Lobos defense will try to corral Fresno State
Davie trying to remain realistic about chances
It’s good to know your weaknesses, and for Bob Davie and the Lobos, that means being aware of the one thing that has historically torched the University of New Mexico football team during Davie’s seven years in Albuquerque.
“The big emphasis is to not get the ball thrown over our heads,” the coach said earlier this week. “That has been the Achilles’ heel. That’s been what’s sucked the energy out of us at times.”
Hello Fresno State, a traditionally pass-happy team making a strong case as the best in the Mountain West halfway through the season. The Bulldogs (5-1, 2-0) have won four straight since losing at Minnesota. They’ll be in Dreamstyle Stadium on Saturday night to face a UNM squad still reeling from last week’s walk-off loss at Colorado State.
If there’s a bright side, Davie said, it’s the play of his defense the last two weeks. Statistically, the Lobos rank third in MWC play, allowing 294.5 yards per game. That’s a wild improvement over the start of nonconference play where three of the first four teams they faced torched them for nearly twice as many yards.
The Lobos are the only team allowing under 100 yards rushing, surrendering an average of just 77.5 in the first two games.
But, Davie cautioned, those games
were against UNLV and Colorado State, two teams whose offenses haven’t been lighting it up all year.
“Let’s not be naive,” he said, looking ahead to his team’s next three opponents. “It’s 15-3, the next three teams [combined record]. We’re probably going to be an underdog in every remaining game on our schedule.”
If UNM is to pull what would be a sizable upset against Fresno State, the defense will have to keep playing well and quarterback Sheriron Jones has to make strides in a system that purposely limits his options because of a lack of depth under center.
The Lobos have all but scrapped the option game in the wake of injuries at QB, forcing Jones to essentially run a pro-set offense and make big decisions.
“That’s a real thing that hurts us,” Davie said, referencing the lack of an option game.
He said Jones hasn’t shown significant growth in terms of reading the defense and making adjustments at the line of scrimmage. A testimonial came on a third-and-five play in the waning moments of last week’s loss at Colorado State.
Knowing a first down would have allowed the Lobos to run out the clock and escape with the win, Jones stood in the pocket and threw the ball to the wrong receiver. The pass was incomplete, forcing a punt that the Rams eventually converted into a game-winning field goal as time expired.
That receiver, tight end Jeff Jones, was open and dropped the ball against pressure, but Davie said the play was designed to go elsewhere and Sheriron Jones made the wrong decision.
“That’s the frustrating thing,” Davie said. “Now, I’m not blaming the quarterback. That’s just what football is, but that play was designed to throw that flair swing to the running back. If you go look at it, he’s going to catch it and it’s going to be a 10-yard gain.”
Expecting things to get better against a Fresno State defense that leads the Mountain West in several categories, including yardage, scoring and passing, is a stretch. A Lobo win would likely mean one thing: surviving a defensive slugfest.
It’s just another example, Davie said, of just how good Fresno State’s program has become under head coach Jeff Tedford. The Bulldogs are 15-5 in his two years and have been one of the most improved teams in the country.
It starts with defense, a unit that has altered its scheme despite having what amounts to the same personnel before Tedford’s arrival.
“It’s another indication that the old saying that, you know, it’s not so much the ‘X’s and ‘O’s, it’s the Jimmys and Joes,” Davie said, meaning Fresno State’s tradition and depth is one reason the Bulldogs can continuously reinvent themselves despite sweeping changes.
UP NEXT
What: Fresno State (5-1 overall, 2-0 Mountain West) at New Mexico (3-3, 1-1). When: 5:30 p.m.Saturday. Where: Dreamstyle Stadium in Albuquerque. TV: ESPNU. Radio: KVSF-AM 1400 and KKOB-AM 770. Live stats: www.golobos.com Twitter: @sfnmsports
“I’ve watched them do it with schematic differences,” Davie said. “They’ve done it both ways and they are really good.”
LOBO NOTES
Sad farewell: Men’s soccer coach Jeremy Fishbein said he hasn’t been sleeping much this season, his last — the program’s last — at UNM. Voted into nonexistence by the board of regents due to budget cuts, the Lobos are in a strange place where they’re trying to get through a schedule while the players are looking elsewhere to continue their playing careers.
Several have looked to Fishbein to find schools willing to take them. It’s a task, he said, that makes him feel as though he’s being disloyal to a state that loves its soccer.
“That’s one of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced as a coach,” Fishbein said. “It’s tough because you made a commitment and a promise to them to see ‘em through.”
The Lobos are 4-9 overall and 2-3 in Conference USA. They’ve played five nationally ranked teams and will be at No. 3 Kentucky on Sunday. There are three remaining matches on the regular-season schedule.