AUSTIN WARD Star-Tribune staff writer | Posted: Friday, August 1, 2008 12:00 am
New Mexico quarterback Donovan Porterie already delivered the bowl win that had been so elusive for so long.
But coach Rocky Long has been expecting something even better since landing the decorated recruit out of Texas three years ago, and he doesn't do much to keep it a secret.
"When I recruited Donovan I thought he would be the guy to lead us to our first conference title since 1964," Long said. "So it's got to be in the next two years."
No pressure, right?
Porterie's already ended a 46-year bowl victory drought, but it would likely take a spectacular junior season for him to fulfill the grander prophecy - though that's hardly an indictment of the strength of the Lobos.
New Mexico is once again stacked on defense, particularly in the secondary, and Porterie will have the luxury of handing off to talented senior running back Rodney Ferguson.
What he won't have this season are two all-conference receivers bound for the NFL, and replacing Travis Brown and Marcus Smith could be the biggest hurdle for Porterie and the Lobos as they try to snap another lengthy streak.
"They were a big asset to the offense last year," Porterie said. "They did some good things, got into the secondary, made plays after the catch, but the same thing was said about those guys when they came in as the guys we have now.
"We're going to have a good rotation at receiver. … You just have to go out there and control what you can control. We're going to work hard every day, and we're looking for big things out of those guys."
The same is true under center, especially after Porterie's breakout sophomore season.
Obviously some of the credit goes to his talented targets, but 3,006 passing yards and 15 touchdowns are impressive no matter who's on the receiving end.
Now he's just got to duplicate it with guys that aren't quite as well known.
No pressure, right?
"Like any quarterback, you want the challenge," Porterie said. "Any quarterback in the conference wants to be the quarterback that leads his team to the conference championship."
The clock is ticking.
AIR FORCE: Shaun Carney - gone.
Carson Bird, Drew Fowler, Bobby Giannini - so long.
Do-it-all dynamo Chad Hall - moving on.
The list could go on, and Falcons coach Troy Calhoun isn't unaware of the difficult situation he's facing in Year Two at the Academy.
"Just a couple, is that it?" Calhoun joked.
In all, the Falcons lost 14 starters to graduation, a group that helped Calhoun make his splashy debut but also left him with plenty of holes to fill.
Calhoun is a realist, and he's acknowledged that a step back might be natural as he continues to reestablish a program that was starting to slip under predecessor Fisher DeBerry.
But he also is an optimist with unwavering belief in the type of kids the Academy attracts.
"Our strengths will not necessarily be redshirts, especially practice redshirts, it will not be transfers or going to junior college to pick up a couple guys for the season," Calhoun said. "Our strength, and it will always be at the Air Force Academy, is relying heavily on the character development and the leadership qualities that these guys bring to our football team."
Undoubtedly Calhoun has some leaders ready to pick up where Carney, Hall and Co., left off.
He'll probably need more than just a couple though.
MWC Tracker
The Star-Tribune takes a closer look at all nine members of the Mountain West Conference leading up to the first day of fall camp for Wyoming on Monday.
WEDNESDAY: BYU and UNLV.
THURSDAY: Utah and Colorado State.
FRIDAY: TCU and San Diego State.
TODAY: New Mexico coach Rocky Long has had great expectations for quarterback Donovan Porterie since recruiting him, and a bowl win was just the beginning.
Air Force would be hard-pressed to match the stunning success of last season, but Troy Calhoun isn't going to pack it in just because he has to replace 14 starters.
SUNDAY: Wyoming.
Contact sports reporter Austin Ward at (307) 266-0634 or austin.ward@trib.com.