New Mexico at New Mexico State
Written by Jack Jones - Google +
Though the New Mexico at New Mexico State game this weekend won’t draw any national headlines, it certainly means a lot to this in-state rivals and in the state of New Mexico. Both teams are looking for their first win of the season, and odds makers expect a tightly contested ball game. The odds for this contest show us New Mexico State -2.5 over New Mexico with a total set of 49 points.
New Mexico is 0-5 this season, and lost each of their first four games by 35 points or more. The Lobos turned in a more respectable 20-38 loss to UTEP last week, but also got a 100-yard kickoff return from Myles Daughtry. When they travel to face NMSU this weekend, many believe this will be New Mexico’s last chance to get a win. Head coach Mike Locksley is firmly on the hot seat, but the Lobos can finally focus on the rivalry at hand instead of how poorly they have played up to this point.
“The rivalry will never take a back seat,” Locksley said. “This is a game of pride. This is a game where it doesn’t matter what the record. This is a game that we’ve got to find a way to win. The rivalry will always be there. Our players will always understand what it is. With that being said, for us, we also have to continue to teach our guys that—even in big games, rivalry games—it’s still about being consistent in how you go about preparing for the game.”
The Lobos would have a much better chance this week if sophomore QB B.R. Holbrook’s knee cooperates. He will practice all week and will likely become a game-time decision after sitting out the past two weeks with the injury. New Mexico just isn’t the same without Holbrook in there, as backups Brad Gruner and Tarean Austin each aren’t as accurate and neither can run the spread offense as effectively. The Lobos did improve in the second half of the season last year, but their more winnable games the rest of the way are all on the road.
There’s no question that the entire state of New Mexico has the claim to the worst college football programs in the country. For New Mexico State, they just want to win this game so they aren’t considered the worst program in the nation. It says a lot about the Aggies that they’re 59-0 loss to Boise State last week actually made the Broncos drop a spot in the Top 25. NMSU and New Mexico have been outscored by a combined 447-108 and they rank at or near the bottom of every major statistical category among the country’s 120 FBS schools. Second year coach DwWayne Walker has kept hope, knowing that his team has completed perhaps its most difficult stretch of games.
“I just have to continue to believe in our vision,” Walker said. “When I took this job, I knew this job was a graveyard for head coaches. That’s the challenge and a chance that I was willing to take. … I tell my coaches this all the time. You’re not going to change a program with years of losing in two years, three years and maybe even in four years. Hopefully the university gives me time.”
New Mexico State has never had a winning program. That’s why Walker is not going to lose his job any time soon, whereas Locksley must start winning now. Rocky Long turned the Lobos into a winning program for a few years, and the state pumps its resources into UNM which gives them a much better chance of succeeding. At least Walker can claim he’s 1-0 against UNM, something Locksley cannot.
BetUS Projected Score: New Mexico State 26 – New Mexico 23
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