New Mexico
Lobos

New Mexico Team Report

Updated: February 03, 2012 01:37 EST

"Patience" is the operative word at New Mexico. A team that has lost 37 of its last 40 games has a new coach in Bob Davie and a lot of holes to fill. A bevy of players quit after the 2011 season, during which former coach Mike Locksley was let go in September.

The biggest departure was second-team All-Mountain West wide receiver Deon Long, who transferred to Iowa Wesleyan Community College, along with wide receiver Martize Barr, quarterback Ricardo Young and defensive back Meiko Locksley. Starting safety Zach Dancel and running back and leader rusher Crusoe Gongbay have indicated through social media that they, too, are leaving the program.

The exodus almost is good news for Davie, who has vowed not to take any shortcuts in rebuilding the Lobos. He says he is going to take his time and make sure the foundation is solid. With so few expectations on Davie, who is jumping back into coaching after a 10-year detour as a college football television analyst, he will be able to take his time.

When New Mexico announced that it signed 24 players on Feb. 1, Davie was asked if any of the new recruits had a chance to contribute right away.

"I haven't even seen our current players yet," Davie quipped. "I don't know. We won't know until we can see what they do when they're all together."

The former Notre Dame head coach overhauled the entire UNM staff, bringing back popular former Lobo player and coach Jason Lenzmeier to coach his line and former Lobo assistant DeAndre Smith to handle the running backs. Offensive coordinator Bob DeBesse and defensive coordinator Ron West will try to bring back the physical style of football for which the Lobos were known under Rocky Long from 1998-2008.

The Lobos will run a multiple style offense, utilizing a running quarterback. On defense, they will run the 3-4 Davie made famous as defensive coordinator of the Texas A&M "wrecking crew." As such, Davie will need a few recruiting classes to change to those styles. His biggest goal in year one is to change the culture of a deflated program.

TOP OF THE CLASS

QB Cole Gautsche (Cleveland High School, Rio Rancho, N.M.) -- The prize possession in the state of New Mexico, Gautsche was the state's Gatorade Player of the Year, leading Cleveland to a state championship. He ran and passed for more than 3,000 yards combined during his two years as Cleveland's starting quarterback and could be a perfect fit for the style of offense coach Bob Davie wants to run. The Lobos have virtually no experience behind senior B.R. Holbrook, and Gautsche, who is enrolled in school, has a chance to emerge as the team's backup.

RB/WR Carlos Wiggins (Plano West High School, Plano, Texas) -- Wiggins switched from wide receiver to running back for his senior season at Plano and ran for 1,366 yards and 15 TDs. The Lobos could use the 5-foot-8, 165-pound back in a dual role and find plays for him in space. He will have to work to get some time carrying with the Lobos returning two RBs in Kasey Carrier and Demarcus Rogers who have starting experience, but Wiggins could be the best receiver of the bunch.

DT Gerron Borne (East Saint John High, Reserve, La.) -- A three-star Rivals.com recruit who decommitted from Arizona, Borne has the size to help a depleted UNM line right way.

--Coach Bob Davie said he intended to keep at least one coach from former coach Mike Locksley's staff but ended up replacing the whole group. Davie did hire a pair of former Lobo coaches in Jason Lenzmeier, who was a four-year starter at offensive tackle for the Lobos from 2000-03 and returned as the team's line coach in 2007-08, and running backs coach DeAndre Smith, who was with the team in 2008. Even longtime director of football operations Gavin Bevis took another job within the athletic department.

--Davie hired former Sam Houston State offensive coordinator Bob DeBesse to direct his offense. The Bearkats were the FCS national runners-up with a 14-1 record in 2011, running an option-style offense that averaged nearly 37 points per game. On defense, Davie pegged former Illinois linebackers coach Ron West as coordinator. West has coached offense for 16 years and defense for 16 years and is well-versed in the 3-4 scheme.

--WR Deon Long, who sat out a year after transferring from West Virginia, left UNM after his freshmen season. He had 47 receptions for 806 yards and four touchdowns, all team highs. The second-team All-Mountain West Conference selection led a contingent of four Lobos who transferred to Iowa Wesleyan. Crusoe Gongbay, the team's leading rusher in 2011, and starting safety Zach Dancel both indicated they would not return to the team. Both played as true freshmen last year.

SPRING SNAPSHOT

Practice priorities: When a program is starting over, everything is a priority. The Lobos do have a couple of pieces in place on offense with senior QB B.R. Holbrook and an offensive line that returns four starters. But the Lobos want to run elements of the option game, and the first order of business will be to become much more disciplined. On defense, UNM has to get much more physical on the line and try to create a semblance of a pass rush to improve a defense that was second-to-last nationally in points allowed per game in 2011, giving up 41.7.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I spent nine years in Texas (as a Texas A&M assistant coach). You look at our staff; they spent the majority of their careers, some of those guys, in the state of Texas. There's a trust there, where I trust the people that are telling me (about players), because of my past experiences with them." -- Coach Bob Davie, on half of UNM's 2012 recruiting class coming from Texas.

KEY LOSSES: The Lobos have to find a way to replace WR Deon Long, who was a big-play threat every time he touched the ball. But UNM is counting on senior Lamaar Thomas to recover from an injured foot and pick up some of the slack. Defensively, the Lobos lost the third leading tackler in school history in MLB Carmen Messina. He may be the player most difficult to replace because he seemingly was making all the tackles during the second half of the season. Messina also was the team's leader. The coaching staff likely will be the driving force in 2012.

PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2012:

RB Kasey Carrier -- Returns from a redshirt season in 2011, and he should benefit from an offense that will be rededicated to running the ball. Carrier also had a year to get stronger in the weight room and should be a factor in the fall. How quickly he can grasp offensive coordinator Bob DeBesse's scheme will determine how successful he is.

LB Dallas Bollema -- Was the defense's most improved player through the first half of the season until he sustained a shoulder injury and the coaching staff reconfigured the defense to allow Carmen Messina to roam from side to side. Bollema is one of the best natural pass-rushers on the team and could benefit in the new 3-4 scheme.

TE Lucas Reed -- Had a subpar year in 2011, compared to his 2010 season, but he still showed he can be a threat in the passing game. He can have a big 2012 if he can regain his confidence and if the coaching staff can create mismatches for him downfield. But he must show the staff that he can catch the ball consistently to have a shot at atonement.

C LaMar Bratton -- Emerged as the leader of the offensive line as a redshirt freshman in 2011. The new coaching staff will look for leadership, and Bratton can impress early. He needs to become more physical, but if he can set the tone, the line can help QB B.R. Holbrook and the offense discover more production.

PLAYER NOTES

--The Lobos persuaded another revered New Mexico quarterback to walk on to the team. David Vega, a standout at Roswell High School who played two years of junior college football at New Mexico Military Institute, will provide depth at the QB position.

--Another local product at QB, walk-on Ryan Trujillo of Manzano High School in Albuquerque, was arrested in January, and his status with the team is up in the air.