LOBO FOOTBALL
UNM defense dominates as freshman safety shines
Marco Beltran's interception and a dominant defensive performance highlighted Thursday's Lobo football practice, with the first scrimmage now set for Saturday at 10 a.m.
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Some practices, it鈥檚 a fool鈥檚 errand to try and declare a winner on either side of the ball. The defense might dominate one team period. The offense might dominate the next. Sometimes it鈥檚 just a little too close to call, a little too black-and-white amid plenty of gray.
That was not Thursday鈥檚 practice.
On the second day of half pads, UNM鈥檚 defense jumped all over its offensive counterparts and never really let up, issuing one of the more uneven days of camp to this point.
A quick sample of notable players and plays:
Defensive ends Darren Agu and Albert Tuakalau, linebackers Jaxton Eck and Clay Martineau and safety Drew Speech all notched what would鈥檝e been sacks across different team periods; defensive end Elijah Brody stopped quarterback Luke Moga on a fourth-and-1 attempt; and defensive end Brett Karhu corralled a running Moga on third-and-5, a play defensive coordinator Spence Nowinsky was absolutely thrilled with.
To be clear, it wasn鈥檛 all the defense鈥檚 doing. Eck called off a team passing session after a string of procedural issues on offense, sending both sides of the ball to separate fields for a period.
Offensive lineman Malik Aliane 鈥� one of UNM鈥檚 two permanent captains 鈥� made sure the rest of the offense got the message.
鈥淎s a whole,鈥� he said during a huddle, 鈥渨e gotta pick it up!鈥�
One defensive standout from Thursday: safety Marco Beltran. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound freshman intercepted a pass from quarterback Toa Fa鈥檃vae to help earn the hammer, awarded to whoever Eck deems the player of the practice.
Beltran鈥檚 spot as a punt returner has been pretty secure since he started with UNM as an early enrollee this spring. But after repping mostly with the third-string defense to start camp, he鈥檚 gaining some reps at boundary and free safety with the Lobos鈥� second-stringers in their dime (six defensive backs) package.
UNM鈥檚 talented group of freshman receivers have gained a lot of attention throughout camp. But if there鈥檚 a freshman defensive back that deserves similar shine, it鈥檚 Beltran, who鈥檚 crediting a lot his recent success to his decision to enroll in January.
鈥淚f there鈥檚 one thing I could say to all the young recruits out there, I would 100% recommend it,鈥� he said Thursday. 鈥淵ou think a few months isn鈥檛 a lot, but in the college world, it gives you so much of an advantage compared to coming up in June.鈥�
Notes and observations
Since the pads have come on, linebacker Clay Martineau has been a real force rushing the passer. After notching at least three sacks between Tuesday and Thursday鈥檚 practices, he鈥檚 trending up in a big way. Keep an eye out for him during UNM鈥檚 first scrimmage.
Tuesday, offensive lineman Elvin Harris had to be helped off the field during a team period. Thursday, he didn鈥檛 practice and sported a full left brace on his left leg; it鈥檚 unclear what he might be dealing with. But after Eck said he was UNM鈥檚 best backup linemen earlier this week, his status is worth paying attention to.
Defensive end Jalen Charles 鈥� who tackled running back Cameron Mathews for a safety Tuesday 鈥� also didn鈥檛 practice Thursday. It鈥檚 unclear what he might be dealing with.
Originally scheduled for 11 a.m., UNM鈥檚 first scrimmage of fall camp is now set to start Saturday at 10 a.m.
Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at .
