Injuries

One area where the NMSU Aggie football team was fortunate in during the 2009 campaign was on the injury front.

Really, there wasn't a rash of banged up players like we saw in the previous seasons.

The secondary remained healthy and the linebacking corps, for the most part, remained intact. The defensive tackle position saw some bodies get moved in and out of the lineup, but defensive ends Donte Savage and Pierre Fils took every snap — at least it seemed that way.

The offensive line had some guys go down here and there. Still, you'd expect that to a degree along such a physical unit. On the surface, the health of the O-line was nothing out of the ordinary, perhaps even solid.

Todd Lee was hurt at receiver for a handful of games but, again, this group was pretty much healthy throughout. And running back Seth Smith played the second half of the season with an injured shoulder, yet he still ran hard and with a purpose.

This topic might seem obscure in late January — heck it probably is. But I wanted to blog about something and it popped into my mind.

The reason I do mention it is to simply address that the Aggies were fortunate in this area last year and it wasn't really talked about all that much. I've heard it from a handful of coaches in the past — the Aggies' starting lineup can compete with just about anyone. It's the depth that becomes an issue and building that depth is paramount in building a football team. Once guys start going down, their backups are exposed and the season typically wears down as the schedule winds down.

I think the Aggies have good depth on the offensive line and in the secondary. Outside of that, I'm not so sure. This is where years of recruiting pays off. This upcoming season, will the team remain as healthy as it did in 2009? If they do, it'll be a stroke of luck.