Editor's note: This is the first in a nine-part series previewing each football team in the MWC.
LAS VEGAS — New Mexico coach Mike Locksley's first season at the helm was a tumultuous one, to say the least.
Not only did the Lobos finish 1-11 — with their lone victory coming against Colorado State — Locksley's off-field behavior (which included earning a 10-day suspension for punching one of his assistant coaches) created unwanted headlines and distractions that even overshadowed his team's dismal performance.
On the field, UNM finished last in the Mountain West Conference in both scoring offense and scoring defense. In fact, the Lobos were one of the worst offensive teams in the nation — No. 103 in total offense and No. 113 in scoring offense. Defensively, UNM wasn't much better — No. 100 in total defense and No. 113 in scoring defense.
As the Lobos enter the 2010 season, they are hoping for marked improvement. Still, given what happened in 2009, it came as little surprise when UNM was picked to finish last in the MWC preseason media poll.
New Mexico players are eager to prove the results of that poll wrong.
"We definitely will use it as motivation," said junior linebacker Carmen Messina, who led the nation in tackles last season. "We don't see ourselves as being last in the conference. We were just picked there because of what happened last season. We're out to prove we're not the last team in the conference."
Junior offensive lineman Byron Bell said he and his teammates are looking forward to a fresh start this season.
"The off-field issues last year were things we can't control," Bell said. "We're going to move forward. We had a great spring and summer workouts. We're working hard so we can have a better outcome than we did last year."
With the graduation of quarterback Donovan Porterie, the Lobos are developing several young quarterbacks, including projected starter B.R. Holbrook, a sophomore, and freshmen Darain Godfrey and Tarean Austin. Austin is a Florida native who was rated as one of the top dual-threat QBs in the country last year.
There are some bright spots for New Mexico. Messina is considered one of the league's top linebackers, and running back Demond Dennis rushed for 427 yards as a freshman.
Even if New Mexico is better than it was last season, it might not show for a while because the Lobos' early season schedule is brutal. The Lobos open the season at defending Pac-10 champion Oregon, then they host Texas Tech, which is followed by a visit to Utah.
New Mexico Lobos
2010 MWC preseason poll: No. 9
2009 record: 1-11 (1-7 MWC)
Final AP ranking: —
Head coach: Mike Locksley (1-11, second year at New Mexico)
Players to watch
Offense: Sophomore running back Demond Dennis netted 427 yards as a true freshman, made six starts.
Defense: Junior linebacker Carmen Messina was the only sophomore to make All-MWC first team in 2009.
Special teams: Junior kicker James Aho is a former walk-on with three MWC Player of the Week awards.
2010 Schedule
Sept. 4 — at Oregon
Sept. 11 — TEXAS TECH
Sept. 18 — UTAH
Sept. 25 — at UNLV
Oct. 2 — UTEP
Oct. 9 — at New Mexico State
Oct. 23 — SAN DIEGO STATE
Oct. 30 — at Colorado State
Nov. 6 — WYOMING
Nov. 13 — at Air Force
Nov. 20 — at BYU
Nov. 27 — TCU
e-mail: jeffc@desnews.com