AN ABSURDLY PREMATURE ASSESSMENT OF: NEW MEXICO STATE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SMQ spins the wheel for a hastily-rendered, too-soon look at a random school's prospects for the fall, sans inevitable academic and criminal suspensions, sudden transfers, debilitating injuries and other miscellaneous misfortunes of the long summer
PAST FIVE SEASONS: 20-39 (15-19 Sun Belt/WAC) - 2005: 0-12 (0-8 WAC) STARTERS BACK, ROUGHLY: 14 (8 Offense, 6 Defense) WHAT'S CHANGED: In one season, NMSU went from run-of-the-mill, anonymous small-timer to the rock bottom, worst team in the country. That ignominous slide coincided with its joining the WAC, where even Utah State, San Jose State and Idaho were able to look down on the Aggies. This despite Hal Mumme's ongoing revolt against the repressive boundaries of a running game, any running game, which led to school records for pass attempts and completions in a season and completions in a game, but zero wins. WHAT'S THE SAME: The experience around with Mumme on offense and Woody Widenhofer on defense should begin showing some dividends. Three wideouts who caught more than 30 passes are back, along with a couple others who played plenty in Mumme's multi-receiver schemes, though none had even half of departed senior Paul Dombrowski's 78 catches. Three offensive linemen are also back along with leading rusher Justine Buries and three offensive linemen. SOME NUMBERS: This is where it gets ugly: NMSU ranked 108th or worse in scoring offense, rushing defense, pass efficiency defense, rushing offense, scoring defense, punt returns, sacks allowed, total defense and tackles for loss, and was dead last at No. 117 in sacks and turnover margin. Every opponent scored 30 points easily until the final two games against San Jose State and Utah State, who had 27 and 24, respectively; the Aggies, meanwhile scored 30 once, in a double OT loss to Idaho in October. On the bright side, the team was sixth in net punting! NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP: Year Two under Mumme has been good for Valdosta State, Kentucky and Southeastern Louisiana, all of whom made two game improvements after lackluster debuts in his system. None of those teams, though, were so bad in Year One as New Mexico State. A two-game improvement, or three, doesn't equal much, but it's an improvement, regardless, and would at least show the Aggies aren't stagnating in complete hopelessness. And even if they are, well, at least Hal's knows he's always got a home in Alabama high school football if he wants it. OVERLY OPTIMISTIC POST-SPRING CHATTER: The new quarterback will be Chase Holbrook, a transfer who came with Mumme from Southeastern Louisiana, sat out a year and assumed the reigns of the offense in the Spring. Holbrook was a third-teamer who completed all of seven passes as a freshman behind 4,200-yard, 35 TD slinger Martin Hankins, but brings a knowledge of the system that's being predictably overrated in Las Cruces:
"The Air Raid soared," Widenhofer "had his team bring the heat, confident that his secondary can cover man on man" and, oh:
In-state media relations smack talk! At least something interesting is going on out there. REASON FOR HOPE: This is not a tremendously successful program, but also not one that's been traditionally at rock bottom; the "Mumme Factor" has worked elsewhere, and has good experience to work with on offense - it's entertainment, if nothing else. REASON TO BE AFRAID, VERY AFRAID: Obviously. The Aggies were only competitive in two games, against the other two teams in the league competing for "worst in the nation" status. IF THIS TEAM WERE ANY POP CULTURAL, HISTORICAL, POLITICAL, LITERARY OR OTHERWISE NOTABLE FIGURE, IT WOULD BE... "Futurestock," the episode of Futurama when the delivery company Planet Express is taken over by slick but vapid 1980s stereotype That Guy, a schemer who only looks the part and knows a few appropriate buzzwords. The already terrible but surviving company is run directly into the ground by his inept efforts to grow it (when it's compared to "small and neutral" Switzerland," he scoffs, "We're more like Germany: ambitious and misunderstood"), eventually returning to its original status only after the demise of That Guy and the inevitable restatement of honest priniciples, to the ultimate chagrin of pretty much everyone.
- - - - - What are the chances Hal Mumme falls victim to "Bonitis"?
HONESTLY, WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE SCHEDULE, SMQ'S THINKING... 3-9. There are wins coming, there must be, even if it's only by turning the few close ones against fellow bottom-dwellers.
WELCOME...
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And don't let the name fool ya - second guessing the phenomenal athletic feats and split-second decisions of college kids under extreme physical duress is for every day of the week.
AWWW!! The totally nicest people, like, ever!...
How much football does he watch? Dude's got insights on -everybody-, and by everybody, I mean everybody. Throw in some of the best writing in the blogosphere, and we're talking about a daily must-read.
- Burnt Orange Nation
SMQ starts to sound more and more like the Gregg Easterbrook of our ideal memories every day - whip-smart, systematic, omnivorous in his intellectual tastes and yet unafraid of the cheap joke.
- Every Day Should Be Saturday
Sunday Morning Quarterback is one of our favorite football blogs on the internet.
- State Fans Nation
Sunday Morning Quarterback is a killer football blog if you are a college football junkie. It is run by one of the most thoughtful, intelligent, and analytical writers in the college football blogosphere...The guy is thorough and detailed and provides a level of analysis you are not going to find anywhere else .
- Bruins Nation
Just another hack writer who hasn't done one lick of research...
- SOT2
...the pride of Southern Mississippi ever since Brett Favre turned into an ESPN soap opera, has the sort of prose knack that can keep you riveted to a preview about any one of D-IA's scrubbier members ... should be given gifts.
- MGoBlog
NEW MEXICO STATE
Louisiana, all of whom made two game improvements after lackluster debuts in his system. None of those teams, though, were so bad in Year One as New Mexico State. A two-game improvement, or three, doesn't equal much, but it's an improvement, regardless, and would at least show the Aggies aren't stagnating in complete hopelessness. And even if they are, well, at least Hal's knows he's always got a home in Alabama high school football if he wants it.
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