The University of New Mexico’s football team performs various acts in the community as a way of team-bonding and to help others, coach Bob Davie said of what his Lobos have done during his seven seasons as coach.
But doing it on an off-day?
Davie is apparently all for that, too.
The Lobos, who were coming off five straight days of preseason camp, volunteered on Wednesday to help the UNM grounds crew, including facilities and maintenance, clean up the campus in preparation of student arrivals next week. Even Davie and his coaching staff helped out.
Buses unloaded the players and staff at UNM to clean up the campus.
“I’m sure some of the guys were thinking about this being the first day off of camp, but the moment we saw the maintenance and grounds folks, we all knew this was what we wanted to do,” UNM center Kyle Stapley said in a press release. “It was really fun just to help those guys out.”
Stapley also had a laugh because he said some people who work on campus were a bit confused to see the players cleaning up and thought the Lobos were in trouble.
INJURIES: Last year, injuries played a huge role in the Lobos sinking to a second straight 3-9 season. Thus far, they have avoided major injuries, but have been dealing with minor bumps and one huge scare.
Free safety Kameron Miller appeared to have suffered a major injury Tuesday when he went down awkwardly after trying to tackle running back Ahmari Davis during a goal-line situation drill. But Miller is going to be OK, as he was picking up trash on Wednesday after leaving Tuesday’s practice with pain in his hamstring.
Wide receiver Elijah Lilly missed Tuesday’s practice because of a hyperextended knee that is not thought to be serious. Lilly is expected to provide big plays as the Lobos’ top returning receiver.
Safety Brandon Burton, a transfer from UCLA who sat out last year, also missed Tuesday’s practice because of heat exhaustion. He had been making plays in the defensive backfield and is eager to contribute to a defense that struggled mightily against the pass last season.
Emmanuel Logan-Greene, a wide receiver who began his college career at Central Florida, sat out for most drills during Saturday’s practice because of a leg infection that he said came from a bug bite.
Logan-Greene, known to many as “Manny,” said he will be fine and just needed to take it easy for a few days.
Quarterback Tevaka Tuioti, thought to be the favorite to win the starting job, has missed the first five days of preseason camp because of a family issue. Tuioti is in Southern California with his grandfather who is in the hospital because of a health condition, Davie said on Tuesday.
TICKET DEAL: UNM promoted season-ticket specials Wednesday, offering two for the price of one.
UNM made tickets available for either $99 or $139 for two season tickets according to seating in Dreamstyle Stadium. The $99 offer sold 43 within seven hours.
The deal is available online at www.sweetdeals.com/albuquerque/deals.
