Thursday, September 29, 2011

Big key: Who will get out of the blocks first

A big key going into Saturday night’s Aggies vs. Lobos football game is which team will get off to a fast start.

For the Aggies, it’s about jumping out to a 10 to 14 point lead early. UNM is down and the Aggies can break their will by taking the early advantage.

On the flip side of the coin, if UNM gets off to a fast start it could breathe life into their team. If the Lobos don’t play hard this week they never will — their head coach was just fired, they’re playing at home as two-point underdogs to their in-state rival who’s beaten them the past two years, and UNM is facing the possibility of a winless season.

This has been a key for the Aggies all year — their offense has to lead the way. They did so against Minnesota, jumping out to a 14-point lead and controlling the tempo. This week is no different, perhaps even more important.

Follow me on Twitter @TeddyFeinberg

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll believe it when I see it. The Aggies are flat out terrible. Lucky for them, UNM is just as bad.

As bad as UNM is, they have the advantages in this game.

1. They are playing at home.
2. They don't want to go into conference play without any wins. 3. They really, really don't want to lose to the Aggies, again.
4. They just lost their loser of a coach.
5. They are playing to get the "worst team on the planet" monkey off their back.

The Aggies, on the other hand, have a coach who is now, with the departure of Locksley, the worst coach in the state of NM. They have lost their starting QB and some valuable offensive and defensive players. They are also playing in a stadium where historically, they get clobbered.

Chances of an Aggie victory? --- a lot less than a blowout win by the Lobos.

We'll see if the Aggie coach can come up with a decent offensive and defensive game plan. We'll see if the Aggies can play with more heart and desire than the desperate team they'll be facing. We'll see if the Aggies can make it three in a row.

We'll see...

Anonymous said...

It's frustrating how a lot of Aggie fans expect us to play like Alabama in football or Duke in basketball. We are a mid-major that doesn't offer most of the benefits of the big schools nor do we have anywhere near the funding. Aggie football has been a perenial loser for well over thirty years. Do you expect that to change over night or within a couple of years? No. Getting one or two star (if we're lucky) calibre players is not going to give you a 10 win season and will not get you to a bowl game. Coach Walker is doing the best he can with what he has to work with. I'd like to see Nick Saban or Les Miles to any better. Quick answer they couldn't. It's pathetic how people mention Mayfield and Cruces HS games. They are ESTABLISHED football powers so that's why they have big crowds. Also, most NM players are not of the calibre to play at the D-1 level. How many great football and basketball players has NM produced??? Urlacher immediately comes to mind, but the point is NM has good athletes, but don't critize NMSU coaches for not recruiting them as heavily as CA, TX or FL athletes. All I'm saying is that we as Aggie fans have to be patient. This years team is improved (PPG has increased and competitiveness). Remember we just lost our starting QB,other position injuries and had several starting Def players ineligible due to grades. Issues like that can paralyze a mid-major program. All I'm saying is be patient. As long as the powers that be and all the perenial negative "so called" fans don't scare away Coach Walker, Aggie football WILL improve. Changing/firing coaches every four or five years is not going to solve our problem. Go Aggies!!

Anonymous said...

Be patient? How about 40 years of patience. You know, it doesn't begin and end with each new coach. They continue to be bad, bad, bad, bad, and bad. With the exception of the Tony Samuel's team, they have been terrible.

And just who expects the Aggies to play like Alabama? Heck, I'd be happy if we played like UTEP, a team that is in EXACTLY the same boat as the Aggies but can be counted on to win five games a year. Even UNM, another Aggie-like team, has decent years. The Aggies? One decent year in decades just will not cut it.

Patience? A REAL fan of the sport isn't satisfied with "patience" and mediocrity.

Anonymous said...

No prediction Teddy or did I miss it ?

RK said...

the New Mexico State Aggie football team has improved, i'm sorry if your too much of a moron to see it

and what are most of U anonymous morons doing to help the program get better other than running off at the mouth.

I'm an aggie booster and proud of it...my give good $$ cause i want to help My School win.

if your not doing the same....GO AWAY..we don't need people like you ripping our team

Anonymous said...

RK I can't agree with you more. Mr. "40 years of patience" apparently didn't understand my post. I mentioned NMSU not getting far with one and two star calibre players. That goes for the coaches too. All the negative non-supportive so-called fans keep saying drop down to a smaller football division. Name a large public university that does that? There are a lot of Aggie fans that I see at every football and basketball game. If anyone can complain it's them, but they show up to be supportive no matter the outcome. I also can't believe "40 years" wants us to play like utep. They play a cream puff non-conference schedule EVERY year. Stoney Brook? Really? That's why they get a few, not many, more wins than us. To all the whiners....get off your butts and out to the games, pay the 15 or so dollars for general admission and be supportive. You're not helping otherwise.
Aggies win big today in Albuquerque. Go Aggies!!

JH

Anonymous said...

A big blow out win for the AGGIES over unm!!

We are not the worst team in America. Good job men, get some rest and let´s get ready for idaho!