Ask a New Mexico writer: Lobos’ unique defense, tricky rushing game next for Boise State
Boise State hasn’t lost to New Mexico since 2015 — its only loss in the series — and the Broncos’ regular-season finale at San Diego State is looming, but head coach Andy Avalos said his players can’t afford to overlook the Lobos on Saturday (7 p.m., FS1).
“We’re going to have a team that comes in here and gives us its very best,” Avalos said. “They have coaches that are extremely good at what they do and are well admired throughout the country. There are a lot of people that watch this particular defense and try to rip, emulate or steal certain things.”
New Mexico (3-7, 1-5 MW) runs a 3-3-5 scheme under defensive coordinator Rocky Long, who joined Lobos head coach Danny Gonzales’ staff last year after he spent nine seasons as the head coach at San Diego State. The scheme features three defensive linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs — with a lot of hybrid players who fill a variety of roles, and blitzes that come out of nowhere.
“The structure of it doesn’t make sense logically to the quarterback or the offensive line because there’s so much movement going on,” Boise State offensive coordinator Tim Plough said. “What (Long) has done is create a defense that is simple for them but chaotic for the offense, and that’s what leads to all the pressure and negative plays.”
Wide receiver Khalil Shakir is one of 24 seniors Boise State (6-4, 4-2 MW) plans to honor before the game. He has faced plenty of complicated defensive schemes during his four-year career, but New Mexico’s is one that can stump him.
“I pride myself on running routes while knowing what defense is doing with coverages,” Shakir said. “This is the one time I’ve been pretty confused because it’s so different.”
Steve Virgen, New Mexico beat writer for the Albuquerque Journal, sat down with the Idaho Statesman this week to preview Boise State’s home game against the Lobos.
QB Terry Wilson Jr. has been out since suffering a dislocated elbow more than a month ago. What can you tell us about his replacement, redshirt freshman Isaiah Chavez?
He’s dealing with a right ankle injury himself. He hasn’t been 100% the past couple weeks. He’s a great leader, and it seems like the team responds to him well. He has a reputation as a tough kid. He was a walk-on and was the fifth-string quarterback last year, so everybody respects him for his hard work and ability to move up the depth chart.
When’s he’s 100% and at his best, he takes care of the ball and manages the offense. When he does that, they can pull off an upset like they did against Wyoming. But these past couple weeks, he hasn’t been able to take care of the ball and the offense has faltered.
There’s a drop-off as far as throwing ability between him and Wilson. I’ve referred to Wilson as the team’s top offensive player because he can do so many things, the top being making the throws the other quarterbacks simply can’t at this point. The difference is Chavez has been able to get the offense to play at a higher level with his leadership. There’s just something about him, and the Lobos have been playing better since he took over. There isn’t much of a drop in running ability between Chavez and Wilson. They can both make big plays with their legs.
If Chavez can’t finish the game, who is New Mexico’s No. 3 option at quarterback?
If they have to go with their No. 3 guy, that’s where things get tricky. Anything goes, to be honest. I think they would mix it up because they want to redshirt CJ Montes, who might be the future. They brought a student manager out of retirement last week in Bryson Carroll. He had some eligibility left after he was recruited to UNM as an option quarterback. He’s kept in shape and he might actually see some playing time this week. If Chavez tweaks that ankle again and they want to continue running the option, Carroll might be the best quarterback to go with. The guy behind him is maybe Connor Genal, a walk-on. But anything goes if Chavez goes down. Maybe New Mexico would go with some sort of wildcat quarterback.
The Lobos switched from a pro-style offense to a pistol option scheme after Chavez took over. Why the switch, and has New Mexico been successful in the new scheme?
They’ve been able to get the running game going in that system. Last week, freshman Aaron Dumas had his first career 100-yard game, rushing for 143 yards against Fresno State, and he was Mountain West Freshman of the Week, and it had a lot to do with that scheme. I think injuries played a big role in switching to the pistol option. New Mexico had a lot of injuries at wide receiver earlier this year and they haven’t been able to be as explosive on the perimeter, so they’ve been keeping everything closer to the line of scrimmage. The offensive line has struggled, which is another reason that they switched to a little bit of a simpler scheme, and the switch at quarterback prompted the switch in offensive scheme. Once Wilson went down, they had to go with Chavez and Montes, who have skill sets that fit the option much better.
New Mexico is averaging 13.6 points a game, which ranks last in the Mountain West this season. Why have the Lobos struggled to score?
Injuries have been a big part in it and struggles on the offensive line, too. They really thought that was going to be a strong point at the beginning of the season. They’ve been struggling at depth on the line for the last few years, but they felt good this year because they returned four starters. They’ve still struggled, though, and they’ve had to juggle guys at different positions, and those struggles have trickled down to the rest of the offense.
Because of injuries, the offense never got to get on the same page, and they’ve been playing tight, where last year they played loose and went out and had a couple of high-scoring games to end the season. They have had glimpses of success, though, and they believe in Dumas as a playmaker, so they have confidence that they can turn it around.
What makes Rocky Long’s defense so unique, and who are some players Boise State should be aware of on that side of the ball?
The uniqueness comes from the disguises. Blitzes can come from anywhere, and they rely on their safeties a lot to come up and make plays against the run. They focus on stopping the run first. They’ve had some struggles against the pass, but they’ve played better in recent weeks.
Joey Noble has been their playmaker throughout the season. He makes a lot of plays at defensive end and leads the team and the Mountain West with 15.5 tackles for loss. Another playmaker is Ray Leutele, who is an undersized linebacker, but he makes plays. As far as the secondary goes, they’re hoping to get (safety) Tavian Combs back. He was one of the leading tacklers on the team, but he was out last week because of a concussion. Jerrick Reed II was also an All-Mountain West player last year with four interceptions, and he has one this year.
What is going to decide this game, and what is your score prediction?
New Mexico has to play the perfect game. They’re capable of doing that. They did it against Wyoming. They can’t have any turnovers, they have to control the ball and the clock, and maybe even sprinkle in a couple trick plays to catch Boise State off-guard. They just have so many young players. I believe coach Gonzales said 18 true freshmen played last week. It’s not a matter of effort, it’s a matter of personnel. They lack depth and explosiveness and this game could get away from them on the road. Boise State 38, New Mexico 10.
NEW MEXICO AT BOISE STATE
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Albertsons Stadium
TV: FS1 (Alex Faust, Petros Papadakis). That’s channel 146 on Sparklight, 219 on DirecTV and 150 on Dish Network.
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 6-4, 4-2 MW; New Mexico 3-7, 1-5 MW
Series: Boise State is 10-1 against New Mexico, and the Broncos have won four straight in the series. The Broncos and Lobos didn’t play last season because of COVID-19.
Vegas line: Boise State by 27.5
Weather: High of 47 degrees, 8% chance of rain, 9 mph winds
This story was originally published November 18, 2021 at 2:12 PM.
