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The Santa Fe New Mexican
Still no victor in Lobos' amiable quarterback battle
- Story byThe Santa Fe New Mexican
- Still no victor in Lobos' amiable quarterback battle
ALBUQUERQUE
As quarterback controversies go, this one's pretty tame.
No animosity. No tension. No jealousy or entitlement.
"I mean, we're all pretty close," said University of New Mexico veteran backup quarterback James Laubstein. "We all get along."
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Just days away from New Mexico's football opener, Lobos coach Jason Eck has yet to name a starter for Saturday's game against Central Michigan. With returning starter Jack Layne injured, the battle for QB1 falls to Oregon transfer Luke Moga , second-year man Toa Fa'avae, and Laubstein.
Eck joked that he's holding off on naming his starter to keep fans guessing and maybe sell a few more tickets.
"It's a to-be-continued episode," he said. "Get your tickets, come to the game and you'll find out Saturday night."
Layne had surgery Monday on the right elbow in his throwing arm and will be out for the season. Ordinarily, the loss of a returning starter would be cause for concern, but Eck said he saw it coming from a mile away. Layne had a similar issue with that same elbow last year and managed to play through it, leading the Lobos to a share of the Mountain West regular season title and a bowl game in Phoenix.
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Layne was sidelined all spring and didn't take a meaningful snap during fall camp. He was a mainstay at practice, though, suiting up in full uniform for every workout while standing a few yards behind each play and miming the action. He did everything but take hits or throw the ball.
Every snap with the first team went to Moga, Laubstein and Fa'avae. The trio got equal opportunities to impress the coaching staff and work with the first string.
Moga was recruited out of the transfer portal to challenge for Layne's spot, but he has yet to separate himself in a quarterback room that, according to Laubstein, doesn't have any personality conflicts or issues between players.
"Football's an ever-evolving game," he said. "Just trying to take it one game at a time, always trying to get better in all aspects off the field, in the weight room, on the field, whatever it may be."
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While Laubstein has the most experience in a Lobos uniform, he hasn't filled the role as a traditional quarterback. He appeared in 12 games last season despite a hairline fracture in his leg. He threw just 17 passes while rushing for 363 yards. He was, by any measure, the QB brought in to get the tough yards on draw plays out of a shotgun formation and not the guy to throw a deep out pattern into traffic.
He has spent a good part of fall camp showing more of a run-pass balance, as have Moga and Fa'avae.
Eck originally recruited Fa'avae to play at Idaho but came with the coach when he arrived in Albuquerque. Fa'avae played in one game last season, rushing the ball one time for two yards. He never threw a pass.
Moga didn't have much more than that in his two years at Oregon, but anytime your name is attached to a power program like the Ducks, it makes for an interesting conversation starter everywhere you go. Moga understands that and knows what his role at UNM is going to be.
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"The idea of recruiting a player like Luke was to make us better," Eck said.
Moga said his biggest focus in preseason camp was not turning the ball over and operating within the Lobos' system. In other words, run the offense and don't be a gunslinger. Eck's offense demands control, patience and game management.
"I think I've definitely taken steps since spring," Moga said. "I think just being out there and getting reps has helped me a lot."
Moga stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 208 pounds; two inches shorter than Laubstein and 20 pounds heavier than Fa'avae. He has shown the ability to run the ball and escape out of the pocket, but has been smooth when throwing the intermediate and crossing routes that are a staple of Eck's offense.
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Layne did get to a point this fall where he tried to throw the ball in non-contact drills, but the pain from a torn ligament forced the medical staff to shut him down. Because it was nothing new for the senior who spent three seasons with Eck at Idaho before coming to New Mexico, the coaching staff was bracing for the moment long before fall camp even started.
"We've been planning to go in other directions and, you know, those guys have gotten a lot better," Eck said. "I feel good about it. I feel our depth has greatly improved this year."
Prodded all week about the starting role, Eck has refused to budge. Regardless of who gets the call, it's a safe bet at least two of them will see significant minutes in a platoon situation. To that end, Laubstein will likely get action running draw plays in short-yardage situations while Moga — who seems to have an edge coming out of camp — and Fa'avae will run more traditional offensive sets.
NOTES
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Dirty dozen: This will be the 12th season in a row UNM will have a different starting quarterback for the season opener. That's the longest streak of any team in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Layne would have snapped that streak had he stayed healthy.
Ironically, the two teams tied for the second-longest streak will both have their streaks end this weekend when Utah starts Devon Dampier and Louisiana-Monroe starts Aidan Armenta. Both players transferred to their current schools from UNM; Armenta is an Albuquerque native who played in high school at La Cueva.
Dampier was the Mountain West's offensive player of the year two years ago under then-coach Bronco Mendenhall before entering the portal and joining the Utes .
