2011-2012 Football Previews – Pac 12 Conference – New Mexico State Aggies
DeWayne Walker will enter his second full season as head coach of the New Mexico State Aggies in 2011, and most are predicting another year at the bottom of the Western Athletic Conference. But will that be the case?
2011 WAC | New Mexico St Aggies Football Preview
Coach: DeWayne Walker
2010-11 Record: 2-10 (1-7)
New Mexico State Aggie Gambling Odds from Bodog.com to win BCS: 15-1
New Mexico St. Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2011 Schedule –>
The New Mexico State Aggies spent the 2010 season on the wrong side of blowout after blowout, but have high expectations for themselves going into the new season.
Second year coach Walker will look to improve his team by helping their defense achieve greatness like he did so many times as defensive coordinator at UCLA.
But this team is a lot different than UCLA, and Walker will have a lot less talent to work with, but he has made miracles happen before.
With that said, I will break down the team both offensively and defensively to see if the team has any chances of improving, or if they’re destined to remain at the bottom of the WAC yet again.
Offense:
Quarterback Matt Christian is entering his second year as the starter for the Aggies, and expects to help the offense move up to the next step and be an intimidating offense.
Unfortunately for Christian, who heads respectable year in 2010 en route to passing for 1,371 yards, his supporting cast lacks the talent needed for them to achieve such goals.
The team lacks a stand out running back, with two getting just over 100 carries in Kenny Turner and Seth Smith.
In the receiving corps, they do have some explosive players, but all seem inconsistent and disappear for games at a time. Senior Marcus Allen is no doubt the number one option for Christian, but is as streaky as they come.
The strongest area of the offense is the offensive line, which retains all five starters.
This will most likely make the team look far better than they are expected to be, but it doesn’t seem like it will save the team from the depths of the WAC.
Defense:
The Aggies’ defense was as bad as they come in 2010, allowing opponents to score nearly 40 points per game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The defense consistently let games get out of control, and in five games, gave up a score on every possession.
The defense’s leader, junior strong safety Donyae Coleman, was spectacular in 2010, but all that was wasted because he had absolutely no help from his team.
Coleman is the perfect cornerstone for a defense to build around, but they have failed to bring in any impact players to back him up.
2011 Utah St. Prediction: 8th WAC
This team reeks in every aspect of the game, and it is hard to put them any higher than last place. Fortunately, their future looks bright with coach Walker and his quarterback Christian both coming into their own.
But if they failed to win a game this year, Walker will likely be replaced, which will put the team back to where they were before he arrived.
2011 New Mexico St. Aggies Schedule
9/3/11 8:00 PM ET OHIO
9/10/11 12:00 PM ET @MINN
9/17/11 8:00 PM ET UTEP
9/24/11 4:00 PM ET @SJST
10/1/11 7:00 PM ET @NMEX
10/15/11 12:00 PM ET IDAHO
10/23/11 12:00 AM ET @HAW
10/29/11 12:00 PM ET NEV
11/5/11 12:00 PM ET @GEO
11/12/11 12:00 PM ET FRSST
11/19/11 12:00 PM ET @BYU
11/26/11 4:00 PM ET @LTECH
12/3/11 12:00 PM ET UTAST
