Recent talk has been that NMSU and UNM could play their football games on rivalry week in late November. Traditionally, both schools play their games early in the season when everything is fresh.
It's hard to say what the right call is here. Playing on rivalry week would generate a certain amount of excitement for the programs and be something, for some, to look forward to. But ultimately, I don't think the Aggies should be worried about that right now.
McKinley Boston said that he was concerned about the lack of Aggie fan support when a game is played over a holiday weekend. Why wouldn't he be? Last year, when school was in session and the Aggies were out of contention, NMSU would barely be able to scrap together 4,000 in the house. What would happen with school out of session and the Aggies out of contention? You do the math.
Also, I think it would be beneficial, for at least now, for NMSU to play its big rivals early on. Some would laugh, but the Aggies can easily beat the Lobos in Las Cruces this year. They really could, and some would say, should have won in Albuquerque last season. The game was like many other NMSU games last season - the Aggies held the ball for a long time and outgained the opponent. Chase Holbrook was good and Chris Williams was great. The defense was not good. And there was a lot of pressure on the offense to constantly move the ball. It came crashing down. But it was a great game until about the 3:30 mark of the fourth quarter.
Early on, the Aggies can get a win under their belt. That could prove to be big because the schedule will be harder - much harder - this year. Keep it clean, have the Lobos come here early and NMSU can steal one. Better to be optimistic early. Who knows where the two teams will be in November.
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2 comments:
UNM is a commuter school. They would benefit by playing during Thanksgiving.
NMSU has too many out of town students and I'm sure they rather be back home w/ their loved ones instead of staying around to see a FB game.
Keep it early in the season!
Vic
Agree with you Teddy. Keep it early. Each year, NMSU has one rivalry home game (UTEP and UNM) they can count on to generate substantial revenue. Move the game to late in the season, and we lose that revenue. Can't do this until NMSU establishes a consistent program. It has not happened in the 30 years I've been paying attention, so I'm not holding my breath it will happen any time soon.
-Aggie Glare
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