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Katie Hnida attempted an extra point in the Las Vegas Bowl last year, becoming the first woman to appear in an NCAA Division I-A football game. That bowl appearance also was only the second in 41 years for UNM. This year, the Lobos would like to sustain more than build, and in the process move up from the middle of the Mountain West Conference to the top. UNM has not won a title of any sort since capturing the WAC Mountain Division crown in 1997. With 17 starters and 54 lettermen back, the Lobos will enter the 2003 season with legitimate title aspirations for the first time since Dennis Franchione bolted for TCU after the 1997 title season. But it'll take another strong defensive season -- with a brand new coordinator -- and some marked improvements on offense to overtake Colorado State. The Lobos lost defensive coordinator Bronco Mendenhall to conference rival BYU. Head coach Rocky Long hired Osia Lewis, a man familiar with Long's love for the blitz, to take over the defense. Long and Lewis spent five seasons together on the Oregon State staff in the early 1990s. OFFENSIVE KEYS: The offensive line returns five starters and averages more than 300 pounds, but it's what happens behind the line that will determine whether New Mexico can improve on last year's 7-7 season that ended with a loss to UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl.Incumbent QB Casey Kelly, a former walk-on, has guided the Lobos to an 11-8 record in his 19 career starts. He increased his completion percentage from 47.0 percent in 2001 to 57.6 percent last fall and improved his touchdown-to-interception ratio from 8-to-12 to 14-to-7. Kelly will be pushed by Washington State transfer Tali Ena, who is more of a drop-back passer. DonTrell Moore, the 2002 MWC Freshman of the Year, returns after rushing for a school rookie record 1,134 yards. Oklahoma State transfer D.D. Cox will get some carries as well. The Lobos didn't finish last in the MWC in passing (145.5 yards per game) for one reason -- the presence of Air Force. Senior Dwight Counter is the team's leading returning receiver (35 catches, 404 yards, three touchdowns). DEFENSIVE KEYS: UNM welcomes back seven starters, including all-conference defensive ends Daniel Kegler and D.J. Renteria, from a unit that finished 30th in the nation in total defense. Kegler led the team with seven sacks last season. Renteria will rotate to nose tackle at times to add more speed and agility up the middle. When Renteria is working at nose, senior Zach Rupp, who added 15 pounds of muscle during the off-season, will fill in at the other end.Outside linebackers Billy Strother and Nick Speegle turned in identical statistical performances last season with the same amount of tackles (89) and sacks (5). "Billy is a really good athlete with some really good instincts," Lewis says. "He has a very good feel for the blitz package." Starting positions are undecided at the corners, but senior Terrell Golden will return as a starter at the one of the safety spots. Brandon Ratcliff entered spring practice as the starter at the other safety position, but junior Josh Bazinet appears to have won the job. SPECIAL TEAMS: Tyler Gaus walked on to the New Mexico program last fall, won the starting job, averaged 40.5 yards per kick and was named third-team Freshman All-America. Wes Zunker (1-of-4 field goals) and Kenny Byrd (1-of-2) will compete to take over the placekicking duties.FINAL ANALYSIS: Defense has been a New Mexico cornerstone during Long's tenure, and the 2003 Lobos should continue that tradition. The key to the season will be the offense, which has plenty of room for improvement. The Lobos' best bet is to lean on Moore and their veteran offensive line.UNM must also take advantage of a home schedule that welcomes two of the league's top three finishers from last season -- Colorado State and Air Force -- to University Stadium. Both of those road trips resulted in losses for the Lobos in 2002. CSU and Air Force are part of three straight home games at the beginning of November that could determine whether UNM takes a step forward -- or slips back to the pack. • Click here for complete index of 2003 team previews
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