Shooting Blanks at New Mexico State (TCY)

[bbgunn]

Week 13 in the Sun Belt
Troy 52, Idaho 14
Louisiana-Monroe 34, Arkansas State 20
Middle Tenn. St. 23, North Texas 7

STANDINGS
1. Troy (6-4, 6-1)
2. Utah State (7-3, 6-2)
3. Louisiana-Monroe (7-4, 6-2)
4. Louisiana-Lafayette (4-6, 4-3)
5. Middle Tennessee State (4-6, 4-4)
6. Idaho (3-7, 3-5)
7. New Mexico State (3-8, 3-5)
8. North Texas (5-6, 2-6)
9. Arkansas State (1-10, 1-1)

Troy has one more conference game left, but their win and Utah State’s loss gives them their second straight conference title.

Upcoming Games – Week 14
#7 Utah at Utah State [TV3]
#18 Boise St. at Idaho [TV5]
Louisiana-Lafayette at Troy [TV5]
Barrow at Middle Tenn. St.

[bbgunn]

Week 14 in the Sun Belt
#7 Utah 38, Utah State 9
#18 Boise State 35, Idaho 14
Troy 24, Louisiana-Lafayette 3
Middle Tenn. St. 66, Barrow 17

[bbgunn]

End of Regular Season
Troy was the only Sun Belt team to get a bowl berth: the Sun Belt’s automatic berth to the New Orleans Bowl. They will face Alaska Eight champion Kodiak in a rematch.

Meanwhile, the National Championship will feature 11-0 Michigan against 12-0 Nebraska. The other BCS games are as follows:
Rose Bowl: LSU (11-1) vs Utah (11-0)
Sugar Bowl: Florida St. (9-2) vs Boston College (11-0)
Orange Bowl: Washington St. (10-1) vs Florida (10-2)

Here is the final National Coaches Top 25 (BCS rankings are in the Rank column)

 School                Record  Conf  Coach Fans  Ave    Rank  
Michigan                11-0    B10   1     1     1.00    1       
Nebraska                12-0    B12   2     2     2.00    2       
Miami (FL)              10-1    ACC   3     4     3.50    5       
Boston College          11-0    BET   4     5     4.50    4       
Utah                    11-0    MWC   5     3     4.00    6       
Louisiana State         11-1    SEC   6     6     6.00    3       
Wisconsin               10-1    B10   7     7     7.00    8       
USC                     9-2     PAC   8     11    9.50    12      
Oklahoma                9-2     B12   9     10    9.50    9       
Florida                 10-2    SEC   10    12    11.00   7       
Florida State           9-2     ACC   11    8     9.50    10      
Penn State              9-2     B10   12    16    14.00   14      
Texas                   10-2    B12   13    13    13.00   16      
Washington State        10-1    PAC   14    9     11.50   13      
Alabama                 9-2     SEC   15    14    14.50   15      
Bowling Green           11-1    MAC   16    15    15.50   17      
Auburn                  9-2     SEC   17    17    17.00   11      
Boise State             9-2     WAC   18    19    18.50   25      
Clemson                 8-3     ACC   19    26    22.50   20      
Ohio State              7-4     B10   20    20    20.00   26      
Washington              8-3     PAC   21    18    19.50   18      
Syracuse                8-3     BET   22    24    23.00   22      
Michigan State          8-3     B10   23    28    25.50   19      
Tennessee               7-4     SEC   24    21    22.50   24      
Texas A&M               8-3     B12   25    27    26.00   21 

[bbgunn]

Bowl Results

National Championship    Michigan (12-0) 65, Nebraska (12-1) 7                  
Rose Bowl                Utah (12-0) 24, Louisiana State (11-2) 13              
Sugar Bowl               Florida State (10-2) 14, Boston College (11-1) 13      
Orange Bowl              Florida (11-2) 45, Washington State (10-2) 10          
Capital One Bowl         Miami (FL) (11-1) 40, Wisconsin (10-2) 17              
Alamo Bowl               USC (10-2) 35, Texas (10-3) 10                         
Champs Sports Bowl       Oklahoma (10-2) 49, Clemson (8-4) 42                   
Outback Bowl             Auburn (10-2) 49, Syracuse (8-4) 10                    
Fiesta Bowl              Colorado State (9-3) 28, Penn State (9-3) 10           
Sun Bowl                 Washington (9-3) 41, Maryland (8-4) 0                  
Gator Bowl               Alabama (10-2) 42, Michigan State (8-4) 10             
Music City Bowl          Georgia Tech (8-4) 35, Louisville (8-4) 0              
Texas Bowl               Ohio State (8-4) 38, Texas A&M (8-4) 24                
Poinsettia Bowl          Notre Dame (8-4) 34, Brigham Young (8-4) 9             
Peach Bowl               Tennessee (8-4) 45, Virginia Tech (7-5) 42             
Hawaii Bowl              Purdue (7-5) 26, Boise State (9-3) 15                  
Las Vegas Bowl           Arizona State (8-4) 52, Miami (OH) (7-6) 24            
Motor City Bowl          Iowa State (9-3) 31, Bowling Green (11-2) 21           
Emerald Bowl             Georgia (8-4) 34, Oregon State (6-6) 27                
St. Petersburg Bowl      Pittsburgh (7-5) 39, Texas Christian (8-4) 20          
Yankee Bowl              Colorado (8-4) 40, South Florida (8-4) 28              
Holiday Bowl             Arkansas (7-5) 38, Marshall (7-5) 10                   
New Orleans Bowl         Troy (8-4) 27, Kodiak (7-5) 24                

Michigan just creamed Nebraska. No contest in that championship. Meanwhile, Utah finishes undefeated too.

HEISMAN TROPHY: QB Richard Crawford, Michigan

[bbgunn]

 2005 Summary for New Mexico State
   
Record: 3-8
Rank: 102
   
New Mexico State        Team      Rank  
Rushes                  239       123         
Rushing Yards           685       119         
Yards Per Carry         2.86      115 (T)     
Pass Attempts           372       40 (T)      
Completions             194       46 (T)      
Passing Yards           1896      87          
Yards Per Attempt       5.09      113         
3rd Down Conversions    17.5      125         
Points Per Game         16.3      104         
Turnovers               23        63 (T)      
Turnover Margin         -1        70 (T)      
   
Opponents               Team      Rank  
Rushes                  478       121 (T)     
Rushing Yards           1938      105 (T)     
Yards Per Carry         4.05      71          
Pass Attempts           321       37 (T)      
Completions             188       68          
Passing Yards           2532      81 (T)      
Yards Per Attempt       7.88      99          
3rd Down Conversions    45.9      114         
Points Per Game         31.1      88 (T)      
Turnovers               22        63 (T)      
   
Primary Formation: Run and Shoot Formation
   
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt  
2     0     at TENN (20)  52      
3     17    at CONN (73)  48      
5     17    LAMN (53)     34      
6     35    NMEX (80)     42      
7     17    at LALF (90)  10      
8     28    ARST (124)    24      
9     13    at TROY (45)  26      
10    16    at NTEX (72)  45      
11    14    IDAH (100)    21      
12    3     at MDTN (78)  24      
13    20    UTST (50)     17      
   
Passing             Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int  
14 Glover           QB    349   185   1839  5.26  13    15      
4 Glenn             QB    23    9     57    2.47  0     2       
Team                ---   372   194   1896  5.09  13    17      
   
Rushing             Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD    Stff  YdLst  
32 Blair            RB    89    452   5.07  0     17    23      
14 Glover           QB    69    -99   -1.43 0     44    228     
29 Berlin           RB    35    159   4.54  0     10    12      
21 Rivers           RB    26    137   5.26  0     8     6       
Team                ---   239   685   2.86  0     89    312     
   
Receiving           Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC   TD  
88 Hager            WR    76    37    350   9.4   169   5       
85 Sims             WR    66    36    467   12.9  135   3       
84 Leeuwenburg      WR    64    33    318   9.6   87    2       
8 Brummitt          WR    59    28    280   10.0  89    2       
32 Blair            RB    32    19    154   8.1   107   1       
81 Breaux           WR    18    11    119   10.8  16    0       
29 Berlin           RB    15    9     40    4.4   49    0       
82 Spindler         TE    14    8     76    9.5   23    0       
Team                ---   372   194   1896  9.7   685   13      
   
Defense             Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  TFL   Ints  Defn  
92 Ruth             DE    69    24    8.5   20    0     0       
33 Keating          CB    69    26    0.0   5     4     7       
91 Gilmore          DE    45    19    9.5   13    0     0       
27 Whitfield        S     45    17    0.0   2     1     5       
31 Camacho          CB    38    13    0.0   3     4     1       
47 Grant            OLB   37    11    0.0   3     0     0       
46 Wohlman          OLB   36    6     0.0   1     1     3       
98 Alcott           DT    33    8     2.5   7     0     0       
25 Crocker          CB    31    6     1.0   3     2     0       
57 Hatcher          OLB   29    3     0.0   3     0     1       
96 Roach            DT    28    18    4.0   4     0     0       
48 Falvey           ILB   27    8     1.0   3     0     3       
95 Atkins           DE    23    5     3.0   6     0     0       
54 Baldwin          ILB   21    12    0.0   1     0     0       
72 Berry            DT    19    19    1.5   2     0     1       
74 Kinney           DE    17    8     1.0   5     0     0       
51 Magallanes       OLB   14    0     0.0   1     0     0       
41 Durnwirth        ILB   13    4     0.0   3     1     0       
34 Small            CB    13    2     0.0   0     0     1       
Team                ---   710   229   34.0  87    16    24      

NMSU Player Awards
ALL-SUN BELT FIRST TEAM
DE Grant Ruth
CB Bubba Keating

ALL-SUN BELT SECOND TEAM
WR Juan Sims

Graduating Seniors

 Player                #    Pos  Elig  HT   WT   High School  
Bopp, Leroy             1    QB   Sr    6-2   253   Fullerton, CA - Troy           
Hanrahan, Wade          10   QB   Sr    6-3   230   Brandenburg, KY - Meade County 
Blair, Ty               32   RB   Sr    6-0   189   Magdalena, NM - Magdalena      
Sims, Juan              85   WR   Sr    6-4   236   Clayton, NM - Clayton          
Tanner, Norm            60   G    Sr    6-5   277   Holbrook, AZ - Holbrook        
Atkins, Harold          95   DE   Sr    6-2   237   Ukiah, CA - Ukiah              
Ruth, Grant             92   DE   Sr    6-2   241   Spanish Fork, UT - Spanish For 
Shuler, Lorenzo         94   DE*  Sr    6-4   263   Kirtland, NM - Central         
Magallanes, Korey       51   OLB* Sr    6-0   206   Radford, VA - Radford          
Fleming, Billy Joe      26   S    Sr    5-9   183   Peoria, AZ - Centennial        
Glover, Howard          14   QB   Sr    6-0   198   Thermal, CA - Coachella Valley 
Berlin, Jeffrey         29   RB   Sr    5-10  190   Las Cruces, NM - Las Cruces    
Mathews, Roger          20   FB   Sr    6-0   225   Cupertino, CA - Monta Vista    
Leeuwenburg, Graham     84   WR   Sr    6-3   192   Saint Louis, MO - Ladue Horton 
Clancy, Drew            67   G    Sr    6-6   290   La Palma, CA - John F Kennedy  
Alcott, Irving          98   DT   Sr    6-3   279   Calexico, CA - Calexico        
Durnwirth, Fred         41   ILB  Sr    6-4   216   Ogden, UT - Ben Lomond         
Wohlman, Arnie          46   OLB  Sr    6-0   212   Prescott, AZ - Prescott  

Recruiting Class

 Player                  Pos   ST   Visit Cost  Dist.   Fit Score
$$Ferguson, James         QB    CO   415         551     66            
**Lyle, Donnie            RB    CO   402         509     78            
##Reagan, Ricky           FB    TX   398         475     71            
##Osterlund, Bobby        TE    NM   283         149     73            
Costello, Charlie         WR    CO   400         462     95            
##Lowe, Rusty             WR    CO   417         551     80            
##Lang, Austin            C     TX   400         554     73            
##Page, Bubba             G     TX   402         535     72            
$$South, Lamont           T     AZ   340         285     73            
$$McGarity, Allen         DE    AZ   325         289     71            
**Van Pelt, Cornelius     DT    CO   437         459     89            
##Olivo, Wesley           ILB   CO   413         535     65            
##Johnson, Bryan          OLB   CO   424         573     84            
$$Terry, Jim              CB    AZ   321         321     87            
**Craig, Buddy            S     NV   593         557     75            
##Craig, Ralph            S     TX   407         563     74            
   
  Player                  Scout   Phone   Visit   Emphasis    Status
$$Ferguson, James         48+     1       3       Dist/Acad   Committed *      
**Lyle, Donnie            44+     2       1       Prest/Dist  Committed *      
##Reagan, Ricky           20-     2       1       Prest/Acad  Committed *      
##Osterlund, Bobby        34+     2       1       Prest/Acad  Committed *      
Costello, Charlie         72-     2       3       Prest*/Acad Committed *      
##Lowe, Rusty             38-     3       1       Prest/Acad  Committed *      
##Lang, Austin            24-     2       1       Acad/Prest  Committed *      
##Page, Bubba             39--    0       1       Prest/Dist  Committed *      
$$South, Lamont           36+     0       2       Prest/Acad  Committed *      
$$McGarity, Allen         45+     2       2       Dist/Acad   Committed *      
**Van Pelt, Cornelius     48+     4       2       Prest*/Dist Committed *      
##Olivo, Wesley           50-     2       4       Dist/Acad   Committed *      
##Johnson, Bryan          37+     2       1       Prest*/Dist Committed *      
$$Terry, Jim              44+     0       1       Prest/Dist  Committed *      
**Craig, Buddy            59+     4       1       Prest/Dist  Committed *      
##Craig, Ralph            37      1       0       Acad/Dist   Committed *      
   
Rough Estimate of Player Interest: No Prefix - player unlikely to be  
interested, ** - a bit of a stretch for your school, $$ - likely interest,  
## - almost certain interest.  

Our recruiting class was #122 this year, instead of dead last at #125 like last year. Now that’s progress! Lyle, Lang and Osterlund are walk-ons.

Coach’s Notes
That Utah State win gave us some momentum heading into the offseason. However, we still have a lot of work to do. We lose a lot of starters to graduation, so we need to continue to rebuild. The biggest decision is whether or not I ditch the run-and-shoot and change to a more run-based system. We have some decent running backs on our roster, compared to sharp quarterbacks, that’s for sure. I’ll look at next year’s roster after camp and make a decision then.

[Recoil]

Huge win against Utah State! That's definitely a momentum booster going into next season.

[bbgunn]

Originally Posted by Recoil

Huge win against Utah State! That's definitely a momentum booster going into next season.

I just hope it can propel us to a big season in 2006.

[bbgunn]

START
2006 SEASON

[bbgunn]

Offseason News
During the offseason I secretly look for any defensive coordinators that may be available. However, none of the available ones are as good as our current DC, James Lunsford. So I stick with him. The defense improved near the end of last year, but we are still far from where we want to be.

Two players have left our team. QB Irving Newton left because he wasn’t playing a lot, and WR Ian Caldwell left after we suspended him for breaking the rules last year. In addition, TE Omar Burbage has been suspended for the upcoming season due to being academically ineligible.

We lost two scouts, but they were in the Southeast and New England regions, so no problem.

We made ticket prices cheaper with hopes of getting bigger crowds to our home games.

[bbgunn]

Before introducing the players, I’ve decided, after looking at the roster, to switch from a run-and-shoot to a flexbone offense. This allows us to take pressure off of our weak quarterbacks, but it also puts our (relatively) talented receivers to good use, too. We will bring back the 46 defense as well; it has been moderately successful so far.

Here is a look at the 2006 New Mexico State Aggies:

Ferguson, James         15   QB   Fr    4                 38                  
Glenn, Al               4    QB   So    9                 45                  
Janke, Quinn            5    QB*  So*   15                54                  
Womer, Rickey           12   QB*  Jr*   2                 4

Janke, a walk-on, will start for us on Day 1. I don’t know what my scout is smoking, because all indications are that Ferguson, who is redshirting this year, has more future potential than a 38.

Kinney, Harvey          22   RB   Sr*   12                19                  
Lyle, Donnie            35   RB   Fr    19                66                  
Rice, Howie             42   RB   Jr    15                16                  
Rivers, Wendell         21   RB   Sr*   15                32                  
Baldwin, Gabe           41   FB   Sr    12                12                  
Spindler, Leslie        39   FB   Sr*   9                 10                  
Reagan, Ricky           23   FB*  Fr    11                34                  
Taylor, Peter           45   FB*  So    0                 14

Our top running back will be our true freshman, Donnie Lyle. At fullback, Gabe Baldwin (whom we moved from ILB) and walk-on Ricky Reagan may split time.

Lawhorn, Norm           93   TE   Jr    18                49                  
Newell, Artie           87   TE   Sr*   34                42                  
Burbage, Omar           99   TE*  So    8                 8                   
Osterlund, Bobby        92   TE*  Fr    8                 46                  
Breaux, Leland          81   WR   Jr*   15                20                  
Brummitt, Dave          8    WR   Jr    12                18                  
Costello, Charlie       89   WR   Fr    25                55                  
Fleming, Dusty          6    WR   So*   23                23                  
Hager, Tyrell           88   WR   Sr*   13                29                  
Lowe, Rusty             2    WR   Fr    21                50                  
Bailey, Reuben          3    WR*  Jr*   11                11                  
Tepper, Raymond         86   WR*  So*   18                51

Newell will be the man at TE. At WR, Fleming is #1, followed by Tepper and one of last year’s starters, Breaux.

Carder, Shane           58   C    Sr*   14                30                  
Lawrence, Harold        53   C    Sr    23                34                  
Whitlock, Percy         56   C    So*   20                25                  
Lang, Austin            55   C*   Fr    0                 6                   
Bishop, Sherman         70   G    So*   22                44                  
Page, Bubba             68   G    Fr    11                22                  
Rice, Christian         73   G    Sr*   5                 12                  
Turney, Dean            71   G    Sr*   8                 20                  
Collins, Donnell        63   T    Sr*   13                37                  
Crosland, Shaun         61   T    So*   18                37                  
Jarvis, Tom             78   T    Jr*   11                26                  
South, Lamont           60   T    Fr    11                50                  
Wainright, Marcus       62   T    Sr    24                24                  
Greene, Robert          65   T*   Sr*   9                 30

Lawrence returns as a starter at center. At guard, it’ll be Bishop and Page. Wainright returns to start at tackle, with redshirt freshman Shaun Crosland joining him.

Colston, Bert           7    P    Jr*   18                52                  
Hastings, Alan          13   P    Sr*   34                40                  
Carlisle, Tyrone        17   P*   Jr*   8                 17                  
DiCaprio, Stan          19   P*   So*   22                30                  
Schwartz, Toby          16   K    Sr    43                43                  
Siddiqui, Winston       9    K    Sr    14                42                  
Monk, Billy             11   K*   So*   30                40

Hastings will punt, and Schwartz returns as our kicker.

Gilmore, Ty             91   DE   Sr    29                41                  
Kinney, Bill            74   DE   Jr    19                58                  
Kochansky, Ralph        90   DE   So*   10                41                  
McGarity, Allen         75   DE   Fr    6                 38                  
Sutton, Ronnie          76   DE   Jr*   24                59                  
Berry, Jared            72   DT   Sr*   17                35                  
Roach, Lonnie           96   DT   So    19                34                  
Van Pelt, Cornelius     98   DT   Fr    6                 41                  
Williamson, Joe         79   DT   Jr    17                23

Now for our D-line. Gilmore and Sutton will be the starters at DE, although Kinney will be good in the future. At defensive tackle, it will be Roach and Berry.

Cowell, Korey           43   ILB  Sr*   3                 9                   
Olivo, Wesley           49   ILB  Fr    12                31                  
Falvey, Butch           48   ILB* So    10                32                  
Rodgers, Kris           50   ILB* So    5                 5                   
Grant, Harold           47   OLB  Sr*   33                66                  
Johnson, Bryan          95   OLB  Fr    7                 52                  
Wilson, Casey           52   OLB  So*   28                29                  
Flaherty, Hardy         59   OLB* Sr*   0                 25                  
Hatcher, Robert         57   OLB* Jr    4                 25

At linebacker, Falvey will be our inside linebacker while Olivo redshirts. The outside linebackers are good compared with the rest of this team, although we do not have decent depth. Grant returns from a serious injury last year to team up with Wilson.

Brenner, Alonzo         38   CB   So*   19                35                  
Camacho, Moe            31   CB   Sr    24                24                  
Keating, Bubba          33   CB   Sr    39                50                  
Small, Bryant           34   CB   Sr    12                12                  
Terry, Jim              46   CB   Fr    12                28                  
Crocker, Stephen        25   CB*  Sr*   12                26                  
Arnold, Sam             44   S    So*   37                60                  
Barbour, Ricky          40   S    Sr*   18                47                  
Craig, Buddy            36   S    Fr    20                53                  
Craig, Ralph            26   S    Fr    20                49                  
Whitfield, Carlos       27   S    Jr    32                32                  
Regan, Mario            24   S*   So    0                 14              

Last, but not least, our best unit: the defensive backs. At cornerback, all-Sun Belt player Bubba Keating returns, as does our other starter from last year, Camacho. At safety, super sophomore Sam Arnold will start alongside returning starter Whitfield. The brothers Craig will redshirt.

[bbgunn]

2006 NMSU SCHEDULE

 2006 New Mexico State Schedule
   
Rival: New Mexico
Stadium Capacity: 30,300
Season Tickets Sold: 12,400
   
  Week  Opponent                   Result    Attendance  Weather     Television  
2       at UTEP                                                         
4       at Arizona                                                      
$$5     at Middle Tennessee State                                       
6       NEW MEXICO                                                      
$$7     IDAHO                                                           
$$8     TROY                                                            
$$9     at Arkansas State                                               
$$10    NORTH TEXAS                                                     
$$11    at Louisiana-Monroe                                             
$$12    at Utah State                                                   
$$13    LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE                                             
   
Home Games in ALL CAPS  
$$-Conference Games, ##-League Championship Games, **-Post-Season Games 

We landed two attractive away-and-home agreements. We will travel to Tucson and El Paso this year, then Arizona and UTEP will return the favor next year. The renewal of the rivalry with the hated Miners has brought some extra attention to our program in the Las Cruces community.

Our season ticket holders have increased by 33%. We must be doing something right!

The Sun Belt coaches have submitted their picks as to who will win the Sun Belt this year. Here are the results:

1. Utah State
2. Troy
3. Louisiana-Monroe
4. North Texas
5. Middle Tennessee State
6. Idaho
7. Louisiana-Lafayette
8. New Mexico State
9. Arkansas State

Finally, here is the preseason National Coaches Top 25:

 School                Record  Conf  Coach Fans  Ave    Rank  
Michigan                0-0     B10   1     1     1.00    1       
Miami (FL)              0-0     ACC   2     2     2.00    2       
Florida State           0-0     ACC   3     3     3.00    3       
Nebraska                0-0     B12   4     4     4.00    4       
USC                     0-0     PAC   5     14    9.50    7       
Oklahoma                0-0     B12   6     12    9.00    6       
Florida                 0-0     SEC   7     15    11.00   9       
Ohio State              0-0     B10   8     5     6.50    5       
LSU                     0-0     SEC   9     6     7.50    8       
Penn State              0-0     B10   10    19    14.50   12      
Texas                   0-0     B12   11    16    13.50   13      
Utah                    0-0     MWC   12    8     10.00   10      
Wisconsin               0-0     B10   13    9     11.00   11      
Tennessee               0-0     SEC   14    7     10.50   14      
Georgia                 0-0     SEC   15    11    13.00   15      
Boston College          0-0     BET   16    17    16.50   17      
Washington              0-0     PAC   17    10    13.50   16      
Alabama                 0-0     SEC   18    13    15.50   18      
Auburn                  0-0     SEC   19    20    19.50   20      
Colorado                0-0     B12   20    18    19.00   19      
Clemson                 0-0     ACC   21    43    32.00   24      
Iowa State              0-0     B12   22    31    26.50   23      
Washington State        0-0     PAC   23    23    23.00   21      
Notre Dame              0-0     IND   24    27    25.50   25      
Georgia Tech            0-0     ACC   25    21    23.00   22    

[bbgunn]

Week 1 in the Sun Belt
Mississippi St. 12, Troy 7
UAB 27, North Texas 14

Upcoming Games – Week 2
New Mexico State at UTEP (-3)
Oklahoma St. at Middle Tenn. St.
#5 Utah at Utah State [TV3]
Arkansas St. at #16 Ole Miss
Idaho at Georgia
Louisiana-Lafayette at Washington St.
Louisiana-Monroe at Bethel
North Texas at UNLV
Troy at Texas Tech

[bbgunn]

2006 Week 2
New Mexico State (0-0) at UTEP (0-0)
UTEP favored by 3
Weather: 75 degrees, fair
Attendance: 41,400 (51,500)

We travel down I-10 to the Sun Bowl to face the closest FBS school to us, UTEP. A crowd of over 40,000 is on hand to watch the renewal of this hated rivalry.

1st Quarter
A lot of sloppy football by both sides. Nothing here.
New Mexico St. 0, UTEP 0

2nd Quarter
Deep in the first quarter UTEP gets a good drive going. This results in an 8-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 Miners at the 14:20 mark. Later on UTEP scores another touchdown at 8:50. This is starting to get ugly. Meanwhile, QB Quinn Janke is still working out the kinks, but he gets it going after that last Miner touchdown, taking us from our 20 all the way to the end zone, mainly by passing. We score by handing off to RB Howie Rice for a counterplay 1-yard TD run. UTEP responds with a good drive of their own, but they can only get a field goal this time.
UTEP 17, New Mexico St. 7

3rd Quarter
Early in the quarter, UTEP gets good field position at our 33 after our punter kicks it badly. They can’t get it into the end zone, though, and they settle for a field goal. Then we put together a damn good drive which ends with a Janke 5 yard TD pass to WR Raymond Tepper. It’s not over yet.
UTEP 20, New Mexico St. 14

4th Quarter
With the crowd going wild, from our own 27, RB Wendell Rivers turns on the speed and runs around left end, leaving Miner defenders in his dust. He runs 73 yards to the end zone. With the extra point, we take the lead by one point!

However, later on in the quarter UTEP gets a touchdown of their own. They are unable to get the 2-point conversion, however, and they have a five-point lead. We get the ball back with 2:51 on the clock. However, a minute later Janke makes his first big mistake, throwing a pick at our 41-yard line which, for all intents and purposes, ends the game.

Final: UTEP 26, New Mexico St. 21

It’s disappointing how the game ended, but overall I am very pleased. The flexbone is helping us be more competitive. We did well against a more talented team. Had we had the run-and-shoot and put pressure on Quinn Janke, the outcome might have been very different. But Janke played well overall, as did Rivers, Tepper and RB Donnie Lyle.

Yards (rush-pass-total)
NMSU: 237-93-330
UTEP: 213-111-324
NMSU Leaders
Rushing
RB Donnie Lyle – 13 att, 77 yds
RB Wendell Rivers – 8 att, 95 yds, 1 TD
Passing
QB Quinn Janke – 6-17, 93 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Receiving
WR Raymond Tepper – 3 ctch, 42 yds, 1 TD
Top Defenders
DT Lonnie Roach – 8 tackles, 5 assists
OLB Harold Grant – 8 tackles, 4 assists
DE Ty Gilmore – 7 tackles, 1 assist, 1.5 sacks
Players of the Week: Rivers

Injuries
None!

[bbgunn]

Week 2 in the Sun Belt
Oklahoma State 37, Middle Tenn. St. 3
Texas Tech 38, Troy 33
Washington St. 30, Louisiana-Lafayette 20
Georgia 70, Idaho 7
#16 Ole Miss 45, Arkansas St. 14
UNLV 35, North Texas 13
#5 Utah 28, Utah St. 6
Bethel 31, Louisiana-Monroe 10

Upcoming Games – Week 3
#21 Virginia Tech at Troy
Army at Louisiana-Monroe
Utah St. at #17 Iowa St. [TV5]
Arkansas St. at #18 Washington St.
Louisiana-Lafayette at Boise St.
Middle Tenn. St. at Barrow

[Young Drachma]

Seems your offensive adjustments have worked for you. If you can hang with UTEP, you might have a good Sun Belt season!

[bbgunn]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

Seems your offensive adjustments have worked for you. If you can hang with UTEP, you might have a good Sun Belt season!

I'm surprised at how well we did in that UTEP game, especially on offense. Our offense is only as good as last year's version, in my opinion. I'm looking forward to the Sun Belt schedule now!

Thanks for following along!

[bbgunn]

Week 3 in the Sun Belt
Troy 38, #21 Virginia Tech 7 (wow, what an upset! Troy was 0-2 coming into this one.)
Louisiana-Monroe 24, Army 17
#17 Iowa St. 27, Utah St. 24 (the Aggies have lost four straight, going back to last season. Our win over them in 2005 was the first of that streak.)
#18 Washington St. 73, Arkansas St. 3
Boise St. 48, Louisiana-Lafayette 25
Middle Tenn. St. 38, Barrow 10

Upcoming Games – Week 4
New Mexico St. (0-1) at Arizona (1-1)(-8)
Ole Miss (2-0) at Middle Tenn. St. (1-1) [TV3]
Idaho (0-1) at Troy (1-2)
North Texas (0-2) at Fairbanks (1-1)
Utah St. (0-2) at Air Force (2-0)

[bbgunn]

2006 Week 4
New Mexico State (0-1) at Arizona (1-1)
Arizona favored by 8
Weather: 83 degrees, fair
Attendance: 37,200 (56,000)

1st Quarter
Arizona gets a field goal near the two minute mark. They are certainly passing all over us!
Arizona 3, New Mexico St. 0

2nd Quarter
At 11:12, OLB Casey Wilson intercepts an Arizona pass at our own 36 yard line, but we can’t do anything with it as penalties kill our drive. Arizona takes it down the field, but misses a FG attempt. It’s okay for the Wildcats, though, because they later score a touchdown with under a minute remaining in the half.
Arizona 10, New Mexico St. 0

3rd Quarter
Arizona kicks a field goal early on to go up by 13 points. Deep in the quarter, they get another touchdown. 20-0 Wildcats. Meanwhile, we are looking terrible on offense. Penalties, sacks, failures by our RBs to find seams. However, we get a good drive going as the third quarter expires.
Arizona 20, New Mexico St. 0

4th Quarter
We get a field goal off of that aforementioned drive – our first points of the game. But Arizona quickly silences our dim momentum with another touchdown. Soon after that, QB Quinn Janke throws a pick, which the Arizona offense uses to score another TD. Of course, the game has long been over by that point. We do get our first and only touchdown of the game when RB Wendell Rivers runs it in with about two minutes left (we didn’t get the 2-pointer).

Final: Arizona 34, New Mexico St. 9

We were outmatched by a Pac-10 team. Had this been a year ago, perhaps the Wildcats would have scored 60 points on us. We’re taking baby steps. The best part of the day for us is that we had only one turnover. The flexbone is certainly helping us out in that regard.

Yards (rush-pass-total)
NMSU: 92-87-162
ARIZ: 132-336-468
NMSU Leaders
Rushing
RB Wendell Rivers – 11 att, 57 yds, 1 TD
Passing
QB Quinn Janke – 9-11, 87 yds, 1 INT
Receiving
WR Dusty Fleming – 3 ctch, 61 yds
Top Defenders
OLB Harold Grant – 12 tackles
Players of the Week: Rivers

Injuries
None!

[bbgunn]

Week 4 in the Sun Belt
Ole Miss 21, Middle Tenn. St. 18
Air Force 36, Utah St. 10
Troy 34, Idaho 31
North Texas 38, Fairbanks 17

Upcoming Games – Week 5
New Mexico St. at Middle Tenn. St. (-6)
Louisiana-Lafayette at Louisiana-Monroe
North Texas at Utah St.
Troy at Arkansas St.

[bbgunn]

2006 Week 5
New Mexico State (0-2, 0-0) at Middle Tennessee State (1-2, 0-0)
Middle Tennessee favored by 6
Last meeting: 24-3 Middle Tennessee
Weather: 68 degrees, fair
Attendance: 22,600 (30,800)

The first Sun Belt game of the year for us. I’m anxious to see how we play against Sun Belt competition.

1st Quarter
Early on, while driving from deep within our own territory, FB Gabe Baldwin fumbles the ball away. MTSU recovers and proceeds to take the ball into the end zone. Not exactly the start I want. However, we reply with the best drive I’ve seen so far this year from our troops. It was a nice mix of run and pass plays, and QB Quinn Janke was in his element. The drive ends with under a minute to go, when WR Raymond Tepper runs a reverse 5 yards to the end zone.
New Mexico St. 7, Middle Tenn. St. 7

2nd Quarter
MTSU replies with a long drive of their own that ends with a TD. This game is getting good. But, as soon as we get the ball back, RB Wendell Rivers fumbles the ball away at our own 24. Luckily, the Blue Raiders miss a FG, but I’m angry. I can’t stand turnovers.

Later we put together another good drive. I like how our offense is running the ball and controlling the clock. However, K Toby Schwartz misses the field goal, so it’s all for nothing. The Blue Raiders then drive down the field and makes a FG right before halftime.
Middle Tenn. St. 17, New Mexico St. 7

3rd Quarter
In the middle of the quarter, the Blue Raiders score another TD. This game is getting away from us!
Middle Tenn. St. 24, New Mexico St. 7

4th Quarter
The quarter begins with the Aggies at the Blue Raider 45. QB Janke throws a pass to RB Donnie Lyle which he eventually takes 38 yards. Later, Janke throws it to WR Dusty Fleming for a TD. Later on, a 44-yard Janke-to-Fleming bomb in midfield helps set up a Rivers TD run. Just like that, we are down by only three points. There’s 9 1/2 minutes left in the game.

At the 8:03 mark, CB Alonzo Brenner intercepts a Blue Raider pass at their 43. We drive 20 yards before Toby Schwartz kicks a field goal. It’s all tied up! But then our run defense disappears as the Blue Raiders eat up clock as they drive down the field. They run into the end zone with :31 on the clock. Damn it.

Final: Middle Tennessee State 31, New Mexico State 24

Damn it, I wanted to start the Sun Belt campaign 1-0. Now we are 0-1, and 0-3 overall. If you look at the standings, it looks like nothing’s changed. But the stats tell a different story. This was a damn entertaining game. Both teams were nearly dead even in yardage, and there was over 800 yards offense combined! We are definitely more competitive this year. Still, this loss leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

Yards (rush-pass-total)
NMSU: 215-194-409
MDTN: 219-185-404
NMSU Leaders
Rushing
RB Donnie Lyle – 14 att, 107 yds
RB Wendell Rivers – 13 att, 58 yds, 1 TD
Passing
QB Quinn Janke – 10-15, 194 yds, 1 TD
Receiving
WR Dusty Fleming – 5 ctch, 125 yds
Top Defenders
S Sam Arnold – 10 tackles, 4 assists
OLB Harold Grant – 9 tackles, 4 assists
DT Lonnie Roach – 6 tackles, 1 sack
Players of the Week: Janke and Lyle

Injuries
OLB Butch Falvey is out for 5 weeks. He’ll have to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery to work out some problems. QB Quinn Janke has tendonitis in his shoulder, but is listed as probable.

Recruiting
Visits – New entries are indicated by italics.
QB Darnell Barnes – Albuquerque, NM (Sandia) - #494 nation, #33 position, #2 state (scout: 67-)

[bbgunn]

Week 5 in the Sun Belt
Troy 31, Arkansas St. 3
Louisiana-Lafayette 14, Louisiana-Monroe 7
Utah St. 28, North Texas 10

STANDINGS
1. Troy (3-2, 2-0)
2. Middle Tenn. St. (2-2, 1-0)
3. Louisiana-Lafayette (1-2, 1-0)
4. Utah St. (1-3, 1-0)
5. Louisiana-Monroe (1-2, 0-1)
6. North Texas (1-3, 0-1)
7. Idaho (0-2, 0-1)
8. New Mexico St. (0-3, 0-1)
9. Arkansas St. (0-3, 0-1)

Upcoming Games – Week 6
New Mexico (-13) at New Mexico St.
Utah St. at Middle Tenn. St. [TV5]
Arkansas St. at Idaho
Louisiana-Lafayette at Toledo
Louisiana-Monroe at Central Michigan
Troy at North Texas

[bbgunn]

2006 Week 6
New Mexico (2-1) at New Mexico State (0-3)
New Mexico favored by 13
Last meeting: 42-35 New Mexico
Weather: 84 degrees, fair
Attendance: 15,800 (30,300)

Can we make some noise by knocking off the Lobos here in Las Cruces?

1st Quarter
The Lobos dominate the quarter with two TDs.
New Mexico 14, New Mexico St. 0

2nd Quarter
They get two more TDs (one was an 87-yard interception return) before we finally get one of our own at the 3:28 mark (a Quinn Janke pass to Tyrell Hager). However, the Lobos add a field goal before time expires. This is very bad.
New Mexico 31, New Mexico St. 7

3rd Quarter
We get another Janke-to-Hager TD pass early on. But the Lobos answer with a TD of their own.
New Mexico 38, New Mexico St. 14

4th Quarter
The Lobos add to the misery with two more TDs and a FG. Terrible loss.

Final: New Mexico 55, New Mexico State 14

Here I was, thinking that we’ve turned a corner. Now success seems farther away than before. This is the third straight year we have begun the season 0-4. We had five turnovers in this game: 4 interceptions and a fumble. The Lobos had zero. No wonder we lost.

The Lobos were able to effectively run the ball on us; their RB Danny Poole was the national offensive player of the week (25 att, 222 yds, 4 TDs). Meanwhile, they almost completely shut down our running game. The ironic thing about this game is that we passed for a helluva lot of yardage; I don’t think we had over 300 yards passing in a single game in our run-and-shoot days.

Yards (rush-pass-total)
NMEX: 274-186-460
NMST: 51-332-383
NMSU Leaders
Rushing
RB Donnie Lyle – 6 att, 32 yds
RB Wendell Rivers – 9 att, 23 yds
Passing
QB Quinn Janke – 16-32, 332 yds, 2 TD, 4 INT
Receiving
WR Tyrell Hager – 4 ctch, 160 yds, 2 TD
Top Defenders
OLB Harold Grant – 9 tackles, 4 assists
Players of the Week: Hager

Injuries
NEW: Starting T Marcus Wainwright is probable with a bruised ribcage (3 weeks).
CONTINUING: OLB Butch Falvey is out for 4 weeks recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. QB Quinn Janke has tendonitis in his shoulder, but is listed as probable (3 weeks).

Recruiting
Visits
QB Darnell Barnes – Albuquerque, NM (Sandia) - #494 nation, #33 position, #2 state (scout: 67-)

Commitments
none

[bbgunn]

Week 6 in the Sun Belt
Central Michigan 21, Louisiana-Monroe 17
Toledo 49, Louisiana-Lafayette 10
Idaho 48, Arkansas St. 35
Utah St. 34, Middle Tenn. St. 19
North Texas 27, Troy 14

STANDINGS
1. Utah St. (2-3, 2-0)
2. Louisiana-Lafayette (1-3, 1-0)
3. Troy (3-3, 2-1)
4. Middle Tenn. St. (2-3, 1-1)
5. North Texas (2-3, 1-1)
6. Idaho (1-2, 1-1)
7. Louisiana-Monroe (1-3, 0-1)
8. New Mexico St. (0-4, 0-1)
9. Arkansas St. (0-4, 0-2)

Upcoming Games – Week 7
Idaho (-5) at New Mexico St.
Utah St. at Troy [TV5]
Arkansas St. at Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisiana-Monroe at North Texas

[bbgunn]

2006 Week 7
Idaho (1-2, 1-1) at New Mexico State (0-4, 0-1)
Idaho is favored by 5
Last meeting: 21-14 Idaho
Weather: 82 degrees, fair
Attendance: 14,200 (30,300)

1st Quarter
Idaho wins the toss and elects to receive. We kick it to them and they return it to their own 28 yard line. On the Vandals’ first play from scrimmage, DE Ronnie Sutton sacks the Vandal QB with enough force to jar the ball loose. The other DE, Ty Gilmore, picks up the ball and runs it into the Idaho 6! Unfortunately, their defense stops us cold and we settle for a FG. On the next Idaho possession, they throw a pick to CB Alonzo Brenner. Four plays later, QB Quinn Janke throws a pick of his own. What wasted opportunities. Janke makes up for it, however, by leading us to a touchdown with under five minutes to go.
New Mexico St. 10, Idaho 0

2nd Quarter
Idaho finishes off a long 80-yard drive they started in the first quarter with a TD here at the 13:45 mark. We reply with a nice, long, 80-yard TD drive of our own. Still up by ten points.

At the 4:48 mark, Janke runs the ball off left guard, then fumbles it away! Idaho recovers, then drives down the field for a FG. With only 1:22 to play, the Aggies quickly move the ball to get into field goal range, and Toby Schwartz hits a 23-yarder.
New Mexico St. 20, Idaho 10

3rd Quarter
Schwartz kicks another field goal 2/3 of the way through the quarter.
New Mexico St. 23, Idaho 10

4th Quarter
We begin the quarter by driving 70 yards and using an array of running plays to confuse the Vandal defense. At the end of the drive, Janke takes it in himself for a 2-yard TD run. Later, we put together a quicker drive that ends with another TD run, this time by RB Howie Rice. Meanwhile, our defense has completely shut down the Idaho offense this half.

Final: New Mexico State 37, Idaho 10

Big win for us. The 27-point margin of victory is the largest since I've been coaching the Aggies. We ran all over their ass! Even Janke got in on some of the action. I hope this catapults us to a decent Sun Belt season, but what do you know, Troy comes to town next week.

Yards (rush-pass-total)
IDAH: 55-163-218
NMST: 266-160-426
NMSU Leaders
Rushing
RB Donnie Lyle – 20 att, 121 yds, 1 TD
RB Wendell Rivers – 15 att, 76 yds
QB Quinn Janke – 13 att, 53 yds, 1 TD
Passing
QB Quinn Janke – 13-20, 160 yds, 1 INT
Receiving
WR Dusty Fleming – 9 ctch, 108 yds
Top Defenders
S Sam Arnold – 10 tackles, 2 assist, 1 INT
DE Ronnie Sutton – 7 tackles, 2.5 sacks
Players of the Week: Lyle, Sutton and T Shaun Crosland

Injuries
NEW: none.
CONTINUING: OLB Butch Falvey is out for 3 weeks recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. QB Quinn Janke has tendonitis in his shoulder, but is listed as probable (3 weeks). T Marcus Wainwright is probable with a bruised ribcage (2 weeks).

Recruiting
We have a lot of new visits this week! All the guys we are targeting are now visiting us. Landing Barnes and Westbrook would be big for us.

Visits
QB Darnell Barnes, Albuquerque, NM – nation #494, position #33 (scout 67-)
RB Hugh Harding, Tucson, AZ – (scout 50+)
FB Mitch DiCosomo, Moriarty, NM – position #87 (scout 45--)
WR Jim Bouchard, Albuquerque, NM – (scout 45+)
G Charles Wiggins, Lakeside, CA – nation #867, position #69 (scout 60+)
T Van Roberson, Allen, TX – (scout 43-)
DE Michael Wilson, Bisbee, AZ – (scout 50+)
DT Jerome Garrison, Tuba City, AZ – position #59 (scout 56+)
ILB Bart Glenn, Austin, TX – nation #933, position #56 (scout 53++)
OLB Lincoln Banks, El Paso, TX – (scout 58--)
CB Bubba Hoffman, Odessa, TX – position #99 (scout 58-)
S Dan Westbrook, Glendale, AZ – nation #573, position #34 (scout 58++)

Commitments
none

[bbgunn]

Week 7 in the Sun Belt
Louisiana-Lafayette 16, Arkansas St. 13
Louisiana-Monroe 40, North Texas 27
Troy 52, Utah St. 22

STANDINGS
1. Louisiana-Lafayette (2-3, 2-0)
2. Troy (4-3, 3-1)
3. Utah St. (2-4, 2-1)
4. Middle Tenn. St. (2-3, 1-1)
5. Louisiana-Monroe (2-3, 1-1)
6. New Mexico St. (1-4, 1-1)
7. North Texas (2-4, 1-2)
8. Idaho (1-3, 1-2)
9. Arkansas St. (0-5, 0-3)

Upcoming Games – Week 8
Troy (-8) at New Mexico St.
Louisiana-Lafayette at Idaho
Middle Tenn. St. at Arkansas St.
Utah St. at Louisiana-Monroe

[bbgunn]

2006 Week 8
Troy (4-3, 3-1) at New Mexico State (1-4, 1-1)
Troy is favored by 8
Last meeting: 26-13 Troy
Weather: 69 degrees, fair
Attendance: 16,400 (30,300)

A slightly chilly day here in Las Cruces as one of the name-brand teams in the Sun Belt comes to town. The Trojans are one of the top five rushing teams in the nation. Not a good sign.

1st Quarter
At the 6:47 mark, CB Bubba Keating intercepts a Troy pass at the Aggie 45. He jukes a few Troy players en route to a 55-yard return for a touchdown! The Trojans later reply with a field goal.
New Mexico St. 7, Troy 3

2nd Quarter
The Aggies finish off an 80-yard drive with a Wendell Rivers 3-yard touchdown run – fitting because Rivers was the star of that drive. Later on, Troy blocks our punt at the NMSU 32 yard line. They take advantage of the opportunity by passing into the end zone. Later, with under a minute left, Troy's punter botches a kick, and we get it at their 29 yard line. Four plays later, Toby Schwartz kicks a field goal. We are up by seven on Troy!
New Mexico St. 17, Troy 10

3rd Quarter
Schwartz kicks another field goal at the halfway point of the quarter. Meanwhile, our defense is eating their offense alive.
New Mexico St. 20, Troy 10

4th Quarter
A long 84-yard Aggie drive ends with another Rivers rushing touchdown. We are up 27-10 on the Trojans in the fourth quarter! Let's not blow this one, please! At the halfway point of the quarter, the Trojans add another field goal – a 62-yarder! Meanwhile, our ball-control offense is eating up the clock. We get a big win against Troy!

Final: New Mexico State 27, Troy 13

Unbelievable. We beat the team that gave #18 Virginia Tech (currently 6-1) its only loss of the year. Talk about turning a corner. Fittingly, the game MVP was T Shaun Crosland. He has come up big in our last two wins. Our rushing offense was good, but our defense deserves a lot of credit here. They held one of the top five rushing attacks in the nation to 90 yards. Another good stat: no turnovers for us!

Yards (rush-pass-total)
TROY: 90-143-206
NMSU: 262-42-304
NMSU Leaders
Rushing
RB Donnie Lyle – 20 att, 89 yds
RB Wendell Rivers – 14 att, 49 yds, 2 TD
QB Quinn Janke – 11 att, 60 yds
Passing
QB Quinn Janke – 5-8, 42 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT
Receiving
WR Raymond Tepper – 2 ctch, 20 yds
Top Defenders
CB Bubba Keating – 8 tackles, 2 INT (1 INT return for a TD)
DT Lonnie Roach – 6 tackles, 3 assists, 1 sack
DE Ronnie Sutton – 6 tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack
Players of the Week: Keating and T Shaun Crosland

Injuries
NEW: OLB Butch Falvey is upgraded to Doubtful (2 weeks, arthroscopic knee surgery).
CONTINUING: QB Quinn Janke has tendonitis in his shoulder, but is listed as probable (2 weeks). T Marcus Wainwright is probable with a bruised ribcage (1 weeks).

Recruiting
That Troy win must have made an impact on our visiting recruits, because we landed three commitments, all from nationally-ranked players, which are rare in these here parts. Yes!!!! Meanwhile, we had to stop pursuing QB Darnell Barnes out of Albuquerque after he said he would probably take a UNM scholarship.

Visits
QB Darryl Grier, Pflugerville, TX – (scout 35+)
RB Hugh Harding, Tucson, AZ – (scout 50+)
FB Mitch DiCosomo, Moriarty, NM – position #87 (scout 45--)
WR Jim Bouchard, Albuquerque, NM – (scout 45+)
T Van Roberson, Allen, TX – (scout 43-)
DE Michael Wilson, Bisbee, AZ – (scout 50+)
DT Jerome Garrison, Tuba City, AZ – position #59 (scout 56+)
OLB Lincoln Banks, El Paso, TX – (scout 58--)

Commitments
G Charles Wiggins, Lakeside, CA – nation #867, position #69 (scout 60+)
ILB Bart Glenn, Austin, TX – nation #933, position #56 (scout 53++)
S Dan Westbrook, Glendale, AZ – nation #573, position #34 (scout 58++)

[bbgunn]

Week 8 in the Sun Belt
Arkansas St. 30, Middle Tenn. St. 21
Idaho 28, Louisiana-Lafayette 21
Louisiana-Monroe 34, Utah St. 7

Upcoming Games – Week 9
New Mexico St. (-4) at Arkansas St.
Louisiana-Lafayette at Utah St.
Louisiana-Monroe at Middle Tenn. St.
North Texas at Idaho

*****
2006 MID-SEASON REPORT

Some facts and statistics for you:
*New Mexico State's rushing offense is second in the Sun Belt with 184.3 yards per game. Louisiana-Monroe is first with 190.8 yards a game. Our rushing offense is also 17th nationally in yards per game.
*We have the second-best passing defense and the third-best rushing defense in the Sun Belt.
*Our quarterbacks have been sacked fewer times (seven) than any other team in the conference.
*QB Quinn Janke (remember: he is a walk-on!) has the third-highest QB rating in the Sun Belt (130.8).
*A bad stat: in the Sun Belt, we are next to last in third down conversion percentage, ahead of only Arkansas State.

SUN BELT STANDINGS

School                 W  L  T  Pct   PF  PA  W  L  T  Pct   PF  PA  Streak  
Louisiana-Monroe         3  3  0  .500  132 117 2  1  0  .666  81  48  Won 2       
**New Mexico State       2  4  0  .333  132 169 2  1  0  .666  88  54  Won 2       
Louisiana-Lafayette      2  4  0  .333  106 175 2  1  0  .666  51  48  Lost 1      
Troy                     4  4  0  .500  222 167 3  2  0  .600  144 110 Lost 1      
Idaho                    2  3  0  .400  124 197 2  2  0  .500  117 127 Won 1       
Utah State               2  5  0  .285  131 206 2  2  0  .500  91  115 Lost 2      
Middle Tennessee State   2  4  0  .333  130 156 1  2  0  .333  71  88  Lost 2      
North Texas              2  4  0  .333  129 161 1  2  0  .333  64  82  Lost 1      
Arkansas State           1  5  0  .166  98  234 1  3  0  .250  81  116 Won 1 

We are tied for first place in the conference!

NATIONAL COACHES TOP 25

 School                Record  Conf  Coach Fans  Ave    Rank  
Michigan                7-0     B10   1     1     1.00    2       
Nebraska                6-0     B12   2     2     2.00    4       
USC                     6-0     PAC   3     3     3.00    1       
Florida                 6-0     SEC   4     4     4.00    3       
Miami (FL)              5-1     ACC   5     5     5.00    6       
Ohio State              6-1     B10   6     6     6.00    9       
Clemson                 6-0     ACC   7     9     8.00    5       
Oklahoma                4-1     B12   8     10    9.00    10      
Penn State              5-1     B10   9     13    11.00   8       
Utah                    5-1     MWC   10    8     9.00    11      
Louisville              7-0     USA   11    7     9.00    7       
Florida State           5-2     ACC   12    11    11.50   13      
Texas                   4-1     B12   13    14    13.50   17      
Georgia                 4-1     SEC   14    12    13.00   15      
Iowa State              5-1     B12   15    19    17.00   26      
LSU                     4-2     SEC   16    15    15.50   12      
Texas A&M               6-1     B12   17    20    18.50   25      
Virginia Tech           6-1     ACC   18    23    20.50   27      
Anchorage               5-0     SCE   19    16    17.50   19      
Michigan State          5-1     B10   20    21    20.50   14      
Boise State             4-1     WAC   21    24    22.50   31      
Tennessee               4-2     SEC   22    18    20.00   22      
North Carolina State    5-1     ACC   23    17    20.00   16      
Boston College          4-2     BET   24    25    24.50   24      
Oregon                  5-1     PAC   25    28    26.50   18      

The BCS rankings are in the Rank column. So if the BCS were played today, it would be USC and Michigan. Note that Alaska Eight team Anchorage is #19. They're feeding off of their big win against Arkansas, who were ranked up until recently.

[bbgunn]

Aggie Weekly – Week 9
Walk-on quarterback helping to change Aggies

Quinn Janke looks like your typical college starting quarterback. At 209 pounds, he is slightly thinner than the prototypical signal caller, but he has the height (6 foot 2 inches) and the requisite good looks. The starter for the New Mexico State Aggies has led his team to a 2-1 start to the Sun Belt season and has been quite effective in the Aggie flexbone offense, installed just this past offseason.

Would you believe that Janke is just a walk-on?

“People always talk about that,” Janke said, “but I don't see it like that. I'm an Aggie, just like the other guys. When we're on the field, we don't talk about who's getting free tuition and who's not.”

Janke hails from Glendale, Arizona, in the Phoenix metropolitan area. After his senior year at Independence High School, he hoped to get a scholarship with a Division I-A team. However, none came, and Janke prepared himself to go to Division I-AA. However, New Mexico State head coach B.B. Gunn contacted him with an offer to play for the Aggies as a walk-on.

“He said he couldn't give me a scholarship at that time,” Janke recalls, “but he said that I would have an opportunity to compete for a starting position and contribute to the team. I really respected that. Plus, the opportunity to be a starter at the Division I-A level is something I've always wanted. And this was my best chance.”

So Janke enrolled at the campus, joined the team and redshirted in 2005. After spring practice this year, B.B. Gunn shocked the Aggie fan base by announcing Janke as the starter for the 2006 season.

“Look, he played better than the other guys, fair and square,” Gunn said. “We want to play the best players we have, and Janke showed himself to be a very good quarterback.”

Will Janke's play translate into a scholarship in the future? For his part, Janke has not brought it up with his coaches.

“If they think I'm worth a scholarship, then I'll be happy with that,” he said. “But for now, I'm just thinking about making myself a better quarterback.”

[bbgunn]

2006 Week 9
New Mexico State at Arkansas State
New Mexico State is favored by 4
Last meeting: 28-24 New Mexico State
Weather: 71 degrees, fair
Attendance: 7,000 (30,700)

1st Quarter
Early in the quarter CB Alonzo Brenner intercepts an Arkansas State pass at our 34 yard line. But then we go three and out. ASU then goes on a long 74-yard line with ends when their QB passes to their RB for a 4-yard TD.
Arkansas St. 7, New Mexico St. 0

2nd Quarter
ASU gets a field goal a third of the way through. We reply with a good drive, but we miss a 41-yard field goal attempt.
Arkansas St. 10, New Mexico St. 0

3rd Quarter
Early on, Wendell Rivers fumbles the ball away at our own 27 yard line. ASU needs just one play to get the ball into the end zone. They are up 17-0! We finally get on the board with one minute left in the quarter with a field goal. We still have a lot of work to do.
Arkansas St. 17, New Mexico St. 3

4th Quarter
ASU gets a field goal early on. Meanwhile, our offense has stunk up the joint. Quinn Janke has played awfully, with many mistakes and some interceptions. After one of those interceptions, ASU scores yet another TD. After his third interception of the quarter, we yank Janke for Al Glenn, who then throws a pick of his own. This was just a terrible game.

Final: Arkansas State 27, New Mexico State 3

I can't believe that we were dominated by Arkansas State. What a horrible game that was. Janke played like a walk-on today. Guess all the media attention is going to his head. After the game, I tell him that we are going to give him a scholarship, but he better get his act together or we will yank him.

Yards (rush-pass-total)
NMSU: 143-119-262
ARST: 105-235-340
NMSU Leaders
Rushing
RB Donnie Lyle – 14 att, 81 yds
RB Wendell Rivers – 9 att, 40 yds
Passing
QB Quinn Janke – 9-17, 119 yds, 0 TD, 3 INT
QB Al Glenn – 0-3, 0 yds, 1 INT
Receiving
RB Donnie Lyle – 3 ctch, 37 yds
Top Defenders
OLB Harold Grant – 8 tackles, 6 assists
CB Bubba Keating – 7 tackles, 3 assists
Players of the Week: Lyle

Injuries
NEW: OLB Butch Falvey is now Probable (1 week, arthroscopic knee surgery). QB Quinn Janke re-aggravated the tendonitis in his shoulder. He is still Probable, but the time period is extended to 4 weeks. Other than that, no injuries. We have had good luck with our injuries in 2006.

Recruiting
Despite the stinker against ASU, we get three more commitments. These guys are nothing to sneeze at, though.

Visits
QB Darryl Grier, Pflugerville, TX – (scout 35+)
RB Hugh Harding, Tucson, AZ – (scout 50+)
WR Jim Bouchard, Albuquerque, NM – (scout 45+)
DE Michael Wilson, Bisbee, AZ – (scout 50+)
CB Dean Shea, Elgin, TX – (scout 42-)

Commitments
FB Mitch DiCosomo, Moriarty, NM – position #87 (scout 45--)
G Charles Wiggins, Lakeside, CA – nation #867, position #69 (scout 60+)
T Van Roberson, Allen, TX – (scout 43-)
ILB Bart Glenn, Austin, TX – nation #933, position #56 (scout 53++)
OLB Lincoln Banks, El Paso, TX – (scout 58--)
S Dan Westbrook, Glendale, AZ – nation #573, position #34 (scout 58++)

[bbgunn]

Week 9 in the Sun Belt
North Texas 24, Idaho 7
Utah State 31, Louisiana-Lafayette 6
Louisiana-Monroe 44, Middle Tennessee State 28

STANDINGS
Louisiana-Monroe (4-3, 3-1)
Troy (4-4, 3-2)
Utah State (3-5, 3-2)
North Texas (3-4, 2-2)
New Mexico State (2-5, 2-2)
Louisiana-Lafayette (2-5, 2-2)
Idaho (2-4, 2-3)
Arkansas State (2-5, 2-3)
Middle Tennessee State (2-5, 1-3)

Now, how is it that our two conference losses have come to the two teams at the bottom of the standings? We are still one game behind first place in the conference, but if we are going to go to a bowl we have to win all our remaining games.

Upcoming Games – Week 10
North Texas (-1) at New Mexico State
Louisiana-Monroe at Troy [TV4]
Middle Tennessee State at Louisiana-Lafayette
Navy at Arkansas State

[bbgunn]

2006 Week 10
North Texas (3-4, 2-2) at New Mexico State (2-5, 2-2)
North Texas is favored by 1
Last meeting: 45-16 North Texas
Weather: 57 degrees, fair
Attendance: 15,800 (30,300)

Hell, this was a blowout, so let's just get to the final score.

Final: North Texas 49, New Mexico State 7

We were completely and utterly shut down on offense, and their offense ran and passed all over our asses. Our only TD came on a kickoff return early in the fourth quarter. This season just went down the toilet. I don't know why we're tailspinning like this, but whatever we are doing is not working. If this continues, my ass is gonna be fired at the end of the year.

Yards (rush-pass-total)
NTEX: 266-332-598
NMSU: 78-81-159
NMSU Leaders
Rushing
RB Wendell Rivers – 6 att, 53 yds
Passing
QB Quinn Janke – 5-14, 51 yds, 1 INT
QB Al Glenn – 5-12, 30 yds, 1 INT
Receiving
RB Howie Rice – 3 ctch, 10 yds
Top Defenders
OLB Harold Grant – 12 tackles, 6 assists, 1 INT
Players of the Week: Grant

Injuries
NEW: Backup FB Leslie Spindler, Bad Cold, Probable (2 weeks).
CONTINUING: QB Quinn Janke has tendonitis in his shoulder. Probable (3 weeks).

Recruiting
The loss to North Texas was enough to sway our RB target away from us and to the Mean Green! Damn it.

Visits
QB Darryl Grier, Pflugerville, TX – (scout 35+)
WR Jim Bouchard, Albuquerque, NM – (scout 45+)
DE Michael Wilson, Bisbee, AZ – (scout 50+)
DT Ray Gannon, TX – (scout 40+)
CB Dean Shea, Elgin, TX – (scout 42-)

Commitments
FB Mitch DiCosomo, Moriarty, NM – position #87 (scout 45--)
G Charles Wiggins, Lakeside, CA – nation #867, position #69 (scout 60+)
T Van Roberson, Allen, TX – (scout 43-)
ILB Bart Glenn, Austin, TX – nation #933, position #56 (scout 53++)
OLB Lincoln Banks, El Paso, TX – (scout 58--)
S Dan Westbrook, Glendale, AZ – nation #573, position #34 (scout 58++)

[bbgunn]

Week 10 in the Sun Belt
Navy 52, Arkansas State 3
Middle Tennessee State 20, Louisiana-Lafayette 3
Troy 21, Louisiana-Monroe 13

STANDINGS
Troy (5-4, 4-2)
Louisiana-Monroe (4-4, 3-2)
Utah State (3-5, 3-2)
North Texas (4-4, 3-2)
Middle Tennessee State (3-5, 2-3)
Idaho (2-4, 2-3)
New Mexico State (2-6, 2-3)
Louisiana-Lafayette (2-6, 2-3)
Arkansas State (2-6, 2-3)

Upcoming Games – Week 11
New Mexico State at Louisiana-Monroe (-8)
Arkansas State at North Texas
Troy at Louisiana-Lafayette
Utah State at Idaho

[bbgunn]

To spare you the misery, I decided to sim the remainder of the games without providing details. Believe me, you did not miss anything. Here are the results:

Louisiana-Monroe 24, New Mexico State 14
Utah State 20, New Mexico State 6
New Mexico State 10, Louisiana-Lafayette 6

We end up finishing the year 3-8, and 3-5 in the Sun Belt. Troy wins their third straight title. They defeat Kodiak in the New Orleans Bowl.

The national championship is won by USC, who beats Nebraska 31-28.

Our recruiting class was dead last (#125).

Quinn Janke finished with these stats: 96-182, 1258 yds, 5 TD, 13 INT.

I end up getting fired from the Aggies. I was 7-26 in three seasons there. Man, this All-Star level is something else!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the dynasty.

[RedHawk00]

rough season and recruiting, better luck in the upcoming season!