Aggies have to play to their own standard

Tangible improvement possible, even vs. Bama

LAS CRUCES — New Mexico State football coach Doug Martin believes that despite being a 51½-point underdog, the Aggies (1-8) can improve when they play at No. 3 Alabama (8-1) on Saturday.

From a big-picture standpoint, the hope is that the Aggies do not suffer any injuries while the athletic department will collect a $1.9 million check in the first of two guarantee games against SEC opponents. They play at Kentucky next week for $1.2 million.

FIND A WAY TO MANUFACTURE BIG PLAYS: Aggies center Eli Johnson said it’s rare that an offense will methodically drive the ball down the field against Alabama, currently No. 11 in the country in total defense while allowing 20 points per game.

Johnson would know. He started for Mississippi against Alabama in 2019.

The Aggies have never been shy about pushing the ball down the field, but they haven’t had a very good success rate with 22 passing plays of over 20 yards on the season. Aggies quarterback Jonah Johnson certainly has the arm to throw the ball down the field. The Aggies don’t have receivers who can run past many defenders, but if Johnson sees the right coverage, he should take his shots.

Finding time could be difficult, however.

Offensively, the Aggies allowed seven sacks to Utah State last weekend and will face an Alabama team loaded with NFL prospects on both sides of the ball, including sophomore linebacker Will Anderson Jr., who is second in the country with 10½ sacks. Saturday will be a good chance for left tackle Sage Doxtater to improve his chances of playing in the NFL.

LIMIT THE BIG PASS PLAYS: The Aggies can continue to work on something that has plagued them all season.

NMSU’s defense seems to have been playing two safeties high more often as the season has progressed. They didn’t allow an explosive play in the first half last week against Utah State, but USU took the lead for good on a 54-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter.

The Aggies have allowed 46 pass plays of 20 yards this season, which is the second most in FBS. If they can keep that number relatively low against an explosive offense like Alabama, it would show progress.

PLAY FREE, EXPERIMENT: These guarantee games can give both Aggies coaches and players an opportunity to experiment with plays or personnel.

Martin has usually saved one or two gadget plays for these games so I would expect at least one wide receiver pass down the field. The Aggies scored on one against New Mexico in the red zone.

From a personnel standpoint, Saturday and next week are opportunities to get some players some film against top talent. Depending on the score, Saturday or next week would be a good time to get quarterback Weston Eget some reps for the first time since opening night. I also think every secondary player on the roster should play on Saturday. Freshman safety Dylan Early has received a lot of playing time recently and we haven’t seen much of corner Torren Union in recent weeks with the emergence of Syrus Dumas.

The Aggies have a good chance to end the season with a victory at home against Massachusetts in the final week of the season. Getting some additional guys playing time to keep them engaged wouldn’t be a bad idea, and it would help keep veteran players healthy with two brutal road games.

Saturday

New Mexico State at No. 3 Alabama, 10 a.m., SEC Network, 99.5 FM (Las Cruces)