Friday, May 30, 2014
VIDEO: Rocky Ward era comes to close; a look back at 2013-14 sports year
We recap a disappointing end to the Rocky Ward era at NMSU, while also providing a look back at the 2013-14 year in sports in Las Cruces:
Monday, May 26, 2014
Top 2014 prep sports moment: Las Cruces vs. Mayfield football, in a landslide
We took a look back at some of the top moments of the past year in Las Cruces high school sports in Sunday's Las Cruces Sun-News.
Jason Groves wrote a commentary on what stood out during the 2013-14 prep sports year, while we also recapped the top teams locally that won state championships - or came close to doing so.
Is there any debate, however, that the No. 1 prep sports moment in 2013-14 were the high school football games between Las Cruces High and Mayfield? It would be tough to argue any different.
These were spectacular games - both MHS's 28-20 regular-season finale victory, and the Bulldawgs 28-27 State Championship win in early December. Obviously the state title game ended when Jalen Bishop blocked a Mayfield extra-point attempt with 1:31 remaining to preserve the Bulldawgs win.
These two teams continue to operate simply on another level than any other in state. They held a combined 23-3 record in 2014 - with two of those losses coming to each other. They take the field knowing they will win, and more often than not, they do.
Don't expect those intangibles to change this upcoming season, either. Both the Bulldawgs and Trojans have two of the top quarterbacks in the state - Kameron Miller and Kavicka Johnson, specifically - and elite coaching at their disposal.
Like many other years, when it came down the Las Cruces vs. Mayfield football, there were huge crowds, tons of anticipation and then the games lived up to the billing. Tough to beat that, no matter the year.
Follow me on Twitter @TeddyFeinberg
Jason Groves wrote a commentary on what stood out during the 2013-14 prep sports year, while we also recapped the top teams locally that won state championships - or came close to doing so.
Is there any debate, however, that the No. 1 prep sports moment in 2013-14 were the high school football games between Las Cruces High and Mayfield? It would be tough to argue any different.
These were spectacular games - both MHS's 28-20 regular-season finale victory, and the Bulldawgs 28-27 State Championship win in early December. Obviously the state title game ended when Jalen Bishop blocked a Mayfield extra-point attempt with 1:31 remaining to preserve the Bulldawgs win.
These two teams continue to operate simply on another level than any other in state. They held a combined 23-3 record in 2014 - with two of those losses coming to each other. They take the field knowing they will win, and more often than not, they do.
Don't expect those intangibles to change this upcoming season, either. Both the Bulldawgs and Trojans have two of the top quarterbacks in the state - Kameron Miller and Kavicka Johnson, specifically - and elite coaching at their disposal.
Like many other years, when it came down the Las Cruces vs. Mayfield football, there were huge crowds, tons of anticipation and then the games lived up to the billing. Tough to beat that, no matter the year.
Follow me on Twitter @TeddyFeinberg
Saturday, May 24, 2014
VIDEO: Where does NMSU football go now along the offensive line?
In our weekly video, we talk about the resignation of NMSU offensive line coach Chris Symington, as well as the Aggie baseball team's chance of winning the WAC Tournament:
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Holbrook expected to be hired as offensive coordinator at New Mexico Highlands
Holbrook's hire was reported on the website FootballScoop.com and was also announced on a Facebook page dedicated to New Mexico Highlands football.
An announcement is expected soon. According to a Highlands official, the university is going through the typical human resources process and is hopeful to finalize things in the coming days.
Holbrook, who's final year at NMSU was during the 2009 season, was hired by former Aggie head coach Hal Mumme at McMurry University the following year. He coached running backs at McMurry before coaching quarterbacks with the program.
While Mumme was let go from McMurry following last season - he himself has since landed at Division-III Belhaven - Holbrook now finds himself back in New Mexico, at Las Vegas-based Highlands.
Holbrook starred in the Aggies Air-Raid offense during his playing days at NMSU. He's the school's all-time leader with 11,846 passing yards and 85 touchdowns while being an untraditional player at the position - standing close to 6-foot-5 and weighing 245 pounds, Holbrook's only scholarship offer at quarterback came from Mumme when the coach was at Southeastern Louisiana.
Aside from strong wide receiving corps - highlighted by standout Chris Williams - Holbrook didn't always have the strongest of supporting casts at NMSU. Bad defenses, abysmal kicking games and without the help of a running attack.
Through it all he was a class student-athlete - always humble, playing hurt and perhaps overachieving during his NMSU career - and a good fit in Mumme's quarterback-friendly system, they gave the Aggies a chance to win most weeks.
Follow me on Twitter @TeddyFeinberg
Aggies need top pitchers available in WAC Tournament
Can the New Mexico State Aggie baseball team win the 2014 Western Athletic Conference Tournament this weekend? While it can be hard picturing such a developent, it’s also possible.
For the No. 6-seeded Aggies to have any hope, however, they must have their top-two starting pitchers - Chris Bradley and Billy Conard - to be healthy enough to take the hill.
Bradley has been battling back spasms, while Conard has an injured ankle. The Aggies don’t have a ton of pitching depth the begin with, and need their top-two hurlers atop the rotation to at least give them a shot.
Bradley, a senior, has been very good at times, striking out 61 batters (while walking 46) in 65 innings of work. He sports a 3-6 record and a 4.98 ERA in 13 appearances this season, all of which have been in a starting role.
Conard has a 3-3 record of his own with a 4.94 ERA, while striking out 48 and walking 25 in 62 innings. Of his 14 appearances this year, 11 have been starts.
Behind those two are a handful of wildcards. Riley Barr has been the team’s top pitcher statistically (5-2 record, 2.72 ERA) although he’s been used primarily out of the bullpen. Of Barr’s 23 appearances this season, 21 have come as a reliever.
Robert Kraft, a left hander, has made 12 starts this season, although has been up and down with a 5.46 ERA. Trey Higginbothom, another lefty, has made just two starts this season although one was a solid effort against Arizona State (3.1 innings, two hits, five walks and one earned run).
The point is, the Aggies don’t have a ton of pitching depth. They need this first before the other necessary variables fall into place - such as their offense catching fire over a four-day stretch, and their defense playing at at least a respectable level - in order to win.
NMSU opens the 2014 WAC Tournament on Wednesday at 8 p.m. (MDT) against No. 3-seed Utah Valley. The Tournament will be played in Phoenix, Ariz.
Follow me on Twitter @TeddyFeinberg
Friday, May 16, 2014
Aggie football loses practice time due to APR score
The New Mexico State Aggie football team was penalized for a low APR score, and as a result will lose four hours of practice time - or one day - per week during the 2014 season.
The APR is a tool the NCAA uses to measure the number of athletes who graduate. Each athlete is worth two points toward the APR score per semester: one point for retention/graduation and one point if a player is academically eligible. If a player transfers and is not eligible, that player counts two points against the APR score as well.
Aggie football had a four-year average of 915 (between the 2009-10 and 2012-13 academic years) and a single-year average of 907. The NCAA requires a score of 930 or the risk of possible sanctions.
Thirty six NCAA athletic programs will face some sort of APR penalty this fall, four of which will be FBS football programs. Idaho and UNLV are banned from postseason play in 2014, while Oklahoma State and NMSU suffered a reduction in practice time.
First off, I think a reduction in practice time can in fact be worked around. Certainly it will take some creativity on the coaching staff's part, and head coach Doug Martin said Friday's walk through sessions will now be moved to Saturday's typical gameday routine - which already counts for three hours of the allotted 20 hours of practice time per week. One would figure some meeting time and film work could also be shaved here and there as well, and players can still put in work away from a coach's supervision - throwing on the side, for instance, or extra film study. These things do not count towards a team's allotted practice schedule.
One thing that should be said: it's not abnormal for a football program like NMSU's - and many others in the country for that matter - to take some academic risks when recruiting student-athletes.
It's a fine line. Of course, a program would like to have both - good academics and a winning record all at once. But pulling off such a feat is easier said than done.
While there are plenty of college football players who may not be academic scholars, they can also help a team win a game or two on its schedule. Plenty of programs would take that risk if it beefs up their overall win record.
Martin - who's entering his second year as head coach at NMSU - has often said the program will move away from junior college transfers and recruit four-year high school players, in part because of academic performance. Time will tell if such an approach produces positive results simultaneously, on the field and in the classroom.
Follow me on Twitter @TeddyFeinberg
The APR is a tool the NCAA uses to measure the number of athletes who graduate. Each athlete is worth two points toward the APR score per semester: one point for retention/graduation and one point if a player is academically eligible. If a player transfers and is not eligible, that player counts two points against the APR score as well.
Aggie football had a four-year average of 915 (between the 2009-10 and 2012-13 academic years) and a single-year average of 907. The NCAA requires a score of 930 or the risk of possible sanctions.
Thirty six NCAA athletic programs will face some sort of APR penalty this fall, four of which will be FBS football programs. Idaho and UNLV are banned from postseason play in 2014, while Oklahoma State and NMSU suffered a reduction in practice time.
First off, I think a reduction in practice time can in fact be worked around. Certainly it will take some creativity on the coaching staff's part, and head coach Doug Martin said Friday's walk through sessions will now be moved to Saturday's typical gameday routine - which already counts for three hours of the allotted 20 hours of practice time per week. One would figure some meeting time and film work could also be shaved here and there as well, and players can still put in work away from a coach's supervision - throwing on the side, for instance, or extra film study. These things do not count towards a team's allotted practice schedule.
One thing that should be said: it's not abnormal for a football program like NMSU's - and many others in the country for that matter - to take some academic risks when recruiting student-athletes.
It's a fine line. Of course, a program would like to have both - good academics and a winning record all at once. But pulling off such a feat is easier said than done.
While there are plenty of college football players who may not be academic scholars, they can also help a team win a game or two on its schedule. Plenty of programs would take that risk if it beefs up their overall win record.
Martin - who's entering his second year as head coach at NMSU - has often said the program will move away from junior college transfers and recruit four-year high school players, in part because of academic performance. Time will tell if such an approach produces positive results simultaneously, on the field and in the classroom.
Follow me on Twitter @TeddyFeinberg
PODCAST: Talking APR, Aggies in the NFL draft, and postseasons for respective spring sports
We join Bleedcrimson.net for another one of our weekly podcasts. Click here to listen.
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