Hello Lobo Fan!

We are fired up and ready to keep the road "mojo" rolling this Saturday in Fort Collins. In this week's edition, we have the viewing/listening information for this Saturday's tilt versus CSU but we also include a unique look into football program travel experience. We've been away from home for 4 of our first 6 games and we'd like to bring you inside the experience so you have an understanding of how much happens in such a short period of time!

Of course, this edition also highlights this week's happenings and some of the great accomplishments by our Lobo Football student-athletes!

Okay, here's what we have for you in this edition:

Now that we're into conference play, we wanted to remind you of the opportunity to celebrate the good work our student-athletes do on and off the field through our "Love Your Lobos" program.

In partnership with Sadie's of New Mexico, the "Love Your Lobos" program is a simple way to support our student-athletes in a way that matches what you care about. You can pledge $0.89 for our success in an offensive, defensive or academic category. In return, Sadie's of NM provides you with a $10.00 off coupon for in-store or online purchases! Take a look!

Your Lobos had a complete effort against UNLV in Vegas last week. Several of our student-athletes received some pretty cool individual recognition this week. WR Delane Hart-Johnson and QB Sheriron Jones were named to the MW All-Conference Offensive team. Delane hauled in 6 catches for a total of 80 yards and 1 TD. While Jones passed for 250 yards, rushed for 72 yards and had 4 TD's in his standout performance against the Rebels. Jones was also named as a finalist for the Manning Award's Stars of the Week list!  

Our Senior Linebacker Evahelotu Tohi was selected to the MW Conference Defensive team of the week! And, Evahelotu earned another noteworthy recognition this week: The Polynesian Football Hall of Fame added Tohi to the 2018 Watch List for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award. Read more about Tohi and this special recognition below:

We've been road warriors this season, with 4 of our first 6 games away from Dreamstyle Stadium. We'd like to take you inside the travel experience of our student-athletes, coaches and the many tremendous staff. Before we dive in, we've included our travel itinerary from last week's trip to Las Vegas. Take a minute to open up this document and see how much effort goes into traveling to and from a road game!

Typically, we spend between 24hrs to 30hrs on-site. We'll spend the night before our game on-site and then return home immediately following the conclusion of our game. Of course, we all know travel plans are never perfect! Last week, our return from Las Vegas was delayed by 6 hours and our travel contingent returned to Albuquerque at around 1am Sunday morning

Friday: Departure Day, Travel, Game Preparation & Academic Work

Typically, we leave after lunch on the day before gameday. Our student-athletes are dressed for success - literally! We require the guys to depart wearing dress shirts, ties, sport coats and dress pants, as we want them to understand our business approach to travel. And, we also want our student-athletes to own and understand the importance of business attire when entering their post-UNM careers!

The "team function" agenda item often includes our student-athletes finishing up academic work prior to their busy Saturday and Sunday. We've mentioned our amazing academic support team in previous editions but we need to again highlight the importance of Andrea Pierson, Levi Norwood and Derek Sokoloff to our team. Our student-athletes are able to keep excelling in academic because of this team's dedicated support!

Curfew is 10pm!

Saturday: Morning prep, Gameday action, & return to ABQ!

Saturday morning begins with the opportunity for our student-athletes to attend chapel. Then, we quickly hold positional meetings and depart for the stadium.

Of course, you know what happens on the field! Following the game, our student-athletes "suit-up" again in their business attire and we bus directly from the stadium to the airport. The guys have their post-game meal typically on the bus or airplane.

Sunday: But wait, we're not done! We "debrief" and look ahead

Our student-athletes have the morning to work on personal and academic responsibilities and/or receive treatment from our amazing training staff. We reconvene at 4pm and close the book on the weekend by reviewing film from the previous day's games. Then, we begin game-planning for the next week's matchup. Lastly, we hit the practice field Sunday evening!

"I was thoroughly impressed by the coaches and players. Everyone was so professional and friendly. You guys have done a tremendous job with those young men. Every player I talked to addressed me with a "yes sir" or "no sir." So respectful and so refreshing. I have been telling everyone at work about it! So easy to want to support them. Thanks again!"

This quote was sent by Del Archuleta, a UNM Football supporter who traveled to Las Vegas last weekend. Thanks Del Archuleta for your kind words!

We'll be back in touch soon. Thank you for your support!

Go Lobos!

Brian DeSpain

UNM Football