Don't compare Quincy Wright to the departed running back duo of Jarrod Baxter and Holmon Wiggins. To him, there is nothing to compare.
At 5 feet 10 inches and 185 pounds, he doesn't have the bulldozing size and strength of Baxter. And while he may have the same size and the shiftiness of Wiggins, Wright brings an added dimension with his speed.
"I can't compare myself as the physical part that Jarrod and Wiggins brought to the game," Wright said. "They are some big backs and they put some bruising to the guys. But to me, speed kills."
Wright has plenty of it, having been clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.36 seconds. However, it has been under wraps for most of his career. Wright's one shining moment before this season came in his freshman year in 1999, when he broke off a 60-yard run on the last play of a game against Northern Arizona University. He was tackled at the Lumberjack 1, spoiling his chance to score his first-ever touchdown as a Lobo.
It would take three years before he finally hit paydirt.
In the meantime, he found himself playing mostly on special teams. He had three carries in his sophomore season totaling six yards, but had 10 tackles on special teams. Last season, he returned kickoffs and found some playing time in the backfield. He had the second-best return average on the team with a 26.4 yards-per-return average, behind Wiggins' 30.2 mark.
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He showed signs of his potential in the final game against New Mexico State University, where he rushed for 27 yards on four carries. More glimpses came on the Lobos' track team, as he took second place in the 100-meter dash in Mountain West Conference Championships in May with a time of 10.53 seconds and earned All-Conference status.
However, as Baxter and Wiggins left, in came redshirt freshman phenom DonTrell Moore. A Parade Magazine All-American from Roswell (N.M.) High School, Moore was primed to take over the running back position going into spring practice, but a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee sidelined him.
Then came the emergence of another redshirt freshman - Tony Frazier - who saw a lot of playing time with the first string squad toward the end of spring practice.
But fate shone on Wright in fall practice as Moore, recovered from his ligament tear, sprained the same ligament in his left knee. The competition for the starting position was intense between Wright and Frazier, but Wright earned the nod for the team's first game against North Carolina State University last Saturday.
In the game against the Wolfpack, Wright was one of the few bright spots in a 34-14 loss to open the season. He ran for 67 yards on 11 carries and had 40 more yards on four catches. He was a vital part of UNM's thwarted comeback in the second half, rushing for 38 yards on the first two drives of the half. That included his first-ever touchdown on a three-yard run in which he outran the Wolfpack defense to the end zone.
It was an auspicious start to the season, but he still has to contend with Moore, who will see some playing time Saturday against Weber State University, and Frazier. However, Wright said he would do his best to take advantage of his opportunities.
"I'm just going to try to do something positive to stay in the game," Wright said. "DonTrell Moore and Tony Frazier are great backs and they're going to contribute a lot to this team. I feel every opportunity I get on the field, I'm going to do my best and give 110 percent and that's all I can do."
