ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – UNM Lobos senior safety Tavion Combs is letting patience have its perfect work. He’s working his way back from an ACL tear that put him on the sidelines, back in 2022, in only the third game of the season. Combs tried to return last season but could never get to one hundred percent healthy.
After surgery to repair the injury, Combs is about two months away from getting back and has spent his limited action in spring football learning. ” I’m just trying to learn what everybody is doing because football is football,” said Combs. “You can only run so many plays on offense and do so many coverages on defense, man coverage, zone coverage. So, after you learn everybody’s spot and figure out what everybody does, it kind of slows the game down for you. So, once you figure out what you’re doing at your position and the guys beside you, which is the we part, then you can solely focus on the other opponent.”
Prior to his injury in 2022 Combs had a sophomore season where he started in 11 games and finished second on the team in tackles. He likes what he sees from first-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall and the new staff and can’t wait to see what it brings in the fall. “The way that stuff is being dispersed and called by our defensive coordinator, I would say it’s really fun because you are able to see different angles, different pressures, and stuff that you normally don’t see as a defense,” said Combs. And, that’s going to mess up the quarterback. I love playing defense. I love to mess with quarterbacks.”
The Lobos will start the regular season during zero week, August 24. They will host Montana State.
