Pieces of a man

Preseason polls

2008-07-25T00:15:00.000-07:00

NMSU was voted to finish in seventh place by both the media and the coaches at the WAC football conference this week.

I can't say I'm surprised by this. And really, it has nothing to do with the Aggies. I actually think that NMSU has a chance to be a good team heading into 2008. But the WAC is just tough. Boise is Boise and Fresno is Fresno. Nevada will be good. Look out for Louisiana Tech too. I had them finishing above Hawaii in my poll. And I think they could be right there with Nevada when it's all said and done, knockin' right at that door.

Hawaii and San Jose? I really think if things break NMSU's way, they could finish above one of these teams or both. To say Hawaii lost some key pieces in the offseason would be a drastic understatement. San Jose is an underrated football team. They weren't bad last year and they had no ground game. They have good coaching. They will need someone to emerge at QB and get better play out of there running backs but look out for Yonus Davis. The kid was the real deal two years ago before getting hurt in 2007.

Where does that leave NMSU? In seventh. Tough to argue. Could they finish in the top 5? Sure. But things will have to fall right. Top 4? I don't think so. Not unless some big dogs fall. Not likely.

Joe Lee Dunn

2008-06-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

I spoke with Joe Lee Dunn the other day. Very intriguing personality and someone who has a great deal of belief in his defense and what he wants the Aggies to do this year on that side of the football.

Dunn said that a few players have caught his eye. He likes Nick Paden at middle linebacker, thinks Derrick Richardson is a solid player and really likes Brennan Baiamonte. Baiamonte didn't play at all last season, but Dunn said that he believes the kid has major skills and will make an impact in the D-coordinator's secondary.

We talked pass rush as a problem last season and something that needs to be rectified. He said that he likes Justin Alford, who was playing nose guard this spring. Dunn said that he could line Alford up at nose guard as well as at linebacker. There's versatility there. Still, NMSU needs to find a way to get a push up front and get to the quarterback if they want to see the defense take the next step.

One hole on the Aggie defense heading into the season will be at cornerback. Davon House will get the starting nod and Chris Woods would if he were healthy, but he is not. Woods hurt his shoulder and is expected to be out until the conference schedule rolls around. The team will have to cut and paste at that position and hope that someone emerges to fill the void. Frankly, cornerback was a sore spot last season and nothing was really added here to make me feel much better about it.

Dunn really just talked about attitude. He is going to work these kids extremely hard when summer practice is here and going into the season. They will run, work and Dunn will find out who wants to be out on the field and who is just showing up and going through the motions. Dunn is not going to play a lot of kids this year if he feels that they aren't ready for action. He will roll with who he feels is ready for college football. And he will find that out by working them. He's old school.

This is clearly the area the Aggies need to improve in if they want to become a factor. I know some aren't in love with the "Air-Raid," and it has flaws that affect the team defensively as well. But guess what? The Aggies are going to score points this year. That's a fact. They need to play defense. And when I say that I mean get after the QB and get turnovers. They will give up points, I have no doubt. But you counteract that by being active and making big plays, momentum-changing plays. That's what NMSU is going to need to do in order to win.

Rivalry games, '07

2008-06-20T23:01:00.000-07:00

Last year, the two rivalry games were fantastic.

When the Aggies went to UNM, they really could have won. Chris Williams was, well, Chris Williams. I also remember the defense playing badly, Nick Cleaver getting crunched over the middle, ball popping up in the air and the Lobos getting a huge pick late in the game. Paul Young booted a field goal home with 12:39 remaining in the fourth quarter to tie things up at 27. NMSU went on to give up two straight TDs. Lost the game 34-44. Rodney Ferguson was a powerhouse and NMSU made Donovan Porterie look like a real-deal college QB. But it was a great game.

The next week, NMSU returned home to face UTEP and won 29-24. There was so much excitement after that game. Coach Mumme was very emotional afterwards and there was a feeling that the Aggies had gotten over the hump. They ran the ball well that night. I remember them just pounding the ball with Justine Buries early and the defense came up big down the stretch. There were crazy plays throughout. UTEP's Quintin Demps returned a pick 100-plus yards to the house, Williams was, well, Williams (221 yards, 2 TDs, big plays everywhere). The receiver also dropped a few passes too but who's counting.

I really just remember the optimism surrounding the team after that game. It went away shortly after though. The Aggies need to recapture that feeling again. People were genuinely excited after UTEP. NMSU won the game. And they could have beaten UNM too. It felt like they got over the hump and they fell back down again. What does 2008 have in store?

Chase Holbrook

2008-06-19T22:33:00.000-07:00

I think its important to write about NMSU quarterback Chase Holbrook.

A poster has been calling him soft. Again, I don't want to discourage people from putting their opinion on the board, but at the same time this needs to be addressed.

I've written about this before. Anyone who knows Chase knows that he is a good kid, first and foremost. He is quiet. He doesn't try to draw a lot of attention to himself - he often deflects praise to his teammates and accepts criticism when it is thrown his way. He is a good leader and has been a steady performer on the field and when speaking with the media.

The term "soft" can be interpreted a number of ways. A soft player, to me, is someone who is shaken easily in the face of pressure and performs poorly when the spotlight is thrust upon them. In that definition, Chase does not fall under that category.

He has played hard and has played hurt. Some think that it is easy for a quarterback to play in Hal Mumme's "Air-Raid" attack and to a point it is true. QB's put up huge numbers in the system. But Chase is also under a lot of pressure game-in and game-out. Teams know that NMSU is going to air it out and that Chase will drop back on just about every play. Lineman can pin their ears back and go after the quarterback without having to worry as much over the run. Try playing quarterback, and having big, fast and strong men crashing the pocket, just about every play, and knocking you around. It isn't easy. Chase has done it, under good times and bad. Again, without complaint. No bells and whistles. He just plays. I gotta respect that.

I don't know what Chase would do if he played in a different system. He might be great. He might be ordinary. But he's been just fine in Mumme's system. At times, he's been great. Ultimately, he will be judged by NMSU's record. And that's how it should be. But lets not start attacking his character. He's a fine kid and a good player. He will put up big numbers this season, count on it. Hopefully, he can lead the Aggies to a bowl game and quiet the critics.

Predictions for 2008

2008-06-18T23:38:00.000-07:00

OK, lets predict the Aggies record for the 2008 football season.

A schedule is always impossible to accurately forecast. You will look at it and say to yourself that they will win this one, lose that one and that one and definitely win here. It never seems to work. Here are my predictions for the upcoming season. The only thing I can guarantee is that they won't be generic

vs Nicholls State - W
@ Nebraska - L
@ UTEP - L
vs UNM - W
@ Nevada - L
vs San Jose St. - L
@ Idaho - W
vs Boise St. - L
vs Hawaii - W
@ Fresno St. - L
vs La Tech - L
@ Utah St. - W

That makes for a 5-7 record. Will this be exactly how things shake out? No. But you gotta roll the dice here a little. San Jose will be a tough team as usual while La Tech is going to be the surprise team of the conference. The Aggies can certainly win at UTEP but I can't see them sweeping their rivals. If so, it will get things off to a rousing start. Hawaii loses everything that made them great last year, i.e. a strong passing attack with an offensive-minded coach. They lose in Las Cruces.

No doubt, the key games on the schedule are as followed: @ UTEP, Hosting UNM, vs San Jose State, vs Hawaii and vs La Tech. If you broke those contests into a 5-game season, the Aggies would have to go 3-2. I have them going 2-3. Four of the five are at home and the other is down the road in El Paso. Lots at stake here.

Also, I have them winning at Idaho and Utah St. These two teams are the dregs of the conference and the Aggies are farther along than both programs. Forget about the USU game last year at Aggie Memorial. NMSU needs to win both of those but I think they will. NMSU is the better team in both games. Still, the road can be tough. Certainly not guaranteed W's.

Lots on the line this season for Aggie football. I have them going 5-7. What do you got?

Ward's new deal

2008-06-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure all of you are aware of, NMSU gave Rocky Ward a new, three-year contract to remain with the Aggie baseball program through 2011.

Personally, I'm happy for Ward. He loves Las Cruces and he loves the NMSU program. I know some people wanted him gone and his record as manager here isn't sterling by any stretch. But I think it will be good here eventually.

Ward puts his heart and soul into his job. Good things happen to people who are dedicated and sacrifice for the betterment of the program. Obviously, the team needs to make major improvements in the field and on the mound. You just don't win in baseball playing sloppy defense. And the team booted the ball around the diamond last year.

Ward wants to be in Las Cruces and wants to be an Aggie. Some could argue other coaches that have been here or that are here today don't necessarily feel that way. I could be eating my words in a year or two from now if the NMSU keeps playing mediocre baseball. But I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

NMSU shout out on ESPN

2008-06-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

ESPN.com named Charley Johnson as the “Face of the Program” at NMSU.

It gives a short breakdown on why Johnson was chosen to represent New Mexico State and allows the fans to vote on who they thing the face of the program should be. Here's the link.....

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/face/team?teamId=166

Bowl games

2008-06-17T00:16:00.000-07:00

A poster on the last blog entry said that getting to the New Mexico Bowl was shooting too low for NMSU.

I'm not going to say that the NM Bowl is the slickest postseason opportunity around. But lets not belittle what it would mean for the program to get there. Any type of bowl berth would have significant meaning to the Aggies.

The fact we're even talking about football postseason play would seem foolish to a fan who has followed the program passively in years past. But some people, including myself, believe that NMSU could go bowling if things fall their way. The school will take it anyway they can get it. Is the NM Bowl the sexiest pick? No. But beggars can't be choosers. Right now, any chance at playing in a bowl game would mean a lot to a team that hasn't been there since 1960.

Donte Savage

2008-06-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

People are saying good things about Savage and that is a good thing for the Aggies.

NMSU needs a pass rushing lineman. They didn't have one last year. Again, the 3-4 defense limits what lineman can do and most of the sacks end up going to the linebackers anyway. NMSU ran a 3-4 last season.

Joe Lee Dunn's scheme has three lineman in the picture once again. But it seems to be much different in dynamic than the typical 3-4 alignment. Last year, the team's ends were Rhyan Anderson, McKinney and Jarrod Naylor. Not much of a rush there. We'll see what Savage is all about early on. I'm sure the team will look to get him on the field right off the bat to see what he's all about. Prep school numbers? Fifteen sacks last year. At 230 pounds, he has to put on some weight to play at the D-1 level. Still, it could be a valuable pickup.

Mike Martin

2008-06-15T21:13:00.001-07:00

Say what you want about Mike Martin but the guy invested into the sports programs at NMSU.

He cared about sports and realized it was an easy way for New Mexico State to get its name out on a national scale. Sometimes the school was successful on the field or court and other times it wasn't. Still, Martin wanted to see the programs have success and to win.

Not all school presidents are necessarily like that. Was everything in the sports stratosphere at NMSU perfect during his tenure? No. Far from it. But he was involved and understood the significance of athletics in the college community. Hopefully that will continue when his replacement comes on board.

Weekly poll

2008-06-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

Question about Mike Martin....Located along left column of page. Vote away!

http://www.lcsun-news.com/sports?_requestid=3794029

Boston, Ward

2008-06-14T14:01:00.001-07:00

McKinley Boston said that he will meet again with Rocky Ward on Monday as the two continue to figure out the future of NMSU baseball and if Ward will, in fact, be back with the program next season.

I don't see Boston letting go of Ward at this point. If he was not going to bring him back, don't you think he would have done it already? No need to string along this process if the inevitable awaits anyway.

At the same time, he didn't solidify anything on Friday, letting the coach twist in the wind. Again, I would suspect Ward to be back with the program. But we'll see what happens as the process moves into next week.

Parking prices

2008-06-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

I got an email from NMSU today. It said that last year they rescinded the $2 parking and that it was free now. Just thought I'd throw that up here.

Cleaver, Murray

2008-06-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

Recent weeks have two New Mexico State football players at NFL camps in hopes of making Week 1 rosters. Tight end Nick Cleaver with the Rams and defensive lineman Maurice Murray with the Chiefs.

They are both in good situations. The Rams like to throw the ball and have a solid quarterback in Marc Bulger. Their tight end position is fairly thin. Randy McMichael is the lone guy who should make the team from the group but he's good, not great. Anthony Becht, a former first rounder, hasn't done much on the pro level. It seems like Nick has a shot and that's all you can ask for. He can catch the ball and he might be a nice fit with their personnel and system.

Maurice, too, seems to be in a good spot. Kansas City is very young. They're moving Murray to defensive tackle where he's lining up next to first round pick Glenn Dorsey. Dorsey is going to be a starter from Day 1 and the Chiefs also have veteran Ron Edwards. Still, it seems that if Murray can make an impact he can stand out in a group that needs a jolt. After Dorsey and Edwards there are a bunch of players like Murray - young and uproven. At that point, the hungriest players win the battle.

Lets all pull for these guys to make their respective teams. They represent NMSU and it would be nice to see them make an impact. Best of luck fellas.

Attendance follow

2008-06-11T08:19:00.001-07:00

There has been a lot of chatter on the last blog entry, particularly in regards to ticket and parking prices.

First off, I appreciate all the posts and don't discourage them. But I was shocked that people were complaining about $2 parking costs. $2!?!? Get some nickels and dimes together and park the automobile! I think that's a fair price. As for NMSU ticket prices compared to others, as recommended by another poster I think an analysis is a good idea. Still, on the surface to me, NMSU seems to stack up well with other schools in and around the area.

Lets face it folks, this really comes down to wins and losses. Doctor T said on the last post that Las Cruces consists of mostly fair weather fans. I don't necessarily disagree. There could be some truth to that, there also might not be some truth to it. The reality, though, is that a lot of places are like that. No one is going to come out the last week of the season against Fresno State in the pouring rain to watch another disappointing year go down the drain. Not here and not in too many other places either.

If the Aggies are playing for something in November, people will show up, guaranteed. Is that fair weather? Could be. Call it whatever you like. But that's the formula. And that's what needs to be done. Take it or leave it.

Attendance

2008-06-10T00:10:00.000-07:00

Football attendance figures has been getting attention.

Personally, I think the Aggies will hit the 15,000 average at their home games this year. You know they'll draw well for New Mexico and early WAC games. The only concern is, what about later in the year? The weather gets less appealing and, generally, their record does to.

And that's what it's really about: wins and losses. People will come out and support the team if its competitive. No one came to the Utah State game last year because NMSU was so poor at the end of the season and what happened? The UtAgs won in front of a meager showing. The Fresno State game in the season finale drew next to nothing as well, in part because of lousy weather. Those two games were meaningless and it showed in the attendance figures, ultimately bringing down the season average as a whole.

The Nevada contest last year had a horrible crowd as well. The box score said over 10,000 but there is no way that many people showed up. That was embarrassing simply because it was on national TV.

Here are the attendance figures last year, game-by-game

Southeastern Louisiana: 12,682
UTEP: 30,343
Arkansas-Pine Bluff: 15,329
Idaho (Homecoming): 15,788
Nevada: 12,268
Utah State: 7,537
Fresno State: 6,937

Rocky Ward

2008-05-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

McKinley Boston said that he would meet with Rocky Ward on June 13 to discuss the coach's future with the team.

Ward just completed the final year of his contract. The Aggies had a better year this season under Ward but it wasn't a standout campaign. They finished under .500 but still qualified for the WAC Tournament where they were eliminated following consecutive losses in the first round.

Offensively, the team put up runs. Still, defense and pitching was a constant problem for NMSU. Those two elements dictate if you win in baseball. Good pitching keeps you in just about every contest even if your offense is sputtering. And when you boot the ball around, it leads to unnecessary runs for the opposition.

The team did battle and did get better. They were an improved conference team. The fact that six of seven teams in the conference make the tournament seems too open ended. But NMSU finished in last the two seasons prior so a fifth place group was an improvement.

I think Ward should be brought back. He is a passionate coach who will talk about baseball for hours on end. He lives and breaths the game. The WAC underachieved this year on the diamond but it still is a strong conference. It's a tough hill to climb for the Aggies. I do believe Ward should continue to try and bring the program back to respectability.

Mayfield ranking

2008-05-29T22:43:00.000-07:00

Mayfield High School was ranked the No. 1 high school sports program in New Mexico by Sports Illustrated.

Here is the list, state by state

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/highschool/05/19/state.no.1/index.html?eref=T1

Here's SI's Top-25, although Mayfield is not on this list:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/highschool/05/19/high.school.top.10/index.html?eref=T1

Some material from Louisiana

2008-05-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

Both of these come from the News Star in Monroe, Louisiana. First off, some La. Tech basketball players were blindsided by their release from the team. Check it out

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080522/SPORTS/805220343/1006

The Bulldogs were awful last season but it appears like this is somewhat of a surprise. Washington brought some firepower on offense and Lathan is a local product.

Also, something on WAC baseball. NMSU is mentioned due to their high-octane offense.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080522/UPDATES02/805220340/1006/SPORTS

NMSU Golf

2008-05-16T00:22:00.000-07:00

A blogger on the QB post asked for some Aggie golf coverage. This is more than warranted.

NMSU finished Round 1 of their regional competition in Chattanooga in 7th place. The region has 27 teams in it. The top 10 from each region go to the NCAA Tournament.

30 teams total go to the NCAAs.

NMSU currently is in but have a long way to go. Still, that doesn't mean they can't make it. The Aggies came on strong at the end of the year, winning their final two regular season tournaments and then the WAC tourney, where they entered as the favorite. Scott Lieberwirth has done a great job since taking over the program five years ago. They've won three conference titles, two of which came in the WAC. They also have a young team. Matt Edwards is the lone senior and probably isn't even the best player on the team. That honor would be awarded to Travis Reid. Bottom line, everyone plays a role here. Kevin Lozares, Tim Madigan and Josh Stewart all had solid years, with Madigan winning WAC freshman of the year. Stewart did not make the trip to regionals after breaking his wrist. His spot is being filled by Mark Mueller.

The reality is, it's nice seeing an NMSU program do well, no matter who might be producing. Give Lieberwirth props for being competitive most years. NMSU entered regionals as the No. 25 seeded team in the 27-team bracket. In other words, they weren't supposed to do anything. They did on Day 1.

Quarterbacks

2008-05-07T00:04:00.000-07:00

San Antonio quarterback Drew Allen confirmed to PonyStampeded.com that he got a scholarship offer from New Mexico State.

This brings us to an interesting topic: an overabundance of quarterback talent at NMSU. Obviously Chase Holbrook is the QB this season but after that it's wide open.

J.J. McDermott is the backup as we speak. Trevor Walls - I believe that's his name - should be here next season. Now Allen possibly. The QB position, if you load up on scholarships, it becomes a transfer haven. Does Mumme not believe in McDermott? He has options after this year. An interesting development to keep an eye on.

Naylor, Martinez and Cleaver

2008-05-01T23:01:00.000-07:00

The past week it appeared as if Jared Naylor, Mike Martinez and Nick Cleaver would get shots to make NFL rosters.

First off, when I heard about Naylor, I was surprised. Jared didn't see the field much, at least not enough to really open my eyes, last season. His numbers aren't through the roof either. But whatever. Buffalo must like something about him. NMSU played in a 3-4 defense which is tough when you're D-end. We'll see what happens.

Martinez is a big guy and he has proved to be durable. Mike played every game last season. He has the size and it seems like he will be moved inside if he does make an NFL roster.

Cleaver, he was hurt last year. There's no doubt he can catch the ball. New Orleans seems like a good fit there. They have a creative offensive coach in Sean Payton. He finds roles for guys and they have had under-the-radar rookies make big impacts. Think Marques Colston two years ago and last year with running back Pierre Thomas. We'll see if they can do the same thing with Cleaver.

spring game

2008-04-28T00:35:00.001-07:00

A few things stood out from New Mexico State's spring game the other night.

First off was the punting and kicking from Kyle Hughes. Hughes booted his first kickoff out of the endzone and had some booming punts that had solid hangtime and distance. I promise, just better special teams will ensure another win or two for NMSU this year.

The young receivers exploded and should be immediate contributors. They're all very fast. This offense is based around the play of its receivers. The quarterback gets the receivers the ball and they're asked to turn it upfield. It's simple. This is a deep unit. I just wonder why one of them can't be moved to corner. Seems like that group needs a little help.

Defensively, hard to accurately call it because of their competition. This was not the first-team Aggie offense so there is no need to jump through hoops over this one. Some things that were apparent though? For one, the group will try to be active. They will blitz, they will come to the line and drop off at the last second. They will try to disrupt the timing, rhythm and mindset of the offense. And you do that by disturbing the backfield, namely the offensive line and quarterback. That's going to be their motto. We'll see if it works.

Spence signs on

2008-04-25T00:05:00.000-07:00

New Mexico State locked up Darin Spence for another three years and possibly a fourth to coach the women's basketball team.

Spence needed this deal. NMSU improved greatly last year and should be solid again. Spence was not a McKinley Boston hire originally but has payed dividends none-the-less. The women had a great 1-2 punch up front last year in Anikia Jawara and Sherrel Neal. Both of them will be gone but Maddi Spence is back at point guard and other players will fill in around her.

NMSU had to show Spence some sort of loyalty. He has seen the program improve in his time and produced in a season when there was pressure from up top to get some wins. Not bringing him back would have reflected poorly. Frankly, they had not choice. Gotta take care of your people if they're winning you games.

Woods injury

2008-04-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

NMSU head football coach Hal Mumme said that cornerback Chris Woods will need shoulder surgery and will be out for the start of the 2008 season.

Mumme said he was unsure when Woods would return but it seems doubtful he'll be back for the start of the year.

The loss of Woods is significant, simply because he was a starting player at a position that seems to lack depth. Davon House and Vincent Butler have seen playing time so far this spring and the team has also been working Marvin Betts into the cornerback rotation.