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Wolf Tracks: Organization helps Lobo Kase become success

By Iliana Limón
Thursday, December 14, 2006

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University of New Mexico linebacker Cody Kase is worried about keeping a special streak alive.

This run, however, has nothing to do with football.

Kase has a 4.01 grade-point average and has never gotten a "B" in a college class, but the junior is worried perfection will end this week.

"This might be it," he said. "I tried, but I just think a couple of classes might trip me up."

Kase, a linebacker and team captain, was always a strong student in high school but never considered himself neurotic about his grades.

Then he came to UNM and began studying general management. The A's started piling up and he began receiving recognition for the grades.

He earned second-team academic All-American honors from ESPN The Magazine this month and had the highest GPA among the athletes on the list.

"Once the streak started, I really wanted to keep it going," he said. "I heard about the ESPN list and got pretty competitive about it."

Kase said the secret to his academic success has been organization.

He typically goes to classes in the morning, goes to the UNM practice facility for meetings about 1 p.m. and doesn't leave until after practice about 5:30 p.m. Then he goes home to study.

It was a little trickier when he suffered a hamstring injury earlier this season and had to squeeze in extra time in the UNM training room getting treatment several times a day.

"I think football actually helped because it made me really focus on getting my school work done right away," he said. "It can be tough, but I always try to keep a good balance. I have to get eight or nine hours of sleep. With football and school, that means I just have to make the most of my time."

Boise bounce: One of the most impressive marks on San Jose State's r‚sum‚ is a loss.

The Spartans scared then-No. 14 Boise State before falling 23-20 at home Nov. 11.

UNM coach Rocky Long said after watching the game tape, San Jose State should have won the game.

The Spartans shut out the high-scoring Broncos in the first quarter and held a 7-6 halftime lead. The teams picked up the scoring the second half. Boise State won the game when it hit a 37-yard field goal as time expired.

"They outplayed them," Long said of San Jose State. "Their defense played really well. . . . If they didn't make a couple of mistakes late in the game, they win."

All-nighter: Fans who dreamed of camping out the night before a UNM football game will finally get their wish.

Fans will have to pay $20 to park recreational vehicles and buses in most lots around University Stadium and The Pit, but they can begin their pregame celebration Dec. 22 if they park in the Vista Lot north of The Pit.

The Vista Lot will be open from noon until 9 p.m. the day before the game. Security, trash cans and portable bathrooms will be available at the lot. They will re-open to let more fans in six hours before kickoff.

UNM is trying out the extended RV hours for the bowl game and may let fans camp out next football season if the event goes smoothly.

Ticket tally: UNM has sold about 5,200 of its 6,000 allotted tickets.

New Mexico Bowl officials don't have updated ticket sales numbers yet, but the last estimate was about 28,000 when factoring in both teams' minimum 6,000 ticket commitments.

San Jose State, which ranked 96th out of 119 Division I-A teams nationally in attendance with 18,854 fans per home game, already anticipates falling short of its ticket commitment.

The school will pay for the full allotment but already has returned some of its tickets. San Jose State is working with New Mexico Bowl officials to donate the tickets to local charities.

"They're still trying to sell some of their tickets, so I'm not sure how many people they'll actually end up bringing," said Jeff Siembieda, executive director of the New Mexico Bowl.