As if the speedy Texas-El Paso offense doesn't pose enough problems, the UNM defense may be short-handed going into Saturday's showdown in El Paso.
The University of New Mexico (3-0, 1-0) is dealing with several injuries at the heart of its defense, which could hamper its plans for containing UTEP's (2-0, 1-0) explosive offense.
Senior nose tackle Marcus Parker suffered a fractured hand two weeks ago.
"Marcus spent the week conditioning but didn't do any contact drills because we want to try to let his hand heal as much as possible," coach Rocky Long said. "We figured out by watching tape that he was playing with just one hand, and it wasn't working very well."
Junior safety O.J. Swift hyperextended his knee in practice Tuesday and may not play against the Miners.
Sophomore Tyson Ditmore, who typically plays the roving Lobo position, practiced at Swift's safety position. Junior Aleem Harris practiced at the Lobo position.
"Tyson's an experienced player, so he should be able to step in for us wherever we end up needing him Saturday," Long said. "He'll either split time with Aleem at the Lobo position or take over for O.J. at safety."
Swift has two more days to recover from his injury, but Long isn't counting on having him against the Miners.
"He already missed two days of practice, and I don't think he'll be playing, but he could surprise us," Long said.
The biggest problem, Long said, is the ailing Parker.
As a senior nose tackle, he's naturally the anchor of the Lobos' defensive line.
The line will be tested by a UTEP team loaded with playmakers on offense, including running back Tyler Ebell and wide receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins Jr.
It doesn't add up to a pretty picture for New Mexico on game day.
"Our defense works from the inside out," Long said. "If our nose tackle, middle linebacker or Lobo position aren't playing well, it causes problems for us."
Parker practiced Thursday but spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday running around the UNM practice fields to stay in shape.
Junior Billy Brittain, a La Cueva graduate who has seen playing time this season but has been prone to jump offside, took half the practice snaps. The other half went to redshirt freshman Andr?s Madue?o, a walk-on from Taos who was moved from linebacker to nose tackle.
Long is counting on having Parker in the game but considers the nose tackle position so important he may reshuffle his line altogether to compensate if Parker's injury proves too difficult to overcome.
"The first thing we'd do is move Evroy (Thompson) from linebacker over to nose tackle," Long said. "I hope we don't have to do that."
If Parker manages to play well against UTEP despite his fractured hand, Long said the coaching staff probably will continue limiting his practice until the hand heals.
"We're trying something different and giving lots of guys experience at the same time," Long said. "All we can do at this point is hope our older guys heal fast and the backups step up."
Out of the doghouse: Harris is projected to start at the Lobo position despite a confrontation with Long on the sidelines during the New Mexico State game that was captured by TV cameras broadcasting the game.
Long said Harris missed his assignment and talked back to the coach, prompting the heated exchange.
The two have since worked out their differences, and Harris continues to battle Ditmore for time at the Lobo position.
"I received a couple of phone calls from fans who were upset I got in the young man's face and grabbed his face mask," Long said. "I understand they were upset, and told them I'd try to avoid doing it again."
Ferguson redshirting: Long said coaches will do everything possible to redshirt sophomore Rodney Ferguson, a Manzano High graduate who played his true freshman year.
Last week, Long said coaches were considering holding Ferguson out of the lineup thanks to depth at running back and the quick recovery of starter DonTrell Moore.
He said Ferguson has suffered a few minor injuries that would hamper an immediate return to play, convincing the coaches he should sit this season out.
"The only way we would play him at this point is if our running backs got hurt, and we really needed him," Long said.
The University of New Mexico (3-0, 1-0) is dealing with several injuries at the heart of its defense, which could hamper its plans for containing UTEP's (2-0, 1-0) explosive offense.
Senior nose tackle Marcus Parker suffered a fractured hand two weeks ago.
"Marcus spent the week conditioning but didn't do any contact drills because we want to try to let his hand heal as much as possible," coach Rocky Long said. "We figured out by watching tape that he was playing with just one hand, and it wasn't working very well."
Junior safety O.J. Swift hyperextended his knee in practice Tuesday and may not play against the Miners.
Sophomore Tyson Ditmore, who typically plays the roving Lobo position, practiced at Swift's safety position. Junior Aleem Harris practiced at the Lobo position.
"Tyson's an experienced player, so he should be able to step in for us wherever we end up needing him Saturday," Long said. "He'll either split time with Aleem at the Lobo position or take over for O.J. at safety."
Swift has two more days to recover from his injury, but Long isn't counting on having him against the Miners.
"He already missed two days of practice, and I don't think he'll be playing, but he could surprise us," Long said.
The biggest problem, Long said, is the ailing Parker.
As a senior nose tackle, he's naturally the anchor of the Lobos' defensive line.
The line will be tested by a UTEP team loaded with playmakers on offense, including running back Tyler Ebell and wide receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins Jr.
It doesn't add up to a pretty picture for New Mexico on game day.
"Our defense works from the inside out," Long said. "If our nose tackle, middle linebacker or Lobo position aren't playing well, it causes problems for us."
Parker practiced Thursday but spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday running around the UNM practice fields to stay in shape.
Junior Billy Brittain, a La Cueva graduate who has seen playing time this season but has been prone to jump offside, took half the practice snaps. The other half went to redshirt freshman Andr?s Madue?o, a walk-on from Taos who was moved from linebacker to nose tackle.
Long is counting on having Parker in the game but considers the nose tackle position so important he may reshuffle his line altogether to compensate if Parker's injury proves too difficult to overcome.
"The first thing we'd do is move Evroy (Thompson) from linebacker over to nose tackle," Long said. "I hope we don't have to do that."
If Parker manages to play well against UTEP despite his fractured hand, Long said the coaching staff probably will continue limiting his practice until the hand heals.
"We're trying something different and giving lots of guys experience at the same time," Long said. "All we can do at this point is hope our older guys heal fast and the backups step up."
Out of the doghouse: Harris is projected to start at the Lobo position despite a confrontation with Long on the sidelines during the New Mexico State game that was captured by TV cameras broadcasting the game.
Long said Harris missed his assignment and talked back to the coach, prompting the heated exchange.
The two have since worked out their differences, and Harris continues to battle Ditmore for time at the Lobo position.
"I received a couple of phone calls from fans who were upset I got in the young man's face and grabbed his face mask," Long said. "I understand they were upset, and told them I'd try to avoid doing it again."
Ferguson redshirting: Long said coaches will do everything possible to redshirt sophomore Rodney Ferguson, a Manzano High graduate who played his true freshman year.
Last week, Long said coaches were considering holding Ferguson out of the lineup thanks to depth at running back and the quick recovery of starter DonTrell Moore.
He said Ferguson has suffered a few minor injuries that would hamper an immediate return to play, convincing the coaches he should sit this season out.
"The only way we would play him at this point is if our running backs got hurt, and we really needed him," Long said.
