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The Lowdown 2006 Schedule Coach: Rocky Long (9th season, 46-50) 2005 record: 6-5 MWC finish: 5-5 (t-4th) 2005 I-A offensive rankings: Rushing: 21st (200.0 ypg) Passing: 86th (197.4 ypg) 2005 I-A defensive rankings: Rushing: 32nd (130.8 ypg) Passing: 93rd (254.3 ypg) Date Opponent Sept. 2 Portland State Sept. 9 at New Mexico St. Sept. 16 Missouri Sept. 23 UTEP Sept. 30 at Air Force Oct. 7 Wyoming Oct. 14 at UNLV Oct. 19 Utah Oct. 28 at Colorado State Nov. 11 TCU Nov. 18 at BYU Nov. 25 San Diego St. Depth Chart: Offense 6 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. WR 81 Travis Brown Jr. 89 Thomas Wilson Sr. WR 4 Marcus Smith Jr. - Jermaine McQueen Jr. LT 75 Anthony Kilby Jr. 77 Bart Miller Jr. LG 64 Bo Greer Sr. - Devin Clark Jr. C 66 Vince Natali Jr. 69 Erik Cook Fr. RG 74 Patrick Hodges Sr. 63 Matt Streid Jr. RT 59 Robert Turner Sr. 71 Brian Ramsay Jr. TE 83 John Mulchrone Sr. - Clayton Cardenas Jr. QB 12 Kole McKamey Sr. 15 Donovan Porterie Fr. FB 31 Matt Quillen So. 21 Rodney Ferguson So. TB 8 Martelius Epps Jr. 21 Rodney Ferguson So. Depth Chart: Defense 4 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. DE 41 Michael Tuohy Jr. 55 Tyler Donaldson Jr. NT 60 Billy Brittain Sr. 51 Ryan Boyd Jr. DE 57 Stephen Hutchison Jr. 62 Phillip Harrison Fr. LB 47 Cody Kase Jr. 46 George Carter Jr. LB 50 Herbert Felder So. 48 Justin Clayton Sr. LOBO 11 Quincy Black Sr. 35 Jake Bowe So. LOBO 84 Major Mosley Jr. 9 Tyson Ditmore Jr. LS 29 Blake Ligon So. 9 Tyson Ditmore Jr. RS 2 DeAndre Wright So. 34 O.J. Swift Jr. CB 19 Glover Quin So. 20 Mike Vandenberg Fr. CB 10 Juamar Hall Jr. 30 Ian Clark Fr. Special Teams Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr. K 80 Kenny Byrd Sr. KR 4 Marcus Smith Jr. P 39 Jordan Scott Jr. PR 4 Marcus Smith Jr.

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This is how far New Mexico has progressed under coach Rocky Long. The Lobos, with only eight winning seasons from 1965-2000, had their third straight campaign above .500 in 2005 and fourth in the past five years. They won at least six games for the fifth consecutive season - a first in school history. Along the way, UNM also ended a 22-year road drought by winning at Missouri, 45-35. Yet, the '05 results were not good enough, for Lobo fans or for Long.

"We did not meet our own expectations," Long says, referring to a 6-5 season that failed to produce a fourth-straight bowl berth. "I had to go back and re-evaluate every aspect of our program in the offseason. I was depressed for a long, long time."

Long's funk began to subside in mid-January when he hired close friend and former UCLA head coach Bob Toledo as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator. Toledo's hiring marked the beginning of an extreme makeover that included the departure of four assistants, position changes at seven coaching positions, a new offense and a tweak in defensive alignment. Now all they have to do is replace 12 starters.

"I thought we got too comfortable as a program last year," Long says. "Now, whether [the changes] improves our football team remains to be seen, but at least we won't be comfortable for awhile."

OFFENSE

After enduring eight years of inconsistent offensive play, Long lured Toledo from a three-year hiatus. Toledo's hybrid pro-style West Coast offense should have an immediate impact on quarterback Kole McKamey, if for no other reason than providing him better protection. McKamey took a beating last season in the spread option and missed the last two games with a back injury.

The Lobos have large shoes to fill at tailback and receiver with the departures of DonTrell Moore and Hank Baskett. New Mexico hopes to spread the ball around to keep opponents from keying on one or two weapons like they did last year.

Receiver Travis Brown and tight end John Mulchrone should enjoy increased production, and several players will share ball-carrying responsibilities. Don't forget that McKamey was the Lobos' second-leading rusher last season.

The line loses center Ryan Cook and tackle Terrance Pennington, so right tackle Robert Turner has to anchor a line that hopes to protect UNM's skill players long enough to figure out what they're doing in Toledo's scheme.

DEFENSE

Long and coordinator Osia Lewis spent several sleepless nights during the offseason trying to figure out how their defense, never below 30th in the nation in yards allowed, fell to 68th in 2005. They decided to simplify their scheme and add a second lobo back to the defense. The coaches hope simplifying will allow the players to return to the aggressive nature that highlighted the Lobos' five-year run among the nation's elite defenses. UNM must replace its entire defensive line and both cornerbacks, so simplification will make that transition easier.

Adding a second lobo will return the position to a linebacker-defensive back hybrid that Brian Urlacher made famous when he played for the Lobos. Senior Quincy Black will man one of those spots, and his athleticism should allow him to make more plays.

The change also makes UNM more flexible against offenses that alter what they traditionally run or that use the no-huddle. The alignment also makes the Lobos adept against the run or the pass, and they won't be as vulnerable to personnel mismatches.

SPECIALISTS

Senior Kenny Byrd converted 85.7 percent of his field-goal attempts in '05, but he might have had more value on kickoffs. He hit 31 for touchbacks, 19 more than UNM had in 2004. The Lobos will have a new punter for the first time since 2001, but an upgrade isn't impossible. The return game relies on sure hands more than runback potential.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Long made wholesale changes after watching his team lose . He replaced four coaches and made seven position coaching changes.

The offseason moves and UNM's youth could make for a rocky start for a team that lost its last three games at home in 2005 and missed out on a bowl game for the first time in four years. But the schedule is kind. The Lobos don't have any back-to-back conference road games, and they won't leave the state until their fifth game. McKamey still wants to prove he can put a program on his back and contend for a conference title. He'll get that chance.