Fall Previews 14 of 63 New Mexico:

New Mexico:

Head Coach: Bob Davie (11-26 at New Mexico)
2014 Record: (4-8, 2-6 MWC)
Basic Offense: Multiple
Basic Defense: 3-3-5
Starters Returning: 17 (7 Off., 7 Def., 3 Spec.)
Starters Lost: 8 (4 Off., 4 Def., 0 Spec.)

Offense:

A player that started the 2014 season as nothing more than an afterthought, Lamar Jordan (59-112 passing, 895 yards, 6 TD. 120 carries, 612 yards, 3 TD) worked his way up the depth chart and ended the season as the Lobo's unquestioned starter. The redshirt sophomore was the team's leading passer and third leading rusher for the nation's fifth best rushing attack. Jordan will have to prove in 2015 that he is the man at quarterback to lead the Lobos with everyone prepared for him. JUCO transfer and former Washington State quarterback Austin Apodaca is second on the depth chart and could push Jordan for playing time.

Jhurell Pressley

In New Mexico's two-back set, the Lobos have a pair of good running backs returning for the 2015 season in senior Jhurell Pressley (114/1083/12TD) and junior Teriyon Gipson (150/809/8TD). The duo combined for nearly 1,900 yard and 20 touchdowns with Pressley, an All-MWC Honorable Mention in 2014, averaging an impressive 9.5 yards per carry on the season. If Pressley can maintain anywhere near that yards per carry average, the Lobos should be able to be very competitive in 2015. Backups Romell Jordan (34/223/3TD) and David Anaya (26/121/1TD) should be able to give the starting duo some break without production falling off too significantly. They are not as good as Pressley and Gipson but are solid, dependable backs that will play their roles.

For a team that only attempts 149 passes in 2014, tight end is very little more than another blocker for the rushing game. The Lobos have a pair of solid blockers back in 2014 win seniors Chris Edling (1/41/0TD) and Reece White (8/124/1TD). Edlinh is the classic 6-3, 240 pound blocker that would be at home on the end of the line or in the backfield as a blocker and will get the majority of the first team reps in the running game. White is a big different as he does not have the size of Edling and can use his athleticism to open up the passing game in 2015. His eight catches in 2014 were fourth most on the team.

Dameon Gamblin

In similar fashion to the tight end position, do not expect the wide receivers from New Mexico to light the world on fire in 2015. Junior Dameon Gamblin (3/35/0TD) is the projected starter at the X-Receiver position and showed glimpses of a breakthrough season last fall as a reserve. Redshirt freshman Matt Quarells will back up Gamblin and earn some playing time. At the Z-Receiver spot, senior Carlos Wiggins (2/81/1TD) was a big play threat with an average of 40.5 yards per catch but only made two catches last fall. He will get a chance to make more plays but with limited opportunities in the passing game, he must take advantage of those passes thrown his way. Senior Marquis Bundy (5/24/0TD) will also see playing time as a backup for Wiggins. At the H-Receiver position, junior Ridge Jones (2/10/0TD) will be essential in the rushing and passing games. Jones actually broke the 100 yard barrier on the season in 2014 despite only carrying the ball three times. He should see a few more carries and passes thrown his way this fall. Sophomore Chris Davis will be the backup.

Reno Henderson

The Lobos have experience all over on offense but none more than on the offensive line led by left tackle Reno Henderson (12 career starts). The former JUCO transfer was able to slide in at the very important left tackle slot and start all 12 games for the Lobos. Junior Andrew Aqua is the backup and should see time on special teams this fall. At left guard is another 12 game starter in 2014 in senior Eden Mahina (12 career starts). The senior was another JUCO transfer that slid into the starting lineup immediately and should be a standout for the Lobos in 2015. Sophomore Toye Adewon will back up Mahina at left guard. In the middle is junior Garrett Adcock (18 career starts). Adcocks has made the most career starts among active offensive linemen but has struggled with injuries and would like to start all 12 games for the first time this fall. Redshirt freshman Aaron Jenkins will be the backup. Right guard is a little tricky as senior Bryan Oldenkamp has only played in two games but is needed to step into a starting role this fall. His progression will go far in determining how well the Lobos rushing attack fares in 2015. Junior Darian Allen, a defensive linemen last fall, will paly the backup role. Another veteran starter will grace right tackle in junior Johnny Vizcaíno (12 career starts). Vizcaino made 10 starts as a freshman and was on pace to start the 2014 season but saw his season cut short after two games. Senior Dillon Romine will back up the right tackle position.

Defense:

The Lobos head into the 2014 season looking to improve significantly on defense and will be led by junior Nik D’Avanzo (52 tkl, 7 tfl, 4.5 sacks) at defensive end. D'Avanzo was the team's sixth leading tackler and leading sacker last fall. Sophomore Kene Okonkwo (3 tkl, 1 tfl, 1 sack) showed glimpses of great play in 2014 but is needed to take that step forward this fall and be a part of the main defensive line rotation. In the middle is a combination of nose tackles that combined for 29 tkl, 4.5 tfl, and 1.5 sacks last fall. Projected starter Cole Juarez (11 tkl, 2 tfl) played well last fall but had a nice spring to vault himself into the starting role this fall. William Udeh (18 tkl, 2.5 tfl, 1.5 sacks) and Taylor Timmons Jr. will also be in the rotation in the middle. The other defensive end position is a bit of a question mark with sophomore Garrett Hughes (4 tkl) and senior Chris Lee (3 tkl, 1 tfl, 1 sack) fighting for the starting role. Hughes is the projected starter but either could end up seeing the majority of the snaps. Dominic Twitty (5 tkl), Randy Williams (4 tkl), and Jack Ziltz (6 tkl) all should provide depth at the position.

Dakota Cox

It is very rare to see a player from a defense that under performed to earn first team all conference honors but not every player is middle linebacker Dakota Cox (116 tkl, 2 tfl, 1 INT). The junior led the team in tackles by 29 and did so in only nine games. Cox could easily be one of the nation's leading tacklers if he is healthy for all 12 games. Senior Michael Arredondo will back up the middle linebacker position. At one of the outside linebacker spots, the Lobos return two player that made 62 tackles last fall in sophomore Kimmie Carson (62 tkl, 5 tfl, 1 sack) and junior Ryan Langford (62 tkl, 2 tfl). Carson is the more explosive player with the ability to make plays in the backfield but Langford is able to play at a more consistent rate. Both should see the field significantly this fall. At the other outside linebacker spot is junior Donnie White (20 tkl, 2.5 tfl, 1 sack). With three linebackers on the roster with 60+ tackles, White must play well to hold his spot in the starting lineup. Senior Richard Winston (16 tkl, 0.5 tfl) will be his backup.

Ricky Santos

The Lobos must get better in the secondary in 2014 and have quite a few experienced players to do so. At strong safety, New Mexico returns projected starter Ricky Santos (39 tkl, 1 tfl) with sophomore Markel Byrd (50 tkl, 1 INT) penciled in as the backup. Both can play at the line of scrimmage as well as cover but Byrd may have the higher ceiling and should earn more and more playing time as the season progresses. Cornerbacks Isaiah Brown (4 tkl, 1 INT) and Cranston Jones (27 tkl, 1.5 tfl, 3 INT) should give the Lobos experience on the edge but Brown must be able to accept a larger workload this fall as offenses will test him early and often. Redshirt freshman Bijon Parker will back up Brown while senior Donnie Duncan (15 tkl, 1 INT) will give much needed depth to the Lobos secondary. Free safety is an open competition as junior Daniel Henry (12 tkl) currently leads the way. Kansas State transfer Travis Green will be pushing hard for the starting job as this is his only season for New Mexico as a graduate transfer. Expect Green to earn lots of playing time. At the fifth defensive back slot, sophomore Ricky Bennett (28 tkl) will look to expand on a solid first season on the field and should become an important part of the Lobos defense immediately. Junior Lee Crosby is the backup.

Sophomore kicker Jason Sanders will again handle the kickoff duties after kicking off 62 times with 37 touchbacks, a very impressive 59.6% touchback rate. Sanders will also battle senior Zack Rogers (5-8 field goals, long of 44, 43-44 PAT) for the field goal kicking job. Rogers will also handle the punting duties after a 56 punt, 42.6 yard average in 2014 that saw 17 land inside the 20 and 10 go over 50 yards.

Overall: 

Coming off of a 4-8 season with one of the worst passing offenses in the nation and one of the worst scoring defenses in the nation versus a stacked MWC is no easy task for New Mexico this fall.

The Lobos start the season with a visit from Mississippi Valley State in what should be a dress rehearsal for the upcoming season with New Mexico running all over the helpless FCS program for a season opening win. New Mexico then hosts AAC program Tulsa in what should be an evenly matched game. As long as the Lobo defense plays decent, New Mexico should be able to pull out that non-conference win and start 2-0. After a non-competitive loss to Arizona State, the Lobos then play Wyoming and New Mexico State in back to back weeks. New Mexico should be able to earn a split in those games and move to 3-2 with conference play really kicking into gear.

A tough trip to Reno for face Nevada will result in the Lobos falling to .500 at 3-3 but back to back games versus Hawaii and San Jose State is just the cure. Wins over those two struggling programs puts New Mexico back into bowl contention at 5-3 before the season comes off the rails.

November for New Mexico consists of Utah State, Boise State, Colorado State, and Air Force in four straight weeks. New Mexico will likely be double digit underdogs in all four games and should play more competitive this fall than in the past but do not have the weapons on offense or defense to hang with the top level of the MWC. 5-7 is an improvement but getting so close to earning a bowl trip and missing out will be a tough pill to swallow. Prediction: 5-7.