2010 New Mexico State Aggies Football Preview

2009 Results: 3-10, No Bowl

Head Coach: DeWayne Walker (2nd year @ NMSU, 3-11 Overall)

Home Venue: Aggie Memorial Stadium (30,343) Las Cruces, New Mexico

How bad have things been in the past five seasons for New Mexico State? The Aggies have failed to lose less than eight games in every single campaign! Things were business as usual last year in DeWayne Walker’s first season as the Aggies lost ten games while scoring the fewest points in the entire country! Can a much more experienced team help NMSU improve in 2010?

OFFENSE

The offense was downright miserable in 2009, scoring only 11 points per game. This can be attributed to the poor performance of the passing attack, which didn’t even average 100 yards per game! Junior QB Jeff Fleming threw three times as many TDs as interceptions last year and will be working with perhaps the worst set of receivers in the conference, so I don’t expect anything resembling a scary air game this year.

The running game is much better, thanks to senior Seth Smith (1,106 yards), who powered the Aggies to over 140 yards per game on the ground last year. While there isn’t great depth behind him, he should find space to run behind a decent line that returns three starters and adds former Texas Longhorn Aundre McGaskey at right tackle.

However, despite the mild positive of the running game and improved line, this group has so much ground to make up in scoring points to be remotely competitive. The Aggies will be another one dimensional team this season and it seems unlikely that they’ll make a major enough improvement across the board to avoid fielding a poor offense in 2010.

DEFENSE

The defense was downright terrible last season, allowing nearly 32 points per game. Unfortunately, that doesn’t adequately explain how bad the Aggies truly were as they allowed over 200 yards per game on the ground and through the air to cede a total of more than 420 yards per outing.

There are reasons for optimism with the return of the core of the defensive line and the entire secondary. Most impressive up front is the junior DE pairing of Pierre Fils (53 tackles, 7 sacks) and Donte Savage (53 tackles, 6 sacks), the 2 nd most sack-tastic D-Line pairing in the conference. The secondary is even more impressive, led by 1st Team All-WAC corner Davon House (68 tackles, 13 Pass Break Ups, 3 INT). Furthermore, he is one of four returning upperclassmen starters and that should equate to improved production this year.

The downside is at linebacker, where all three starters are gone. That’s a big concern as the departed seniors combined for 246 stops in 2009! While things are in place for a good pass rush and aerial defense, the Aggies are still wide open to be beaten on the ground and I expect to see opponents run right at NMSU all year to great effect. This defense still has a long way to go.

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SCHEDULE

The Aggies only play 12 games this year as they host Hawai’i. Even better, six of those games are at home. While that’s good news, lowering the bowl eligibility requirement to six wins, there are some worries as well. NMSU has to travel to Kansas and UTEP in non-conference play and hosts rising SDSU to kick off the season. Conference play includes trips to Nevada and Fresno State but the silver lining is that their rivalry showdown with New Mexico is at home. Finally, the Aggies play 12 consecutive games after starting the season a week after the rest of the country, which essentially leaves them without an off week.

OUTLOOK

The Aggies look like a much more talented team compared to Coach Walker’s first crew. The lines look tougher and the secondary might be one of the best in the league. However, there is an outright dearth of talent at the skill positions and a major drain at linebacker and that’s really hard to overlook. The Aggies aren’t going to be able to stop the run and their offense isn’t going to be able to score enough points to keep up with opponents dominating the clock. Expect another really rough year for the New Mexico State Aggies.

PREDICTED RESULT: 1-11 (1-7 WAC)