Aggies want more than a payday at BYU
New Mexico State gets $700K for tonight’s game, hopes for win
Pressure and expectations don’t figure to be problems for the New Mexico State football team tonight.
The Aggies’ bowl hopes were dashed three weeks ago and they’ll go into tonight’s nationally televised game at BYU as prohibitive underdogs. The Cougars were listed as 24-point favorites Friday and NMSU coach Doug Martin knows what his team will be up against.
“BYU poses a huge challenge for us,” Martin said. “They’re a tremendous defensive football team, one of the best in the country, and as usual they’ve got size and speed on both sides of the ball.”
But if there’s one intangible that might
favor the visitors, it’s pressure. BYU (5-5) needs one more win to become bowl eligible and finishes the season with a tough matchup at rival Utah next week. In other words, the Cougars need this one.
The Aggies, on the other hand, snapped a three-game skid with a 52-42 win over Alcorn State in their last outing. They’re also coming off an open week, rested and ready for a nationally televised contest on ESPN2.
“Winning cures a lot of things,” Martin said. “Getting that last win took some pressure off and now our guys can just go play. We haven’t had the season we wanted but this is a tremendous group of kids. I expect us to rise to the occasion.”
Defensive lineman Cedric Wilcotts III agreed.
“Our team morale really increased after that win,” Wilcotts said. “We needed it. Now we’re playing a team that has national titles and Heisman Trophies to its credit. We’re treating BYU like a Power 5 school. It’s a big opportunity for us.”
Job one for the Aggies (3-7) will be dealing with the Cougars’ powerful defensive front. To that end, NMSU gave freshman quarterback Josh Adkins a few new options during the open week. Martin gave Adkins the option to call or change certain plays depending on what he sees from BYU’s defense.
“It’s a challenge but I like it,” Adkins said. “The big thing against a big, aggressive defense like this is getting the ball out quickly and taking what they give you. Completions are what we have to focus on and getting yards after the catch. If I take too much time getting the ball out we’re in trouble.”
As good as BYU has been on defense, it’s been equally inconsistent on offense. Like New Mexico State, the Cougars inserted a freshman quarterback (Zach Wilson) in the starting lineup midway through the season in hopes of finding a spark.
Results have been mixed for BYU, which put up big numbers in wins over Hawaii and UMass but scored a total of 22 points in losses to Boise State and Northern Illinois. Still, the Cougars are undoubtedly expecting a big night against an NMSU defense that has struggled to stop the run.
Again, the Aggies know what to expect.
“BYU definitely has some big dudes up front,” Wilcotts said. “They’ll come right at us but our main goal is to stop the run.”
Win or lose, New Mexico State will receive a $700,000 guarantee for its Saturday night appearance in Provo, Utah. But Martin and his players don’t want to simply take their money and go home.
“We need to use the last two games of the season as building blocks,” Wilcotts said. “We’ll be ready to play.”
New Mexico State finishes the regular-season next week at Liberty.