS Rio Rancho, N.M. Rio Rancho HS--Redshirted in 2011.

#96 Allen, Jason 6-2/197 Kicker RS JR-SQ Albuquerque, N.M. Sandia HS--No stats in 2011.

#95 Archuleta, Andre 5-11/165 Kicker RS SO-SQ Albuquerque, N.M. St. Pius X--No stats in 2011.

Another position without much experience for the Lobos in 2012 is the kicker position. Only junior Justus Adams had any playing time in 2011 but did not attempt any kicks, just making 5 tackles on the season. Adams will battle with Rogers, Allen, and Archuleta who all were on the roster in 2011 but did not see any playing time. This could be the most interesting positional battle in 2012 as the kicking game is very important for a team that struggled to score points regularly in 2011.

2011 was a season to forget for the Lobos after going 1-11 with a 7-point win over fellow bottom dweller UNLV. 8 of those 11 losses were by 21 points or more including a 69-0 loss to TCU, a 42-0 loss to Air Force, and a 45-0 loss to Boise. The Lobos have a similarly difficult schedule in 2012 with trips to Texas, Texas Tech, bitter rival New Mexico State, Hawaii, Air Force, UNLV and Colorado State. Every road game except for the final two road trips are very difficult with the last two could be wins if things fall right. With a home opener versus Southern, the Lobos should be able to double their win total from 2011 and go 2-10 rather than 1-11 although it is possible for a 3-9 season which would be cause for celebration after recent years at New Mexico.