N. Mex RB ineligible ...

[mabus]

Saw this story just now and did not know anything about it. I have not kept up with N. Mex this year, but this seems to be a large development.
Can anyone fill me in with more? Thanks.

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New Mexico RB ruled ineligible for bowl game


Dec. 18, 2007
CBSSports.com wire reports

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Star New Mexico running back Rodney Ferguson won't play in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday after being declared academically ineligible.

Reserve running back Mike Love also is ineligible and cannot play when the Lobos (8-4) meet Nevada (6-6).

Ferguson, a junior, was the team's top rusher the past two seasons. He had 1,177 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns this season. Last year, he led the conference with 1,234 yards rushing.

Paul Baker will start at tailback. The junior has 324 yards rushing this season, with a career-high 54 yards in a season-opening loss at UTEP.

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[IE]

New Mexico Bowl notebook: Ferguson's backup ready to start

Five inches, 34 pounds and 879 rushing yards this season.

The measurable differences between University of New Mexico running backs Rodney Ferguson and his backup, Paul Baker, are impossible to miss.

Despite those sizable numbers and Tuesday's even bigger news that Ferguson is academically ineligible, Lobos players and coaches remain confident UNM's running attack won't sputter in Saturday's New Mexico Bowl against Nevada.

"Anytime a backup plays, I'm always confident," Lobos cornerback DeAndre Wright said. "It's their opportunity to show the world what they can do."

What the 5-foot-7, 195-pound Baker has done so far is run for 298 yards on 87 carries (a 3.4-yard average) in a limited role. During the season, he typically entered games when Ferguson needed a breather, averaging 7.25 carries per game.

Baker's last stint as the marquee back came during the 2003 season at Sam Houston High in Arlington, Texas. He finished that season with 1,527 yards, more than all but nine runners in the Lone Star State's mammoth Class 5A.

"I can tell you this, I'm going to be ready for the game," Baker said. "I'm definitely confident in myself. I can do the job. That's not an issue."

UNM coach Rocky Long shares that belief.

Said Long: "We anticipate that Paul Baker will have a great game."

Lobos wide receiver Travis Brown has seen glimmers of promise in Baker at practice.

"He's a leader on the field," Brown said. "Regardless of not starting or anything like that, he's always been a leader. He always has a willing hand. He's always eager and enthusiastic about what he does."

Enthusiastic or not, Baker must be ready to absorb more hits. He hasn't gotten more than nine carries since UNM played Wyoming on Oct. 13. Ferguson, who led the Mountain West Conference in rushing attempts, averaged nearly 25 per game.

After Baker on the depth chart at running back will likely be fullbacks Matt Quillen and Josh Fussell. While they are considerably bigger, Quillen and Fussell have combined for only 10 carries this season.

Long doesn't expect the loss of Ferguson to deflate team morale.

"He is not a leader for us," Long said of Ferguson. "He's a good football player. He is not a leader."

Added Brown: "It's not so much that he let the team down; he let himself down more than anything."

Ferguson didn't practice with the team Monday or Tuesday. Long said Ferguson had asked to take Monday off because of a "personal issue." The coach learned Tuesday morning that Ferguson was ineligible.

"For a guy to come up ineligible this time of year after it's emphasized all year long, there's only one person in charge of that and that's him," Long said. "For 99.9 percent of our players, if they try hard, they're eligible. If they don't try hard, they're not."

Long said five other players' grades have yet to be finalized. That means more could be deemed ineligible, but Long said he does not anticipate that.

 

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Pack football: Five keys to bowl victory


The Nevada football team faces New Mexico in the second annual New Mexico Bowl on Saturday at Albuquerque's University Stadium. RGJ college football writer Dan Hinxman offers his five keys to victory for the Wolf Pack.

1. Slow down New Mexico's attacking defense

The Lobos bring blitzes and stunts from all over the field. It will be critical for the Wolf Pack offensive line to pick up the blitzers, especially from the outside -- Nevada has the least experience on the line at tackle and New Mexico's defensive line strength is at the ends.

2. Take advantage of the Lobos' loss of RB Ferguson

The 6-foot, 229-pound Ferguson has a Lobo-record 292 carries this season, but will miss the bowl game (academically ineligible). Paul Baker (5-7, 195) is a quicker and less powerful back who had just 87 carries. The Lobos will likely need a big game out of him.

3. Control the clock with a consistent running attack

The best way to neutralize an attacking defense is with a smashmouth ground game, and the Pack appears well-equipped to do that (it leads the WAC in rushing). If the Pack's offensive line can clear the way for a strong north-south run game, it can hoist the trophy.

4. Let New Mexico have its field goals

Lobo kicker John Sullivan leads the nation in field goals made with 26, partly because the Lobos have not had much success getting into the end zone (10 TDs in 46 red-zone chances). If this game is close, and it should be, the Pack will be happy to trade touchdowns for field goals.

5. Get a "smart" game out of Kaepernick

The Pack probably doesn't need freshman QB Colin Kaepernick to win this game with his arm, but it does need him to be smart when he does throw. The Lobos' 3-3-5 defense can confuse and frustrate a quarterback. Kaepernick will likely be effective with the QB draw.