Saturday, October 25, 2008

Idaho's defense shut down the Aggies

What about NMSU scoring just 14 points on Saturday? That's terrible considering the fact that Idaho had given up an average of 47 point per contest going into Saturday's game.

First off, the O-line is banged up. But that's just another excuse. Injuries aren't fun but they cannot be pinned on this loss too much. The Aggies should have won this game regardless.

I'm not very impressed by the offense. They're dinking and dunking teams to death. How could they not stretch the field against Idaho's defense? The Vandal defense won them the game. They had some guys make big plays up and down the board and put up huge numbers.

The Aggies continuously go for it and 4th-and-long instead of pinning teams deep. And Idaho ran the heck out of the ball. The defense is better for the Aggies this year but when you get ran on like that, it hurts. NMSU's only chance to win is by outscoring people. A game in the mid teens, low 20s does not bode well for the Aggies. They're just not going to win many of them. They don't play field position, don't kick particularly well and don't really try and run. The short passing game is their version of the run.

Lets not overlook Idaho's kicker. He nailed two FGs from over 50. NMSU hasn't had a kicker like that in the Mumme era.

The team won at Nevada and then loses to Idaho. Inconsistency has plagued the program since Mumme took over. How much longer is he going to be with the team? It's hard to picture NMSU making a move during the season but this loss was unacceptable. It's impossible to ignore how it happened or who it came to.

22 comments:

chris said...

Teddy, you will probably get slammed for being so honest, but, I completely agree with your comments. I wish you would print your honest commentary in the Sun News Sports section.

This loss is totally unaceptable, and, even with the injuries, the Aggies should have lit up Idaho. I have remained positive this entire time, hoping with the experience on this team, the Agies would finally turn it around...but...

The offense has been average at best this year, and there have been too many mistakes made by the offense. The Aggies "high-powered" offense scored 13 fewer points than Idaho St against Idaho? We should have dominated Idaho, but couldn't because our offense is just pure gimmick. The offense is really difficult to watch anymore.

I have seen more coaching on the defensive side of the ball this year...much more...so sad when you pride yourself on your offense.

-chris

Anonymous said...

At this point(3-4) of the season a number of things are obvious:1) The Aggies will have great difficulty finishing with 5 wins, so no bowl, 2)the defense is a little better, the offense a little worse than last year, the net is we are still bad, 3)you can't use the injury card as an excuse against a team like Idaho, 4)The Sporting News was right in their pre season college football predictions that Mumme was the most overrated coach in Div 1 football, and 5) it is time for a coaching change, do you think it is still possible to get Turner Gill to come after we so rudely rejected him in favor of Mumme? Oh, two more definite things, we are not going to win Homecoming and attendance will plumet.

Anonymous said...

If the offensive execution is this bad in a year where the offense is full of seniors at key positions, how bad is it going to be next year under Mumme? What happens when our "stars" Holbrook, Williams, Harris, and Polo leave? The play-calling has reached a point of predictability that any team, including the very worst team in the country, can figure Mumme out.

Why can't NMSU do what SJSU has done with their program? Historically, they have been just as bad as us over the years. Yet, they hire a guy with a defensive mindset, and as a result, they will go to their third straight bowl game this year, barring a major meltdown. They don't have any "superstars" like a Holbrook, CW, or Harris, but they grind it out and get it done.

Under Samuel, it never got this bad. Sure, we had a couple 3-win seasons, but the schedule invariably contained 2-3 games against national powerhouses. Never did those 3 wins come against joke 1-AA teams and seldom did we lose to teams that were bottom-of-the-barrell in college football. Many on this blog did not like Samuel, but at least he knew how to manage a game. He would pound it in the middle to Chris Barnes, Denvis Manns and Kenton Keith, and would occasionally throw the ball. He would require his QB's Enzminger, Pierce, and Dombrowski to be mobile and not make stupid mistakes. I'd take any one of those QB's today if I were to build a mid-major program. He would not try to convert on 4th and 19. We controlled the ball and did not give better teams a chance to roll us and we did not put our players in a position where they would blow it.

This "air raid" offense does not play well if you don't have the athletes. We are not Texas Tech, we don't have their athletes on the line or at QB, and our receivers are good, but nowhere near what they have at Tech. When you don't have the athletes, you have to find ways to stay in the game and not make big mistakes.

I hope we somehow manage to have 15,000 fans for the year. If not, our football team will cause the entire sports program to get kicked out of the WAC and moved to a 1-AA football conference. Hopefully, the seniors will take some pride and muster up wins against La Tech and Utah State. But at this point, it seems doubtful.

Anonymous said...

We just lost to the worst D-1 team in the land!
The program just took a serious step backwards!

This loss is un-acceptable and as a season ticket holder for many years, I demand that Mumme be fired immediately!!!

He has brought nothing but shame to NMSU. The only thing he brought was a lawsuit and tons of losses.

Dr. Boston,
The fans have spoken! Fire that SOB!!!

Anonymous said...

Please find another person to coach the Aggie football team. Please! Please!

Anonymous said...

Like Teddy, I don't see any change made mid season. But one thing is for sure - there will be a substantial loss of revenue again from the football program, and the blame falls squarely on AD Boston and HC Mumme. Idaho had the following defensive rankings going into the game: total 119th, rush 117th, pass 101st, and scoring 117th. And they limit us to 14 points, including a shut-out in the second half?? Offense was supposed to be our strength! Losing starters on the O-line certainly has impacted us, but Idaho is flat out awful. With the experience level of our offensive skill players, there simply is no excuse for the loss to Idaho and this should be unacceptable.

There was one comical thing about the game. Is the LCSN quote of Mumme accurate - "I'm proud of coach Akey and the Idaho players". Is that a slam against his players? I understand giving the opposition credit, but being "proud of them". Bizarre.

NMSU is still my school, and I'll always root for them. But this is truly sad. And unlike last year, I'm not optimistic that basketball begins in a few weeks. Maybe that's a good thing, as I was optimistic when the football season started. Sure hope I'm wrong again!
-Aggie Glare

Anonymous said...

This was such a disappointing game because it was just one that should have been won. It was Idaho! They hadnt beaten a D1 team all season and they beat us? What an embarrassment. I agree with Teddy on how inconsistent this team has been because you cant play great offense against Nevada and then screw up so badly the next two games. That game was called one of the most important wins in the Mumme era and the next two are just complete let downs. Chase is also just not the same quarterback that he used to be. Let freshman quarterbacks fumble the snap but not a senior who is fighting for a bowl bid. I think this loss pretty much takes us out of the picture for a bowl game unless some crazy stuff happens. But if we lose our next two games, when will the lower classmen see more playing time? And I refer directly to McDermott. I mean, it may not sound very smart but what is the point of having Chase leading the team if we failed to reach a bowl? This was his season to do that and as the leader of the team he didnt get it done. If we're out of bowl contention after Hawaii I say just let McDermott run the team, get starting on next year since this one will be done by that time.

GS

Anonymous said...

Yes Teddy, Mumme can't get a kicker to give him long FGs because when the qualified kickers get here he ruins them. He never will get one to come and stay. When you have kickers doing things to train that they should be doing in the off season, such as heavy leg squats in the weight room, and over kicking at every practice, you can't get any decent results. I know that Gerela is gone, and good ridance, but Mumme has no one here that can coach these kickers. It's not just the physical aspect of kicking, but Mumme does not know how to deal with the mental part which is the most important part.
He coaches his kickers as though they are linebackers, and you just can't do that. Many coaches do not realize that kicking is one third of the game, and Mumme is one of them. But I guess kicking is the least of his problems right now!

Anonymous said...

The offense has become a joke! 14 points in each of the last two games is unacceptable in the "Air Raid."

The defense is starting to gel and hold it's own but the offense has become predictable and stale. 14 points wont get us any results against the last place team that has given up an average of 47. What are we going to get against the first place team?

Again as I said last week if you told me the D would only give up 17, you would've thought blow out win for the Aggs. Great job to JL Dunn and crew.

I am intrigued to see how many people actually show up next week for homecoming.

Anonymous said...

2nd and 2 at the 12, 3rd and 1, do you think we could ever go under center. Clearly the line is struggling, maybe a tight end to help.
When you need to go 75 yards in 80 seconds it is simply unacceptable to run a play that takes over 20 seconds as the Aggies did. Time management has not improved in the Mumme era, but I guess you can't criticize the coordinator when he's your son.
The defense was fine, lets put the blame where it belongs, THE COACHING AND THE OFFENSE.

Anonymous said...

I think we need to make a mid season coaching to try and salvage the season.

Mumme's not getting it done how can you lose to such a pathetic team!

I say we get rid of Mumme now and put JL Dunn on an interim basis!

JL Dunn get's really involved in his practices and you can see the kids respond to him.
Mumme on the other hand, just sits in a golf cart and let's his assistants do all the work.

The kids don't respect a coach that just sits on his butt. Get rid of him now!!

Anonymous said...

I was at the game, one of at least four Aggie Fans that was there.

The defense played reasonabley well, especially in the second half. In the first half, the Idaho offensive line was able to push the smaller Aggie defensive line around way too much. The halftime adjustment helped. More than holes, there were seams that the Idaho backs picked their way through.

The offense looked out of synch. Holbrook seldom had time to find an open receiver. Idaho took away the first read, by playing tight, and used pressure to keep NMSU from going deep. They had a good game plan, and they also played one of their best games of the season. They were jacked up for homecoming.

Let's hope the aggies can take a lesson from that and be ready to play their best game agianst Boise.

Anonymous said...

Real nice! Will Mumme go back to the injury excuse on this one? Our offense is supposed to be our "go to" element of the program. Not good.

Now, watch us turn around and knock off Boise State. Yes, it can happen. Aggie fans get out to the game.

Anonymous said...

This is for all of you that continue to ride the "we've got injuries" bandwagon, speak pointlessly of "when we become bowl eligible," and generally speaking are "Hal Mumme coaching fans"...that was an absolute pathetic display of collegiate Div I football played (and coached) by the Aggies against arguably the WORST Div I football team in the country (they give up nearly 50 points per game and their only win is against a D-2 team). I have only one question...what NEW EXCUSE will you come up with in an effort to buy Hal Mumme yet another opportunity to coach here next year? All along I've pointed to coaching ineptitude as the key factor of our poor performance. Saturday night we did nothing to exploit Idaho’s defensive weaknesses; absolutely no offensive creativity or vision by Hal Mumme. Where were the game-time and/or halftime adjustments? Where was the inspiration and intensity? I said it a few blogs ago and it still remains true...because we aren't a school with a history/legacy of football prowess, we’ll continue (for the foreseeable future) to recruit "average" talent; therefore, inspired/creative coaching is the key element needed to for us to earn QUALITY wins. Mumme did well in an SEC program because the higher quality "talent" covered his coaching/leadership shortcomings...at NMSU, those shortcomings are exposed for all to see. Prediction: Aggies finish the season 4-8 (definitely not going to a bowl). One more question: what solid justification do we have to keep coach Mumme around for another season?

Anonymous said...

If Idaho's defense can shut down the Air Raid, can you imagine what Boise St. going to do to us this week?!!

Mumme's pathetic and needs to go!! The only thing he has brought to NMSU is shame and lawsuits!
This is not the type attention our community needs and deserves better than this joke of a coach!

Dr. Boston should be ashamed for hiring and extending Mumme's contract! He should be fired too!!!

Anonymous said...

it is time for him to go. 4 years and he hasn't produced with his mickey mouse offense and defensive schemes

Anonymous said...

Lose to Idaho. Are you kidding Mumme????

From the lack of posts, it looks like nobody cares. I don't blame them. What a disappointment.

Anonymous said...

Air Raid. Is that what they call this offese? 3 and 4 yard passes are hardly an air raid. More like a pellet gun raid. Even that can't beat Idaho, probably the worst team in the country. Oh wait, we just lost to them. What does that make us?
Get rid of Mumme, hire Long from UNM, since he loves the state, and UNM fans could care less if he left. I'll take a consistent 6 wins a year from the aggies anyday.

Anonymous said...

Unacceptable ! Im glad somebody said it. When Reggie Theus was brought he instilled an attitude that losing would not be acceptable. He also never sugar coated anything. Thats the kind of coach we need. Someone with some cajones.

Anonymous said...

The Toilet Bowl committee will be in attendance this weekend.
They will give us another invitation to play in Sewage City.

www.firemumme.com

Anonymous said...

Fire Mumme. Hire Tyrone Willingham! He'd be willing to come here this time around. Forget that he's a proven loser in Washington. I don't know the whole sitation of what happened up there, but to be fair to him, Washington was a losing program before he got there.
Fire Mumme! Hire Willingham!!!

Anonymous said...

Even though Willingham wasn't successful at Washington, he did well at Notre Dame and Stanford. I think he could help us out. Of course that won't happen though.