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The Santa Fe New Mexican
Lobos to stick with two-quarterback rotation for Oklahoma, possibly beyond
- Story byThe Santa Fe New Mexican
- Lobos to stick with two-quarterback rotation for Oklahoma, possibly beyond
If it ain't broke …
Everyone knows how the rest of that saying goes, as does University of New Mexico football coach Jason Eck.
The Lobos' frontman has been asked repeatedly about his quarterback situation, the two-man rotation of Toa Fa'avae and Luke Moga . Fa'avae has started the first two games of the season with both signal-callers getting equal opportunities on the field.
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Eck's answer? If it ain't broke …
UNM heads to No. 24 Oklahoma on Saturday with the same mindset it has kept for the first two games: Stick with the two-headed rotation until one of them plays well enough to get some separation.
"I don't think there's a great separation right now," Eck said. "We've got to keep playing to each guy's strengths and putting them in the best chance to be successful, but I don't feel like someone has pulled away to the point where we thought, 'Hey, this guy — we're hurting ourselves by not playing one of them.' "
If one were to look solely at passing percentage, Moga has a distinct edge. He's completing 65.4% of his pass attempts (17 for 26 with three touchdowns to Fa'avae's 41.2% with one score) while Fa'avae is the more dangerous runner (57 yards to Moga's 0).
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Moga said he was always considered a running quarterback in high school and in his first two seasons at Oregon . Now in his first year with the Lobos, he finds it strange that he's now considered a passer.
"We're all mobile guys," he said, referring to himself, Fa'avae and UNM's other option at quarterback, James Laubstein. "I will say the past two years all I've heard is my legs, my legs. Now I'm just an arm, and I'm a pocket passer, which is cool. But I want to let you guys know I'm fast, too."
Eck hasn't decided who will start against the Sooners , but if his formula holds, it will be Fa'avae for two possessions, Moga for two, then a total feel for who to run out there next.
"I wouldn't say that's set in stone forever or anything," Eck said. "I do like the thought of having — that was really, kind of, the deciding factor in the beginning part — is just having the guy who has shown a little more knack for running it. You know, early, to make some things happen."
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The Lobos' last game did little to give either player a chance to showcase their passing skills. UNM attempted only 18 passes in a 70-7 rout of Mercyhurst, and both quarterbacks had bad overthrows on plays that likely would have produced touchdowns had the throws been accurate.
"There are some things they both need to work on," Eck said, adding he's taking the wait-and-see approach for the next step.
"Play it by feel," he said. "Certainly if a guy leads us on two touchdown drives on his first two drives, probably you're going to see more of him than if a guy leads us to two three-and-outs."
NOTES
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UNM ranks 21st in the FBS in rushing offense, averaging 246 yards through two games. … Saturday's game falls on Sept. 19, and in UNM football's long history, Sept. 19 has not been kind. The Lobos have played nine times on that date and lost eight times. The only win came during World War II, when they beat Kirtland Air Force Base (yes, the base had a team back then). The final score was 7-6. Since then, they've lost to New Mexico State (1959), Utah (1964), Iowa State (1970), Texas Tech (1981), Arizona (1987), SMU (1992), New Mexico State (1998) and Air Force (2019). … The Lobos have never beaten a team while it was an active member of the SEC. They did beat Missouri 45-35 on the road in 2005, but the Tigers were still in the Big 12. UNM is 0-9 in games against SEC member schools. ... This is the Lobos' third meeting with OU, but the Sooners were in what was known as the Big Six (later the Big Eight, then Big 12) back then. … The Sooners have been installed as a 22.5-point favorite. … To simulate the anticipated crowd noise this weekend, UNM has placed speakers behind the offensive huddle and piped in music and ambient noise, forcing the players to deal with the elements. Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium seats 80,126, and a sellout crowd is expected.
