Big crowd expected for Aggies-Troy
NMSU to face nemesis in their last Sun Belt meeting
LAS CRUCES — There’s no downplaying the significance of New Mexico State’s Sun Belt Conference football opener today against Troy.
Coming off a successful season-opening road trip to Arizona State and New Mexico, the Aggies (1-1) have stirred up some excitement for their first home game of 2017. NMSU has offered reduced-price tickets for a “Stuff the Stadium” promotion and is expecting a big crowd at Aggie Memorial Stadium. More than 13,000 tickets had been sold Friday afternoon and with student tickets (5,000) and walk-up sales, NMSU ticket manager Patrick Kennedy anticipated a crowd exceeding 20,000 fans.
With I-10 rival UTEP scheduled to visit Las Cruces next week, it’s a chance for the program to build some much-needed momentum. First things first, however. Tonight’s opponent has done absolutely nothing to help NMSU football gain traction during its current Sun Belt tenure. The Trojans have beaten the Aggies mercilessly (41-24, 52-7 and 52-6) the past three seasons and would like nothing better than to thump NMSU one more time before the
Aggies become a football independent in 2018.
Troy (1-1) was picked to finish second in the SBC this season; New Mexico State was picked to end up 10th in the 12-team league.
“A lot of people actually picked (the Trojans) to win the Sun Belt Conference,” NMSU coach Doug Martin said, “and it’s easy to see why. They’ve got NFL prospects, great recruiting, a great coaching staff and a lot of football tradition. We’ve got a tremendous challenge ahead of us.”
New Mexico State showed enough in its first two games — a 37-31 loss at Arizona State followed by a 30-28 win at UNM — that many observers expect tonight’s game to be close. The Trojans were listed as 7-point favorites Friday, and Troy coach Neal Brown made a point to talk up the Aggies during his weekly media conference.
“If you look at New Mexico State, I really felt like this at media days, I thought they’d be the most improved team in our conference,” Neal said. “They’ve proved that correct through the first two games.”
Aggies quarterback Tyler Rogers played in all of the lopsided Troy victories and was quick to own up to his own mistakes against the Trojans. Rogers threw five interceptions against Troy last season.
“Troy’s a really good team across the board,” Rogers said, “and they give you a lot of different looks on defense. As an offense, we really have to study and prepare for this game, especially me.”
New Mexico State’s offense has been clicking, particularly a passing attack that has averaged 399.5 yards over the two games. But Martin expects his offense to be tested against a high-pressure Trojans defense that ranks third nationally with 10.5 tackles for loss per game.
“They shut Boise State down and should’ve won that game,” Martin said of Troy’s 24-13 defeat in Boise in its opener. “We have to do a great job of keeping them off balance and we absolutely must take care of the football.”
Meanwhile, Troy senior quarterback Brandon Silvers, a fouryear starter, is similar to Rogers in his ability to deliver the ball quickly and accurately. Senior running back Jordan Chunn has given NMSU fits in the past, as well, but the Aggies have shown improvement against the run in their first two games of 2017.
“We’re nothing like the team that’s played Troy the last two years,” junior linebacker Javahn Fergurson said. “Being with (defensive coordinator Frank) Spaziani for a second year is making a huge difference. We’re ready to compete.”
The Aggies would like nothing better than to give their home fans a good show and open Sun Belt play on a positive note. Martin and his players also know tonight’s game will serve as something of a measuring stick.
“I think every game’s a measuring stick,” Rogers said, “but this is our conference opener and we’re playing a team that’s really beaten us up the last couple years. It’s a big test for us. We have to be ready.”