Related Links

• Iliana Limón's Wolf Tracks

More LoboZone

• Richard Stevens: Faces I'll remember are the smallest ones
• Michael Garcia: Here's to you, athletes, coaches and friends. These memories - and lessons - will last forever.
• Tribune sports: Five faves

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation
• Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

The Lobos know they are in an arms race.

The University of New Mexico (0-1) offense must score more than the six points it managed at Texas-El Paso to contend with New Mexico State's high-octane offense.

"I'm not saying they're definitely going to score a lot of points on our defense, but that's their game plan," senior center Vince Natali said. "They want to attack, and it will be hard to completely keep them for scoring. We know six points won't win us this game. We know that we can't take it easy if we get a lead. And we know that even a big lead really isn't safe because they can score a lot of points very quickly."

The Lobos' offense suffered against the Miners, who fell into a bend-but-don't-break prevent defense.

"They decided they weren't going to give up a big play and that strategy worked," UNM coach Rocky Long said.

Long isn't sure what to expect from the Aggies.

They could follow UTEP's lead and try to cut off major pass plays down field to standout senior receivers Marcus Smith and Travis Brown.

Or they stack the line and blitz to corral junior running back Rodney Ferguson and put pressure on sophomore quarterback Donovan Porterie.

Natali said it shouldn't matter what the Aggies throw the Lobos' way.

"We are frustrated because we have looked at the UTEP tape and recognize so many missed opportunities," he said. "We had a lot of chances to win that game and just made a bunch of little mistakes that added up to a loss.

"So we're kind of down, but that's good going into a big game against New Mexico State. It means we're hungry and eager to correct our problems."

Local flavor: The Lobos may have a little more fire entering this rivalry game.

UNM has 37 players from the state of New Mexico, while New Mexico State only has 10 in-state players.

Long said the Aggies' formula for building a program is working, and he declined to talk about their approach to recruiting in-state athletes.

It's clear from looking at his roster Long has made New Mexicans the cornerstone of his program.

"When I became head coach here, it was an emphasis to build a program with our base being from New Mexico," he said.

Long said the state produces one or two Division I caliber athletes typically recruited by other schools. UNM recruits six or seven New Mexico athletes every year, taking a chance on players with athletic ability and potential to develop into strong college athletes.

He said several of those players are now in the NFL, including Clovis High grad and current Philadelphia Eagle Hank Baskett.

"On tape, he was not a good high school football player, but he was a good athlete and from the state of New Mexico, so we recruited him," Long said.

Long break: Halftime of the New Mexico State game will be five minutes longer, running 25 minutes, to allow bands from both schools to perform. The Mountain West Conference allows schools to extend halftime during home games once during the season.

Ferguson fix: UTEP did not credit Ferguson with four of his rushing yards. UNM officials made sure the problem was corrected, making his official rushing tally against the Miners 132 yards.

In the spotlight: CSTV.com will be filming events in Albuquerque leading up to Saturday's contest and the game for the Web site's "Going West" series, a 15-week road trip chronicling college football culture in the western United States.