Bob Davie knows who will take the first snap for the Lobos in its season opener Thursday, but fans and the opposing team will not find out until kickoff.
The New Mexico head coach declined to name a starter in Monday’s press conference, but did say that both Lamar Jordan and Austin Apodaca would see time on the field.
He said which one starts doesn’t really matter.
The quarterbacks have shown growth during practice and the team will likely need its quarterback tandem.
It is unclear whether JaJuan Lawson, who saw significant reps during fall practice, could also see the field Thursday.
Davie said the team still has many question marks, especially on the offensive side of the ball. He seemed to show concern about a lack of game experience at several positions.
The team will likely start three offensive linemen who have never played a down for the Lobos. The latest indication is that Garrett Adcock’s status for Thursday is doubtful.
Blaise Fountain has been wearing a cast on his right hand, but Davie said he has adapted to it and should be fine.
Another question is at the wide receiver position, where the Lobos have several new faces. Although there appears to be an abundance of talent on the roster, Davie said he would not keep the hierarchy fluid until he sees how they perform in a game.
The Lobos can alleviate some of the stress and open up things for the rest of the offense by relying on its vaunted running attack.
The run game could help hide some of the other deficiencies and the personnel in the backfield have the talent to frustrate defenses.
“A running back that can make people miss makes up for a lot of things,” Davie said. “And I do think that we have that.”
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The head coach said the team needs to get the play in, avoid making mental errors and give the running backs room to operate.
Teriyon Gipson headlines the backfield, which could be the deepest position on the team. Tyrone Owens, Daryl Chestnut and Richard McQuarley should receive plenty of touches as well.
Gipson and Chestnut are also the favorites to contribute on special teams in the return game.
New Mexico has shown a propensity for the big play in recent years. Davie said the team is among the best in the country in terms of explosive plays, and he doesn’t expect that to change.
Davie said South Dakota presents a tough challenge as the team plays an up-tempo style of offense.
Although Bob Nielson is in his first year as head coach for South Dakota, the team returns several starters on both sides of the ball.
Nielson won all three of his season openers while at Western Illinois. The Lobos are 2-2 under Davie in openers, but had a huge win against FCS opponent Mississippi Valley State last season, with a 66-0 shutout.
Davie said he tried to make every practice meaningful leading up to the game. He said sometimes coaches try to make things too clean in practice. The desire to have everything neat and organized isn’t realistic.
“Any time that ball is kicked off in a game, there is an element of chaos and I think you have to create that out here in practice,” he said. “You know, in a game, it gets off script pretty quick.”
The game kicks off at 7:00 p.m. Thursday at Branch Field. The team is expected to hold a moment of silence for Turner Branch and Markel Byrd. Byrd died in a car accident days after the team’s final game in December, and Branch earlier this month.
Robert Maler is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers cross country, football, tennis and track and field. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler.
