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Brad Gruner admits he's a little surprised.

He was ready to contend for playing time as a true freshmen, but the rookie quarterback knew it would be tough moving up the depth chart.

One week before the University of New Mexico football team's season opener at UTEP, Gruner is the Lobos' third-string quarterback. And he is among a handful of freshmen who have a legitimate shot of seeing playing time this year.

"I came in here ready to work hard and knew I had a lot of catching up to do," said Gruner, who is 6-foot-2 and weighs 225 pounds. "I wasn't here for spring practices, so I really focused on doing everything I could to study the playbook this summer."

Gruner emerged as the Lobos' third-strongest passer behind sophomore starter Donovan Porterie and backup Bryan Clampitt, a walk-on senior. Gruner edged fellow freshman Blair Petterson, the higher-profile rookie who spent two years on a Mormon mission and participated in spring workouts.

"Brad has done a very good job of adapting to playing at this level and taking in a lot of information very quickly," offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin said. "He has some days where he looks good and other days when he looks like a freshman, but overall I'm happy with his development."

UNM head coach Rocky Long said it would be his preference to redshirt potential stars like Gruner and running back James Wright.

"Players always are always much better as seniors if they redshirt their freshman year, but we'll use them if we need them," Long said. "And we definitely could end up needing Gruner."

The Lobos have had a long history of losing their starting quarterback for at least one game during the season. Backups haven't been safe from hard hits either.

"I've been in that situation before, where I was the starter who went down with a knee injury in high school and another guy had to come in for me," Gruner said. "It showed me how important it is that you be ready because you never know when your team is going to need your help. I want to be ready for any situation."

Clark returns: Sophomore Ian Clark, who was UNM's starter at the Lobo position, is back in full-contact workouts after dislocating his shoulder. Seven days before their season begins, all of the Lobos' starters and key reserves are healthy.

Tuohy absent: Senior defensive end Michael Tuohy missed several practices this week to attend his grandmother's funeral.

On the air: The Lobos' game at Arizona on Sept. 15 will be available on basic cable throughout New Mexico on Fox Sports Arizona, which is Channel 10 on the Comcast cable lineup.