Eighty plays.
Fourteen drives.
All under the bright, shining lights only a mid-morning scrimmage in August could provide.
“Still not nearly as bright as a regular game,” New Mexico head coach Jason Eck said Friday, “but brighter than a normal practice.”
UNM held its first scrimmage of fall camp Saturday morning, the first opportunity for players to tackle without restrictions since the Lobos returned to practice last week.
Here’s all 80 plays from UNM’s scrimmage, with takeaways from each drive:
Note: All yardage figures are unofficial.
First-team offense vs. first-team defense (QB: James Laubstein)
*
First-and-10: Laubstein hands off to running back Scottre Humphrey on a midzone run. Gain of four yards.
*
Second-and-6: Laubstein hands off to Humphrey on a gap scheme run. Gain of two.
*
Third-and-4: Laubstein drops back and connects with tight end Cade Keith to move the sticks.
*
First-and-10: Laubstein fakes a handoff to Humphrey and runs to his left. Got stopped pretty quickly, but that’s a gain of two.
*
Second-and-8: Laubstein hands off to Humphrey, who runs to the left. Defensive lineman Brian Booker, linebacker Mercury Swaim and safety Tavian Combs were all in on the tackle – gain of three.
*
Third-and-5: Laubstein drops back and gets the ball out quick for a screen to wide receiver Bailen George – incomplete. Pass was too high for George, a freshman who’s had a nice camp to this point.
Takeaways: Solid stuff from Humphrey here, but nothing particularly eye-catching. And this is probably the best place to note that Laubstein wasn’t live for tackling in this scrimmage, but fellow quarterbacks Luke Moga and Toa Fa’avae were.
Second-team offense vs. second-team defense (QB: Luke Moga)
*
First-and-10: Moga takes the snap and gets the ball out quick to running back Cameron Mathews, but it’s tipped by defensive end Trenton Rocker. Mathews catches it, but he’s smothered immediately by linebacker Nick Wheeler. Loss of five.
*
Second-and-15: Moga hands off to Mathews, who is tackled behind the line of scrimmage by defensive lineman A.J. Robinson. Loss of three or so.
*
Third-and-18: Moga drops back and targets Zhaiel Smith on an out-breaking route to the sideline – incomplete. Wheeler was a stride or two away from picking that one off.
Takeaways: Defensively, I thought this was a good series from Wheeler, who was thrilled to finally get some real tackling in. Barring an injury, I would be surprised if he didn’t start the season on the two-deep.
As for the offense, Eck didn’t seem too concerned about a messier first drive for Moga. “Kind of a tough series,” he said. “We ended up with a (loss of five yards) on the screen right away. And we kinda ran a play we hadn’t ran a lot, and we took (a loss).”
Third-team offense vs. third-team defense (QB: Gabriel Motschenbacher)
*
First-and-10: Motschenbacher drops back and rips a pass to tight end Trey Moore, who hauls it in at the left sideline. Good throw, good catch.
*
First-and-10: False start on the offense for the first flag of the day.
*
First-and-15: Motschenbacher hands off to running back Kiefer Sibley, who cuts in and bounces out to the right for a 55-yard touchdown. PAT by kicker Nick Romero is good.
Takeaways: Awesome run from Sibley, who should be locked in as UNM’s third back at this point. Deshaun Buchanan’s foot injury in the spring did a lot to clear Sibley’s path to that role, but he’s steadily made plays over the last week or so. Saturday was just the latest example.
“Kiefer hitting some explosive plays in the run game was good because you never quite know (who can do it) when you’re not live,” Eck said, “because we’re blowing whistles. Are you gonna break tackles? Are you gonna make anybody miss? I thought that was good to see him step up.”
Second-team offense vs. second-team defense (QB: Toa Fa’avae)
*
First-and-10: Fa’avae hits Mathews on a screen, but he slips immediately after catching the ball. Safety Keshawn Monroe wasted no time finishing the play. Loss of five.
*
Second-and-15: Fa’avae takes the snap and runs it on a draw play, bouncing off a tackle before safety CJ McBean brought him down. Electric run to move the sticks.
*
First-and-10: Fa’avae hands off to Sibley, who takes it for a gain of five. Good run for a gain of five.
*
Second-and-5: Fa’avae hands off to Mathews, who’s met at the line of scrimmage by Monroe. No gain.
*
Third-and-5: Fa’avae hands off to Mathews, who cuts back and makes Swaim miss. Linebacker Clay Martineau finished the play, but Mathews did enough for a first.
*
First-and-10: Fa’avae runs it on a draw and moves the sticks. Again, Martineau was the one who finished the play.
*
First-and-10: Fa’avae looks to pass before he’s pushed out of the pocket. Defensive end Elijah Brody brought him down for a loss of five.
*
Second-and-15: False start. Unclear who it was called on – loss of five.
*
Second-and-20: Fa’avae drops back and zips a pass to wide receiver Zhaiel Smith on an in-breaking route. Really good throw to put the offense ever-so-slightly behind the sticks – gain of nine.
*
Third-and-11: After a defensive timeout, Fa’avae takes the snap and runs it, a play Swaim and Martineau are quick to stop. Gain of two.
*
Fourth-and-9: Fa’avae drops back to pass and finds Miller downfield on an in-breaking route to move the sticks. Good catch by Miller.
*
First-and-10: Fa’avae targets Moore on a downfield throw, but Moore can’t haul it in – incomplete.
*
Second-and-10: Fa’avae hands off to Mathews, who’s tackled by Wheeler. Gain of three.
*
Third-and-7: Fa’avae hands off again to Mathews, who’s tackled by Robinson. Gain of three.
*
Fourth-and-4: Grant Glasgow’s long field goal attempt is no good.
Takeaways: A 15-play drive that ends with zero points won’t be cheered when the season arrives. That being said, I thought there was some good stuff from Fa’avae here — not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but the sophomore showed some real juice on the run. And I liked how he gave the offense a real chance when it was backed up behind the sticks.
Amid UNM’s quarterback competition — one Fa’avae has recently been a “slight third” in, Eck said — did drives like this help the sophomore’s case?
“I don’t think he was necessarily top of the race coming into today,” Eck added, “but I thought he helped himself with what he did with his feet. He’s got to keep getting better with situations and things like that. He’s got a bright future. I think everything that he’s screwing up is fixable.
“But I did like that he did some good things with his feet today.”
Third-team offense vs. third-team defense (QB: Cade Mitchell)
*
First-and-10: Mitchell takes the snap, fakes a handoff to running back Darrion Bowers and runs it himself. Gain of two.
*
Second-and-8: Mitchell hands off to Bowers, who’s tackled by linebacker C.J. Johnson. Gain of three.
*
Third-and-5: Mitchell looks to pass, but he’s sacked by defensive tackle Nick Barber. Loss of nine.
Takeaways: Quick work for the defense here, in no small part because of a nice play by Barber, a freshman from San Antonio.
First-team offense vs. first-team defense (QB: Laubstein)
Note: This drive was conducted as a two-minute drill.
*
First-and-10: Laubstein drops back and hits Keith over the middle to move the sticks. Liked how quickly he got rid of it, especially with defensive end Darren Agu pushing off the edge.
*
First-and-10: Laubstein takes the snap and runs it himself. Gain of four.
*
Second-and-6: Laubstein hands off to Humphrey, who takes it for a gain of five.
*
Third-and-1: Laubstein hands off again to Humphrey, who moves the sticks. Physical run.
*
First-and-10: Laubstein drops back and looks to pass, but Combs and Agu get him for what would’ve been a sack – loss of six.
*
Second-and-16: Laubstein hits wide receiver Massiah Mingo on a short pass, but he’s gang tackled quickly. Gain of seven.
*
Third-and-8: Laubstein takes matters into his own hands and runs it down the field before stepping out of bounds – first down.
*
First-and-10: Lots of pressure on Laubstein, who goes down on what would’ve been a sack. Looked like it was linebacker Jaxton Eck who finished the job. Only two seconds left on the clock for the offense, so the next play will be its last.
*
Second-and-17: A long field goal attempt from Glasgow is no good.
Takeaways: Combs’ blitz for what would’ve been a sack stood out to me here. Some of the hiccups in protection did, too. Laubstein did a solid job trying to keep things on schedule, but this is the kind of stop you expect this defense to make.
Second-team offense vs. second-team defense (QB: Moga)
Note: This drive was conducted as a two-minute drill.
*
First-and-10: Moga hits (I believe) wide receiver Kader Diop for a gain of four. I say I believe if only because I didn’t get a great look at the catch.
*
Second-and-6: Moga runs it on a draw — first down.
*
First-and-10: Another Moga run to move the sticks. Liked how quickly he got going on this one.
*
First-and-10: Moga takes a chance and uncorks a deep pass intended for Smith – incomplete. Little bit of an overthrow from my vantage point, but Smith got some good separation here.
*
Second-and-10: Moga looks to throw and dodges a potential sack from Martineau before he runs out of bounds for a loss of three.
*
Third-and-13: Moga drops back and throws downfield to Miller, who notches his best catch of the day here. Looks like a first … but there’s a flag on the ground: holding on left tackle Marcus Fetcho.
*
Third-and-18: Moga dumps it off to Smith, who gains three yards before he’s tackled by safety Azariah Levells.
*
Fourth-and-15: Offense is way out of field goal range with one play left, so Hail Mary it is – or not? Moga shifts out of the pocket trying to find something but doesn’t get a throw off before he runs out of bounds, and that’s the end of the drive.
Takeaways: After dealing with some early drops in camp, it looks like Miller’s starting to right the ship. His third down catch (even if it was nullified) was the best sign yet.
Third-team offense vs. third-team defense (Motschenbacher)
Note: This drive was conducted as a two-minute drill.
*
First-and-10: False start. Unclear who it was called on. Loss of five.
*
First-and-15: Motschenbacher drops back and hits wide receiver Dorian Patterson down the field on an in-breaking route. Gain of 14.
*
Second-and-1: Motschenbacher hands off to running back Jerod Terry Jr., who’s tackled for a loss of seven or so.
*
Third-and-8: Motschenbacher drops back and finds Patterson again, this time for a first. Good leaping catch from the freshman.
*
First-and-10: Motschenbacher drops back and fires another pass down the field to Patterson, but it’s picked off and almost returned for a touchdown by safety Will Hicks.
Takeaways: It would take an injury or two for Motschenbacher to factor into this quarterback competition, but this was a drive that reminded everyone he can still get out there and sling it a little. Also: Hicks deserves a shout-out for doing absolutely everything he could to score that ball. One of the better single-play efforts I saw all day.
First-team offense vs. first-team defense (QB: Fa’avae)
*
First-and-10: Fa’avae is put on the run almost immediately by a blitzing Wheeler before sprinting out and up the sideline for a gain of five.
*
Second-and-5: Fa’avae hands off to Humphrey, who picks up the first.
*
First-and-10: Fa’avae hands off again to Humphrey, who’s brought down quickly by defensive tackle Jake DeVos. Gain of one.
*
Second-and-9: Fa’avae takes the snap and runs it down the left sideline for a first. Excellent effort.
*
First-and-10: Fa’avae hands off to Sibley, who rips off a 37-yard touchdown run down the left sideline. PAT by Romero is good.
Takeaways: Some good blocking by the offensive line to set up Sibley’s second touchdown of the day. I also don’t know how many quarterbacks find a way to escape that Wheeler blitz either.
Third-team offense vs. third-team defense (QB: Mitchell)
*
First-and-10: Mitchell looks to pass and targets Moore – incomplete.
*
Second-and-10: Mitchell looks to pass and targets Moore again – incomplete.
*
Third-and-10: Mitchell gets put on the run and he’s tackled for a loss of three. Group effort on the stop by Barber and defensive ends Marcus Stevens and Jack Burzynski.
Takeaways: Once again, quick work by the defense.
Second-team offensive vs. second-team defense (QB: Fa’avae)
*
First-and-10: Fa’avae can’t haul in a low snap from center JoJo Matautia. Loss of eight.
*
Second-and-18: Fa’avae takes the snap and runs it for a gain of seven.
*
Third-and-11: Fa’avae hits Mathews on a screen for a gain of eight to set up fourth-and-3. But cornerback Eric McClain is penalized for throwing George to the ground after the play – first down it is.
*
First-and-10: Fa’avae takes the snap, dodges Robinson and runs it for another first.
*
First-and-10: Fa’avae takes the snap and runs it before he’s dragged out of bounds by safety Marco Beltran, who’s called for a horse collar. Automatic first down.
*
First-and-10: Now firmly in the red zone, Fa’avae takes the snap and promptly loses it after linebacker Hayes Baum knocked it out of his hands. Ball was recovered by safety Kevin Longstreet.
Takeaways: A great play by Baum, a freshman out of Cibola High School who has a knack for forcing turnovers during scrimmages. As for Fa’avae, Eck said that play will be a “teachable” moment.
Eck has also made a point to say he wants his teams to play with emotion, and not let emotion play with them. I imagine that McClain penalty will be a teachable moment, too.
Third-team offense vs. third-team defense (Motschenbacher)
*
First-and-10: Motschenbacher drops back and connects with wide receiver JT Jeter to move the sticks.
*
First-and-10: Motschenbacher finds wide receiver Jacob Maldonado at the sideline. Gain of two.
*
Second-and-8: Motschenbacher hands off to Terry, who picks up the first.
*
First-and-10: Motschenbacher passes over the middle, but it’s knocked down (and nearly picked) by safety Jaron Liles.
*
Second-and-10: Motschenbacher uncorks another throw, this one for Bowers in the end zone. Initially, it looked like the sophomore running back caught it for a touchdown, but he couldn’t hang on to it all the way through – incomplete.
*
Third-and-10: False start. Unclear who it was called on.
*
Third-and-15: Motschenbacher is stopped for a loss of five by defensive end Victor Villafuerte.
*
Fourth-and-20: Romero’s field goal attempt is good.
Takeaways: Bowers probably won’t push for a ton of snaps this season, especially once Buchanan is healthy. He is doing some good things, though, and that near-touchdown was a good example.
First-team offense vs. first-team defense (QB: Moga)
Note: This drive was conducted as part of an overtime period.
*
First-and-10: Moga hands off to Mathews for a gain of four.
*
Second-and-6: Moga hits Keith on a short pass at the sideline. Gain of three.
*
Third-and-3: Moga called for a delay of game. Loss of five.
*
Third-and-8: Moga takes the snap, drops way back and connects with Smith for a gain of two or so. Agu came up with the tackle here.
*
Fourth-and-6: Glasgow field goal is good.
Takeaways: Saturday, Eck said he wants Moga to do a better job climbing the pocket. That felt relevant on this drive: “Sometimes Luke is going back to scramble, where (he) ends up 12 yards from the line of scrimmage … I think he’s gotta keep (working on that),” Eck said.
I also thought Agu’s tackle on third-and-8 was a pretty nice play.
Second-team offense vs. second-team defense (QB: Fa’avae)
Note: This drive was conducted as part of an overtime period.
*
First-and-10: Fa’avae drops back and hits Patterson on a fade to the end zone for a touchdown. Good throw, good catch and a good way to end the day.
Takeaways: Mingo, George and DJ Darling (out with a hamstring injury) have garnered the most attention of UNM’s improbably strong group of freshman receivers. Patterson took some of that shine for himself Saturday, making full use of his 6-3, 192-pound frame to get up and catch the final touchdown of the day.
“Patterson, I think he’s having a heck of a camp,” Eck said. “We really didn’t have, like, a guy to throw fades to (last season). And he can go up and get those jump balls in the end zone.”
Will any of these four young pass catchers end the season as UNM’s leading receiver? Probably not. But the outlook on the Lobos’ receiver room is a lot rosier with them in it.
“I think we hit on all four, which is tough to do,” Eck said. “A lot of times, you take four guys at a position and not all four of them end up being good players. I think all four of those guys can end up being good players … And you can see all four of those guys playingtw for us this year.”
Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.
Want more Lobo football? Listen and subscribe to Reider's Block Podcast