sean reider , albuquerque journal, n.m.
·4 min read
Jul. 26—When Devon Dampier's status on the depth chart changed, his mindset didn't.
"We have a really competitive QB room, especially with who we just brought in," New Mexico's sophom*ore quarterback said after Thursday's practice. "It's still always a competition. I'm never gonna play down even though I've been named the starter already. But it's definitely great knowing I'm gonna be the starter and just start building those bonds with my teammates and stuff."
And yet: "I've been waiting for this," he said, a smile starting to brim, "my first season kind of being the starter."
No "kind of" necessary. After all, there was no quarterback controversy in the spring. And barring injury or other unforeseen circ*mstances, it's unlikely there will be one over the next few weeks. Dampier, a 6-foot, 198-pound dual-threat talent who accounted for 893 total yards and 10 touchdowns with no interceptions as a freshman, was tabbed UNM's starter in the spring under head coach Bronco Mendenhall and offensive coordinator Jason Beck, who will install a new playbook.
"Devon is a really good decision-maker, and I think he's kind of natural in terms of his leadership," Mendenhall said on Thursday. "He's youthful by age, but pretty seasoned and pretty poised in relation to that, and with relation to the experience he's had. (He's a) dynamic football player — we're lucky to have him."
"He's a smart kid, so I was impressed with how quickly he picks things up and learns," Beck told the Journal in June. "And then his decision-making — when it comes down to it, that's what it's all about, making high-speed decisions and he did a nice job of that this spring. So, I think as he continues to get more reps and (gets) more comfortable, hopefully those things just continue."
Dampier's focus this summer was to make sure they did continue. Heading into his first season as a starter, he said he worked to get his reads down maybe more than anything else while trying to learn all the ins-and-outs of Beck's offense.
"I just want to know where I'm going with every play," he added. "I want to be able to answer a question on the board and without any help — like just fully knowing the offense. This time is to fully lock that in. I feel like I learned a lot during spring, so now the offense feels (familiar) to me.
"Now it's just locking in and making it automatic."
And while the recent sample size isn't huge — camp only started this week — Dampier can already see the differences.
"When I used to play football, I feel like I used to kinda just be out there looking for open guys," he said. "Now that I'm actually learning the game a lot more, I feel like the game's slowing down for me."
FRIDAY: Not that it was a new thing, but UNM's Friday morning practice was colored more by another mantra Mendenhall brought to town than the oft-repeated "earned, not given."
In so many words: "We do it the right way," tight ends coach Matt Johns told the Journal in February, "or we do it again."
At the start of Friday's viewing period, a horn signaled players to break from punt pod drills — splitting up different punt teams — and grab their helmets for warm-ups. Most of the team had congregated to do just that when Mendenhall's megahorn crackled to life with a different message.
"Punt pods," he said, "again!"
So, for maybe the first 10 or so minutes of practice, UNM redid punt drills. Then they warmed up. Stretched a little. And by the end of it, maybe four minutes of observable practice was left.
We'll see what happens during Saturday's practice.
News and notes
INJURY REPORT: One day after spending Thursday's practice off to the side, safety Noa Pola-Gates was in a turquoise jersey (signifying an injured or limited player) on Friday. The Nebraska transfer was seen with a slight limp on Thursday, but his injury — if there is one — is unclear.
QUOTABLE: And what about the other quarterbacks on the team? "(College of the Canyons transfer Emery Floyd) is obviously a dynamic player just like me," Dampier said on Thursday. "He can probably run and pass just as good as me. Then we got (Sussex County CC transfer James Laubstein) — he's a pretty accurate passer. That's definitely what he does the best. And (Isaiah Chavez) is just a playmaker — he's been in the game longer than all of us. He's kinda seen college (football) more than us. So he's really smart when he's dialing up things."
