2011 New Mexico State Football Predictions

Written by Steve Janus

While the New Mexico State Aggies have won just five games in the first two seasons under head coach DeWayne Walker, I think this team is headed in the right direction. Walker had a lot of work to do to fix the mess that was created by head coach Hal Mumme, and implemented new schemes on both sides of the ball. New Mexico finished 2010 with a 2-10 record, which included a 1-7 mark in the WAC. This year they have 16 starters back, and while they won’t be competing for a conference title, they should be a lot more competitive. Here is a closer look at who they will sent to the field on both sides of the ball, plus my prediction on where they finish in the WAC.

Offense:

In 2010, freshman Andrew Manley and junior Matt Christian both spent time leading the offense as the starting quarterback, and both figure to have a shot at wining the job in 2011. I think Walker would rather see Manley win the job, and it looked like he had the edge out of spring, but there is no question that Christian was the better of the two on the field in 2010. Either way the Aggies should really improve their passing totals this season.

At running back New Mexico State is excited to see what junior Kenny Turner can do in a full season as the feature back. Turner led the Aggies with 461 yards on just 115 attempts in 2010. With an increased role in 2011, Turner could come close to rushing for 1,000.

Things don’t look as good at the receiver position. New Mexico State will have to replace their top two threats from last year in Marcus Allen And Kyle Nelson, who combined for 83 catches for 969 yards. While the Aggies will miss both Allen and Nelson, they do have some veteran players back in seniors Todd Lee and Taveon Rogers and junior Darrius Preston. With the improvement expected at quarterback, these three should see a big increase in production as well.

A big reason why I like the Aggies offense to really take a big step in the right direction this season, is the fact that they have all five starters back on the offensive line. It might not be the most talented group in the WAC, but as a group they will be one of the best. Senior center Sioeli Fakalata is arguably the best at his position in the conference, and sophomore Davonte Wallace and senior Aundre McGaskey are two of the top tackles in the WAC.

Defense:

While there is no doubt that the defense deserves a lot of the blame for giving up 39.5 ppg in 2010, but this unit spent a lot of time on the field because the offense couldn’t keep them off it. With an improved offense, I look for the Aggies to cut down their opponents scoring in 2011.

Less time on the field should really make life easier on the front four, as these big bodies wear down fast. New Mexico State returns two solid defensive ends in seniors Pierre Fils and Donte Savage, who combined for five sacks and 5 tackles for loss last season. On the inside they return starting defensive tackle Augafa Vaaulu and are excited to see what they have in junior college transfer Walton Taumoepeau, who should come in and start right away. If this unit can stay fresh and play at a high level, the Aggies will no longer get blown out by 20+ points a game.

At linebacker the Aggies return senior middle linebacker Boyblue Aoelua and talented junior outside linebacker B.J. Adolpho. Aoelua finished third on the team with 75 tackles, while Adolpho finished slightly ahead of him with 77. These two will be joined by junior Alexander LaVoy, who is yet another junior college transfer that is expected to come in and start for the Aggies.

In the secondary New Mexico State has the two of the top corners in the WAC in seniors Donyae Coleman and Jonte Green. Coleman led the Aggies with 92 tackles last year, which just goes to show you how much the front seven need to improve. Sophomore George Callender and junior Lester White are the top two candidates to take over at the two safety positions, and should give the Aggies one of the top secondaries in the WAC.

2011 Prediction: 8th WAC – Even with all the improvements I expect the Aggies to make in 2011, this team has a ways to go before they are going to start threatening the top teams in this conference. I look for New Mexico State to continue to struggle to win on the road, which leaves home games against Idaho and Utah State as their two best chances to win inside the WAC. One advantage they have is opposing teams will likely struggle to take them seriously, which leaves the possibility of a couple big upsets.

Most Recent WAC Football Predictions by Team
Nevada Football Predictions	Hawaii Football Predictions
Fresno State Football Predictions	Louisiana Tech Football Predictions
Idaho Football Predictions	Utah State Football Predictions
San Jose State Football Predictions	New Mexico State Football Predictions

College Football Predictions
ACC Football Predictions	Big 12 Football Predictions
Conference USA Football Predictions	Independents Football Predictions
PAC 12 Football Predictions	SEC Football Predictions
Big East Football Predictions	Big Ten Football Predictions
MAC Football Predictions	Mountain West Football Predictions
Sun Belt Football Predictions	WAC Football Predictions

Comments

Got something to say?