UNM football notebook: Lobos working through receiver injuries ahead of first scrimmage

The pads popped Tuesday. Not so much Wednesday.

New Mexico held a lighter, helmets-only practice the day before its first scrimmage of fall camp Thursday, a session that’s supposed to be a “separator” for those in position battles, as head coach Jason Eck put it.

“We put a little more weight into those days,” Eck said Wednesday, one day after UNM’s first fully-padded practice.

Observations, notes and news from day seven of fall camp, a quieter morning wedged in between two early thunderclaps:

Wednesday’s practice

So, we got good news and bad news.

The bad news? UNM was down wide receivers Keagan Johnson, Kader Diop and Isaiah Blair on Wednesday, with Blair the one unexpected inactive of the bunch. Johnson is recovering from a pulled hamstring suffered last week. It’s unclear what Diop and Blair’s exact ailments are.

Skipping over the possible long term ramifications of those three missing considerable time, that effectively left UNM with veterans like Michael Buckley and Shawn Miller, and its fair share of talented-if-unproven players like freshman Zhaiel Smith on Wednesday. That ought to hold for Thursday’s scrimmage, too.

The good news? Those who were available looked like they were more than up to the challenge, particularly Buckley and Smith. The two represent an interesting mishmash, to say the least. Buckley played the better part of four seasons before making his first catch, and it’d be a complete surprise if Smith didn’t have one during UNM’s first four games. But production is production, and both found ways to produce Wednesday.

Case in point: during a team session, Smith made one of the splashiest offensive plays of the day, jumping up to catch a ball thrown over the middle by quarterback Cole Welliver. Eck and offensive coordinator Luke Schleusner said over the summer that Smith would get plenty of run, and he’s shown why over the last couple days. Smith looks, as they said, physically ready and seems to be getting more comfortable by the day.

“Just gotta step up, be the next guy up,” Smith said. “Just always be ready.”

Buckley has probably been UNM’s most consistent receiver throughout camp, and that quality is starting to set in, especially with what looks like some good chemistry cooking with quarterback James Laubstein.

“The one he had on the run, I mean that was an insane throw,” Buckley gushed, referring to one of his catches from Laubstein during a team period Wednesday. “Like he ran all the way to the right and threw me a ball. I was running a 20-yard dig going all the way to the left. Like, it was insane.”

(It was, in fact, a nice throw and a nice catch.)

It’s also worth noting that UNM has a couple tight ends (Dorian Thomas and Cade Keith) that should help lighten the load a bit for the receivers. And this isn’t a room in complete crisis, à la UNM’s tight ends room in 2023 or secondary in 2024. But it needs to get healthy.

Other Wednesday observations: linebacker Jaxton Eck had another big sack during a team period … defensive end Keyshawn James-Newby forced an incompletion that lit up the defensive sideline … and offensive lineman Malik Aliane was seen playing left tackle on the first-string OL.

News and notes

• Some good injury news: Wednesday was a helmets and shorts day, but defensive tackle Gabe Lopez was active after missing most of Tuesday’s fully-padded practice. It’s unclear if he’ll be cleared for contact Thursday.

Beyond the aforementioned receiver injuries, cornerback Frankie Edwards III was still in a walking boot; offensive lineman Tevin Shaw did not practice; and wide receiver Evan Wysong remained sidelined recovering from an offseason procedure.

• UNM’s defense has flashed plenty over the last seven practices, and few are recognizing that more than those working with the offense: “I’ve been here (and seen) a couple different Lobo defenses,” Buckley said, “and by far this is the most frustrating one to go against. It just feels like they have the right answer for almost every play.”
• What is Eck looking to see out of Thursday’s scrimmage? “We want a balance. I think we want to definitely get some more live tackle work in,” he said Tuesday. “There’s some guys who are new, guys who are new this year, that we haven’t seen live tackle, so we’ll see how they do with space, tackling and things like that, whether they’re young guys or veteran guys.

“And, you know, I think it’s good — just me personally, I like it — sometimes it’s good to have the coaches to the side and not behind the huddle and let the players go. The players have to figure it out themselves and execute. Leaders emerge, both in the huddle and on the defensive side of the ball … We’ll have to be creative because I ... don’t wanna see (running back Scottre Humphrey) get tackled 15 times that day.”

As awarded to whoever Eck deems the “player of the practice”, Wednesday’s hammer recipient was cornerback Jayden Sheridan. The Utah Tech transfer came up with a pick on Laubstein — albeit off a bobbled catch from tight end Dorian Thomas — during the final team period and flew to the ball all day long.

-As promised, Cam Watts is back with the team as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant. The former UNM defensive back and sprinter ran at the USATF Outdoor National Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon last week.