HE’ S QB 1
New Mexico State names Matt Romero the starter for Saturday’s opener
Matt Romero’s days of flying under the radar ended Tuesday.
New Mexico State University football coach Doug Martin officially named Romero as the Aggies starting quarterback for Saturday’s season opener against Wyoming. The junior college transfer from California’s Palomar College will make his Division 1 debut in front of a national television audience on ESPN2.
Three quarterbacks went into NMSU’s preseason practices vying for the starting job, and Martin intentionally delayed naming a starter until the Aggies’ depth chart for game one was released. The uncertainty ended Tuesday.
“I thought somebody might ask about that,” Martin deadpanned when the first question of his weekly media conference concerned NMSU’s starting quarterback.
After announcing that Romero, senior Nick Jeanty and redshirt freshman Josh Adkins would be listed as Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, on the depth chart, Martin said Romero’s mobility helped him secure the starting job.
“Making plays, whether it’s on the run or throwing the football, it really came down to that,” Martin said. “Even last spring when he was still learning the offense, Matt was making plays and not turning the football over. He’s good in broken-play situations, but over the summer he had a chance to get more familiar with the offense. He’s ready to play.”
Martin largely dismissed the idea of using more than one quarterback on a regular basis. Jeanty, who started several games when previous starter Tyler Rogers was injured over the past three seasons, will start this season in a similar role.
“We’re comfortable with Nick in there,” Martin said. “I have no problem putting him in if (Romero) gets shaken up or we just need to settle him down. But at the end of the day we hope to be a one-quarterback offense.”
Romero, a 6-foot-2, 204-pound junior, said New Mexico State’s offense was familiar to him from day one. Romero passed for 5,873 yards and 49 touchdowns in his two seasons at Palomar College.
“It’s really the exact same offense I ran at Palomar,” Romero said during the the Aggies’ media day in late July. “There’s a lot of new terminology to learn but the plays are the same. That made things a lot easier for me.”
Starting tailback Jason Huntley said Romero’s ability to make plays with his legs adds a dimension to NMSU’s offense.
“He keeps plays alive and gives us a chance to get open,” Huntley said. “I really like that about him.”
Martin said NMSU’s basic offense will not change much with Romero at quarterback.
“Every quarterback has specific things they like to do,” Martin said. “Matt likes to run, which helps the offensive line out, and that’s fine as long as he knows when to run out of bounds and stays healthy. But as an offense, we’re going to throw the football. That’s what we do and Matt has to be successful throwing it.”
Wyoming also will be breaking in a new quarterback Saturday at Aggie Memorial Stadium. Cowboys coach Craig Bohl announced this week that redshirt freshman Tyler Vander Waal will start ahead of senior Nick Smith. Last season’s starter, Josh Allen, was drafted No. 7 overall by the Buffalo Bills in April’s NFL Draft.