New Mexico is hosting its first scrimmage of fall camp Saturday (10 a.m.) at University Stadium. It will be the first opportunity for players to tackle since camp started last week.
Here are three things to watch for ahead of the Lobos’ full-contact practice:
1. Two live quarterbacks and a chance for real separation
Head coach Jason Eck teased it Thursday and made it official Friday: Quarterbacks Luke Moga and Toa Fa’avae will be live — yes, you read that right — in Saturday’s scrimmage.
If it isn’t a complete rarity, it’s something plenty of coaches have sworn off over the years. All it takes is one avoidable injury for the risk of live quarterbacks to ultimately outweigh the reward. But with a competition well underway, Eck is pulling the trigger to see how two relatively inexperienced signal callers will perform.
“Toa’s got one career play and Luke’s got more than that, but it’s not (a lot),” he said. “It’s like, five total passes at Oregon. So I think just seeing those guys in a live setting will help us in the evaluation. As we get closer to the (first) game, we want to keep narrowing this thing down.”
By my count, Moga has done a better job of minimizing mistakes through eight practices. He’s also starting to come on as a passer, regularly making some throws he didn’t during the spring. If he can keep that up, extend plays and show off what he can do on the run, he should be in a good spot as the competition narrows.
Fa’avae isn’t out of it by any stretch, though. A turnover-free scrimmage would be an extremely encouraging step. And he’s got plenty of juice when he gets out in the open field. A good day on the ground could provide a real boost.
But while Moga and Fa’avae will get the full-contact experience Saturday, the third player in this competition won’t: Sixth-year quarterback James Laubstein will not be live for UNM’s scrimmage, Eck said.
“We know what James can do running the ball in live settings,” he added.
2. Young receivers being put to the test
Kader Diop ran through the names like he was taking attendance: Massiah Mingo, DJ Darling, Bailen George, Dorian Patterson.
“That’s the best group of freshmen I’ve ever seen. They’re all good,” UNM’s sixth-year receiver said Thursday. “They can all run. They can all create separation. And they can catch the ball.”
Of the storylines to emerge in fall camp, few have been as prominent as what Diop alluded to: UNM might have some potential difference-makers among its freshmen receivers. Mingo and Darling’s ability wasn’t exactly a secret this spring, but rock-solid camps from fresh faces like George and Patterson have been a pleasant surprise.
“That group right there is gonna be special,” Diop said. “Massiah can really create separation. Bailen George is super elusive. He moves really well. They got to get their weights up and stuff … but yeah, that group is the best group of freshman receivers I’ve ever seen.”
Saturday will be a real test, though. After all, catching a pass over the middle in a seven-on-seven period is different from doing so when linebacker Jaxton Eck or safety Tavian Combs are waiting on the other side of a tackle.
But I’ve liked what I’ve seen from these freshmen. I’m expecting them to be up for the task.
(In a similar vein: It hasn’t been a complete struggle, but UNM’s receivers have had a steady amount of drops throughout camp. If it isn’t an issue Saturday, consider that an encouraging sign.)
3. Further progress from UNM’s defensive reserves
Perhaps no player has impressed me throughout camp as much as linebacker Clay Martineau. The 6-foot-3, 228-pound former four-star prospect and Boise State transfer is playing significantly faster than he did in the spring, and that quality’s shown best when he has blitzed over the last week.
“He’s done a really good job,” Eck said. “Coming out of the spring and coming into the fall, I don’t think he was our top reserve linebacker, but the way he’s performed, he’s moved into that spot. And then he has some additional value where he’s competing for a starting job at (defensive) end in our posse (six defensive backs) package, (where he’s) rushing the passer.”
Seeing more of what promising reserves like Martineau — and for that matter, cornerbacks Eric McClain and Jahmir Torres, as well as safety Kevin Longstreet — look like in a full-contact environment will have my attention. Across the board, this is a deeper defense than it was last year, but I’d like to get a better sense of where that depth truly stands out.
Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.