Aggies: It’s not too late to turn season around
LAS CRUCES — The New Mexico State Aggies could dearly use a good night’s work followed by a good night’s sleep.
Neither has been easy to come by through the first three weeks of the college football season as NMSU has been on the wrong side of blowouts. But the Aggies will host rival New Mexico tonight knowing that things could look different in the morning.
“Things haven’t been going as we expected, but it’s not too late,” junior running back Jason Huntley said. “We’ve got big rivalry games the next two weeks (NMSU visits UTEP on Sept. 22). It’s a big chance for us to turn things back in a positive direction.”
Aggies coach Doug Martin expressed similar sentiments this week, pointing out that his team
was 2-4 after six games last season and went on finish 7-6 with a rare bowl game victory.
Still, coming off an ugly 60-13 loss at Utah State last week, Martin knows turning things around will not be easy or simple.
“I’m worried about so many things I’m not sleeping at night,” Martin said this week. “We’re struggling to find an identity with this team and really still need to get our season started. But this rivalry game is a great opportunity to do that. We’re looking forward to it.”
Despite having beaten UNM (1-1) the past two seasons, NMSU (0-3) was listed as a 4-point underdog as of Friday afternoon. Martin pointed out that the last several Lobos-Aggies contests have come down to the wire, including NMSU’s 30-28 win in Albuquerque last season.
Considering how their first three games this season have gone, the Aggies would be delighted to find themselves in a fourthquarter battle tonight.
For that to happen, New Mexico State’s defense must first and foremost stop the run. The Aggies have allowed nearly 300 yards per game on the ground this season, which is problematic against a New Mexico offense expected to be without its starting quarterback tonight.
“If we can’t stop the run it doesn’t matter who the quarterback is,” Martin said. “When you play New Mexico, you have to make the quarterback beat you, and that’s easier said than done.”
Linebacker Billy Nipp, who has been forced into extended action by numerous NMSU defensive injuries, said it’s a matter of execution.
“New Mexico is a good offensive team,” Nipp said. “They’ve got great team speed, and the offensive line is physical. But if you look at the film of our first three games, it comes down to making routine plays. We’ve had guys where they need to be and we haven’t made tackles. That can’t happen against UNM.”
The Aggies also must find a way to be more productive on offense. They rank among the nation’s worst in scoring (10 points per game), third-down conversions (24.5 percent) and total offense (229 yards per game). But instead of focusing on each shortcoming, Martin spent this week taking a simpler approach.
“I just want to see us relax, turn it loose and go play,” he said. “What I’ve seen in practice hasn’t carried over to the games this year. Saturday is supposed to be the reward for the work you put in all week. It’s time for us to play hard and have fun.”