New Mexico State Football Opens 2011 Season against the Ohio Bobcats 1
The Aggies (0-0) open the 2011 season against Ohio (0-0) on Sept. 3 at Aggie Memorial Stadium. This will be the first meeting between the two schools. Game time is set for 6:07 p.m.
The Aggies have played against two teams from the current Mid-American Conference in Akron and Northern Illinois.
The game will be televised on Aggie Vision and carried on Altitude in Denver, ESPN3 and ESPN GamePlan, and will be rebroadcast on Sept. 5 on Fox Sports Ohio at 8:30 p.m.
You can listen to all the action with the ?Voice of the Aggies? Jack Nixon and color analyst Jason Scott beginning at 5 p.m. on KGRT 104 FM. Also catch the action in Spanish with Martin Cortez and Bob Sherman on Vista 98.7 FM.
NM State versus the Mid-American Conference
Although the Aggies have never faced Ohio in football, NM State has faced two teams from the current Mid-American Conference, in Akron and Northern Illinois. The Aggies are 2-2 against teams from the current Mid-American Conference.
The first teaming was against Northern Illinois in 1968. The Aggies won 27-13. Twenty years later the Aggies hit the gridiron against Akron, falling 52-7 in 1988. The Aggies then played Northern Illinois in back-to-back season in 1993 and 1994. NM State won the 1993 meeting in Las Cruces, 24-17 but fell in 1994 at Northern Illinois, 48-27.
This will be just the second home game against a team from the Mid-American Conference as the Aggies are 1-0 at Aggie Memorial Stadium and 1-2 away from Las Cruces.
Scouting the Bobcats
The Bobcats are coming off a very successful 2010 campaign that saw Ohio go 8-5 overall, 5-1 at home and 3-3 on the road. The Bobcats also played in a bowl game against Troy in the New Orleans Bowl, falling 48-21. Ohio also had a conference record of 6-2.
As a team, the Bobcats recorded 326.1 yards per game in 2010, rushing for 163.8 yards a game and passing for 162.3 yards a contest. The offense was also very good in the red-zone, scoring 88 percent of the time. The Bobcats? defense gave up 353.4 yards a game in 2010, 123.1 yards on the ground and 230.3 yards thru the air.
Individually, the Bobcats will be led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Tyler Tettleton, who did not play in 2010. Donte Harden is the Bobcats top returning running back, rushing for 244 yards and three touchdowns in 2010. Riley Dunlop returns to lead the receiving corps after catching 27 passes for 387 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, Ohio lost its top four tacklers from 2010. Linebacker Eric Benjamin is the top leading tackler from a year ago, recording 56 tackles and three sacks.
Aggie-Bobcat Connection
The Aggies will welcome back two former assistant football coaches to Las Cruces and Aggie Memorial Stadium when the two teams face-off on Sept. 3. Currently Ohio assistant head coach/co-offensive coordinator Gerry Gdowski and offensive line coach Keven Lightner both coached under former NM State head coach Tony Samuel.
Gdowski was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for NM State from 1997-2004, while Lightner coached two seasons with the Aggies from 2003-04.
Last Time against a Team from the Mid-American Conference
The last time the Aggies faced a team from the current Mid-American Conference was back in 1994, as NM State and Northern Illinois met on the gridiron. NIU?s Aaron Gilbert threw two touchdown passes and NIU rushed for 323 yards in beating NM State, 48-27.
Northern Illinois got two touchdowns each from option quarterbacks Sean Allgood, Charles Talley and Vaurice Patterson.
The Aggies fell behind 20-3 in the first quarter and were unable to get closer than 10 points after that, despite Cody Ledbetter?s 270 yards passing.
In the opening period, Allgood had touchdown runs of 19 and five yards and Talley added an eight-yard scoring run. Otha Brooks caught a 57-yard touchdown pass from Gilbert and Patterson hauled in a 74-yarder in the second quarter as the Huskies built a 34-13 halftime lead.
Lawrence Truehill?s two-yard run gave New Mexico State its only TD of the first half.
Brian Pizula?s one-yard plunge cut the deficit to 34-20 in the third quarter, but Patterson?s 24-yard run and Talley?s one-yard touchdown run put the game out of reach. Pizula scored the final touchdown on a 3-yard run with 1:29 left in the game.
Martin Takes over Offense
The Aggies enter the 2011 season with its third offensive coordinator in three seasons, as Doug Martin brings his multi-look offense to Las Cruces.
With seven seasons under his belt as the head coach at Kent State University and eight as the offensive coordinator, Martin was instrumental in building a true football program over the past several seasons. A total of 20 Golden Flashes earned All-MAC accolades from 2007-10, including Eugene Jarvis, who was atop the active Football Bowl Subdivision running backs list with 3,722 career yards on the ground, and Brian Lainhart, whose 17 career interceptions was also tops among active FBS players. In 2010, Roosevelt Nix was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year under Martin’s watch. Also under Martin, four players were selected in the NFL draft including Jameson Konz (2010 – 7th round, Seattle Seahawks), Usama Young (2007 – 3rd round, New Orleans Saints), Jack Williams (2008 – 4th round, Denver Broncos) and Julian Edelman (2009 – 7th round, New England Patriots), with Young becoming the sixth-highest pick in the history of the program.
Over those four years, Martin’s offense at Kent State recorded a remarkable 16,907 yards of total offense, averaging 422.6 yards per game during that span including 26.3 points a game.
Manley to Be under Center
Sophomore quarterback Andrew Manley will be under center when the Aggies face-off against Ohio on Sept. 3. The Hawai?i native played in five games in 2010, tallying 604 passing yards on 63-of-121 passing, with six interceptions and a touchdown pass. Manley saw his first action as an Aggie against New Mexico (Oct.9), coming in during the Aggies? final drive of the game to put NM State in field goal range to hit the game-winning field goal to beat their in-state rival, 16-14. Manley was 2-for-2 on that game-winning drive. In his first career start versus Fresno State (Oct. 16), Manley went 2-for-5. After an injury to Matt Christian, Manley took over the starting duty again during the final three games of the season. Against Louisiana Tech, Manley threw for 216 yards on 20-of-40 passing, including his first career touchdown pass to wide receiver Todd Lee. He also rushed for 27 yards during that game. Versus Nevada (Nov. 20), Manley threw for a season-high 220 yards on 19-of-32 passing, including a season-long pass of 44 yards. In the season finale against Hawai?i (Nov. 27), he threw for 135 yards on 20-of-35 passing.
Turner Moves to the Slot
Utility man Kenny Turner, who played running back for the Aggies in 2010, has made a position change in 2011, moving outside to the slot. Turner, a threat running and catching the ball will look to improve on his already impressive numbers from a year ago.
Turner led the team in rushing with 461 yards and two touchdowns, including an 18-yard score on his first-ever carry as an Aggie in 2010. He also caught 25 passes, which was third on the team a year ago, for 203 yards, averaging 8.1 yards per catch.
Clay Ready to Run
Junior running back Robert Clay has been a solid player for the Aggies over his three years in Las Cruces. Starting on special teams as a freshman and then moving to running back and starting spot after injuries moved him into that role in 2010.
Clay recorded 226 yards rushing on 54 carries, three receptions for seven yards and two kick returns for 32 yards. In his first career start against New Mexico (Oct. 9), Clay rushed for 44 yards on 11 carries, while also recovering a muffed punt in the end zone for his first career touchdown to help the Aggies beat their in-state rival, 16-14. Against Louisiana Tech (Nov. 13), Clay recorded the Aggies? only 100-yard rushing game of the season, rushing 22 times for 108 yards, while catching one pass. Versus Nevada (Nov. 20), he rushed for 55 yards on 13 carries. In the season finale against Hawai?i (Nov. 27), Clay rushed eight times for 19 yards.
Rogers Looks to Do it All
Wide receiver Taveon Rogers was a great weapon for the Aggies in 2010 and NM State hopes to see the same from the wide-out and kick returner in 2011.
Rogers was named a second team all-WAC selection after finishing the season with 1,410 kick return yards on 52 attempts, setting a new school record in both categories. He currently ranks in the top-5 in kick return yardage, kick return attempts and kick return average for a career at NM State as well. Rogers also caught 18 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns, while leading the team in all-purpose yards with 145.2 yards per game. Over the first four games of the season, Rogers only returned kicks for the Aggies, collecting 482 yards on 18 returns.
During that stretch, Rogers broke the school record for return yards in a single game with 219 against Kansas (Sept. 25). His first reception of the season came against in-state rival New Mexico (Oct. 9). Versus Fresno State (Oct. 16), Rogers caught one pass for a season-long 47 yards, while recording 127 kick return yards. He would tally over 100 yards in kick return yardage in eight games including 185 yards, second most of the season against Hawai’i (Nov. 27) in the season finale.
Newcomers Hope to Make Impact
Newcomers to the 2011 football roster will be key for success on both sides of the ball in 2011. Let?s take a look at some of those impact newcomers.
Offense:
Junior Wide Receiver Kemonte Bateman: Bateman was a two-year starter at Pasadena Junior College at the wide receiver position. In 2010, Bateman was fifth on the team in receiving with 18 catches for 253 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 14.1 yards per catch and 31.6 yards per game. Bateman also returned punts and kickoffs for Pasadena JC, leading the team in punt returns with 18 returns for 118 yards, averaging 11.8 yards per return, scoring one touchdown. He was third on the team in kick returns with 147 yards on nine returns, averaging 16.3 yards per return.
Freshman Wide Receiver Austin Franklin: Franklin was a wide receiver, defensive back and punt returner for Justin F. Kimball High School. As a senior, Franklin caught 36 passes for 803 yards and seven touchdowns. He also threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns at the quarterback position, while rushing for 278 yards and six touchdowns. On special teams, Franklin returned one punt for a touchdown on the year.
Freshman Running Back Brandon Betancourt: Betancourt played running back for the Mayfield High School Trojans, helping his team to a New Mexico State Championship in 2010. As a senior he was named first team all-tournament (New Mexico State Championship), first team all-district running back, first team all-state running back (New Mexico) and was selected to the New Mexico North/South All-Star Team. During the 2010 season, Betancourt rushed 1,334 yards and broke three Mayfield football records: most rushing yards in a football game, most rushing yards per carry and rushing yards per game. He also had 12 touchdowns. Junior Offensive Guard Andrew Kersten: Kersten was a two-year starter on the offensive line for El Camino Junior College. In 2010, Kersten helped his team rush for 191.1 yards per game and pass for 257.6 yards a contest. As a team, El Camino averaged 448.7 yards a game in 2010, scoring 40 total touchdowns in the year. Kersten was named a second team Southern California Football Association, Northern Conference selection. Freshman Tight End Jackson Kaka: KaKa was a tight end and defensive tackle for Kahuku High School. As a senior, KaKa caught two passes for 24 yards and a touchdown, while tallying 25 tackles on the defensive line and on special teams. He was voted to the East team for the East versus West All-Star game. As a junior, KaKa was mainly a tight end for Kahuku High School. He caught 15 passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns on the season. Freshman Quarterback Travaughn Colwell: Colwell was a two-year starter for the Manvel High School Mavericks at quarterback. As a senior, Colwell threw for 1,117 yards and 18 touchdowns, completing 77-of-153 with only four interceptions. He completed over 50 percent of his pass attempts. Colwell also rushed for 524 yards on 106 carries, reaching the end zone six times on the year. He was responsible for 23 touchdowns on the season. He was named a unanimous first team all-district selection in 2010.
Defense:
Junior Defensive Back Jeremy Harris: Harris played two seasons for East Los Angeles Junior College at defensive back, starting both seasons. In 2010, Harris tallied 17 tackles on the year, while grabbing three interceptions, three pass break-ups and a fumble recovery. He also returned one interception for a touchdown in 2010. Harris returned five kickoffs for 91 yards, averaging 18.2 yards per return. In 2009, Harris tallied 21 tackles, seven pass break-ups and a tackle for a loss. He also led the team in kick return yardage with 218 yards, averaging 24.2 yards a return, while returning one kickoff for a touchdown. Harris earned second team Southern California Football Association, Mountain Conference selection. Senior Defensive Back Courtney Viney: Viney appeared in all 12 games and made one start at corner for UCLA. He saw action on special teams in the opener at Kansas State and played defense and special teams versus Stanford. Viney played on special teams in wins over Houston, Texas and Washington State. He saw action defensively in second half at Cal and tied for the team lead with eight tackles (tied career high) in a start at Oregon. Viney had one pass deflection versus Arizona and made three tackles in win over Oregon State. Viney saw action against USC, but was not credited with a tackle. Freshman Defensive End Stephen Meredith: Meredith played defensive line for Garden Grove High School for three seasons. As a senior, Meredith helped his team to a 13-1 record and the Garden Grove League Champions. He was named first team All-Garden Grove and first team All-CIF Southern Division. Meredith tallied 62 tackles and 15 sacks his senior season. He was credited with 17 quarterback hurries, five pass break-ups, and eight tackles for a loss, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Fils Eager to Add to Sack Total
Defensive end Pierre Fils enters his senior season as one the Aggies? top linemen. Fils tallied 36 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a pass break-up in 2010.
For his career, Fils has tallied 101 tackles and nine sacks. He needs seven sacks in 2011 to break into the top-5 all-time at NM State. Seven is a reachable number for Fils as he recorded seven in 2009.
Coleman/Green Anchor Defensive Back Field
Senior safety Donyae Coleman and defensive back Jonte Green will anchor a solid defensive backfield in 2011. Coleman averaged 7.7 tackles per game in 2010 for sixth highest in the WAC and finished with 47 solo tackles, 92 total tackles (leading the team) and four broken-up passes. Green averaged 6.1 tackles per game for 18th best in the WAC in 2010 and totaled 74 tackles, 46 solo tackles, and eight broken-up passes for the season.
For his career, Coleman has 99 tackles and a sack, while Green has recorded 148 tackles and 16 pass break-ups. Together, Coleman and Green have started 48 games for the Aggies over the past two seasons.
McGaskey/Fakalata Lead O-Line
Senior offensive tackle Aundre McGaskey and senior center Sioeli Fakalata will lead the offensive line in 2011. McGaskey started all 12 games for the Aggies in 2010. He helped the Aggies rush for 1,526 yards and eight touchdowns, while the NM State passing game threw for 2,009 yards and nine touchdowns. He blocked for Matt Christian who led the team with 1,372 yards passing and eight touchdowns, while blocking for the team’s leading rusher in Kenny Turner, who recorded 461 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. On the season, McGaskey led the team with 75 knockdowns, while allowing five sacks and committing just one penalty.
Fakalata will make the jump from guard to center in 2011. Fakalata played in just one game for the Aggies in 2010 before suffering a season-ending injury. Against San Diego State (Sept. 11), Fakalata recorded five knockdowns, giving up no sacks. Fakalata will receive a medical redshirt to play in 2011.
LaVoy to Guide Linebacker Corps
Alexander LaVoy will be the Aggies? starting linebacker to start the 2011 season against Ohio. LaVoy played two seasons at Butte Community College as a starting linebacker. In 2010, LaVoy helped his team to a 9-2 record, winning the 2010 ASBG Bowl Championship. He was named MVP of the ASBG Bowl as well. LaVoy led Butte in tackles in 2010 with 90, including nine tackles for a loss and three sacks. He also tallied four pass break-ups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. LaVoy was named a first team All-NorCal selection in 2010.
Knight Puts Stamp on Strength Program
Head Football Strength and Conditioning coach Virgil Knight took over the football strength program in early 2011. Knight brings experience in his field from both the collegiate and professional side.
From 1994-98, Knight was the head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Arkansas. While with the Razorbacks, Knight helped design and administer the strength program for both men’s and women’s athletic teams as well as organize and administer off-season football workouts.
Prior to his stint at Arkansas, Knight spent seven years with the Green Bay Packers, where he was strength coach and worked with tight ends for head coaches Forrest Gregg and Lindy Infante. While with the Packers, from 1984-92, Knight handled all strength and conditioning aspects, including off-season workout programs, preseason conditioning programs and on-field rehab.
A native of Clarksville, Ark., where he was an all-conference football player, Knight graduated from Northeastern State College in 1970 with a degree in education. He was all-conference in football and earned his master’s degree in education from the school in 1971. In 2003, Knight was inducted into the Northeastern State Athletics Hall of Fame.
House, Smith and Nelson Get a Shot in the NFL
The Aggies currently have three players for the 2010 squad playing in the NFL. Defensive back Davon House was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, becoming the first Aggis to be drafted since 2003. Running back Seth Smith and tight end/long snapper Kyle Nelson were each picked up as free agents, as Smith went to the San Francisco 49ers and Nelson to the New Orleans Saints.
Stampler Honored with Preseason Award
Placekicker Tyler Stampler has been named to the College Football Performance Award (CFPA) Placekicker Watch list announced by the CFPA. Stampler is one of 34 kickers that made the watch list and one of three placekickers from the WAC.
Stampler, a native of Davie, Fla., played in all 12 games for the Aggies in 2010, handling all the field goal and PAT attempts, as well as kickoff duties in three games. Stampler led the team in scoring in 2010 with 66 points, after hitting 16-of-19 field goals on the season and 18-of-19 on PAT’s. He hit 84.2 percent of his field goal attempts, which was first in the conference. Stampler was 4-for-4 inside 30 yards and 11-of-12 inside 40 yards.
At one point in the season, Stampler hit nine straight field goal attempts, while making his last 12 PAT attempts of the season. Against New Mexico (Oct. 9), Stampler hit the game-winning field goal with less than two minutes remaining to give NM State its first win of the season and second straight win over its in-state rival. He also hit three field goals in that game and was named the WAC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts. In the Aggies’ second win of the season, Stampler hit three field goals against San Jose State (Oct. 30), including a long of 43 yards. He was again named WAC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time.
Stampler is second all-time in field goals made in a season and field goal percentage in a season. He is also in the top-10 all-time in NM State history in field goals made.
Aggies in the Preseason Picks
The New Mexico State Aggie football team has been selected to finish eighth in the 2011 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) football coaches and media polls at the WAC Football Media Days. The Aggies received 60 points in the media poll and seven points in the coaches’ poll.
In 2010, the Aggies were picked to finish eighth by the coaches and in the media poll, NM State finished the 2010 campaign with a 2-10 overall record and 1-7 conference record.
In the media poll, Hawai’i received the number one spot with 18 of the poll’s first-place votes, followed by Fresno State (284), who tallied 11 first-place votes. Nevada (264), who also received 11 first-place votes, was selected to finish third. Louisiana Tech and Utah State received 184 and 166 points. Idaho (141), San Jose State (85) and NM State (60) rounded out the voting.
The media also voted on preseason players of the year. Hawai’i quarterback Bryant Moniz was voted the WAC Offensive Player of the Year, while Utah State linebacker Bobby Wagner was picked as the WAC Defensive Player of the Year.
In the coaches’ poll, Hawai’i received 47 points from the WAC coaches while Fresno State was close behind with 41 points. Nevada (40) and Louisiana Tech (31) took the third and fourth spots, followed by Utah State (22), Idaho (21), San Jose State (15) and NM State (7) in the coaches’ poll.
NM State Grabs Several Preseason Honors
Four New Mexico State football players have been named preseason selections as announced by BlueRibbonInsider.com. Offensive tackle Aundre McGaskey, defensive back Donyae Coleman, kick returner Taveon Rogers and incoming transfer Kemonte Bateman all made the list. Bateman was named Newcomer of the Year.
McGaskey started all 12 games at tackle for the Aggies in 2010. He helped the Aggies rush for 1,526 yards and eight touchdowns, while the NM State passing game threw for 2,009 yards and nine touchdowns. Coleman played all 12 games for NM State in 2010, averaging 7.7 tackles per game for sixth in the WAC. Coleman finished 2010 with 47 solo tackles, 92 total tackles and four broken-up passes. He also returned punts for an average of 3.7 yards per return. Coleman had three games where he recorded double-digit tackle totals.
Rogers was named a second team All-WAC selection after finishing the season with 1,410 kick return yards on 52 attempts, setting a new school record in both categories. He currently ranks in the top five in kick return yardage, kick return attempts and kick return average for a career at NM State. Rogers also caught 18 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns, while leading the team in all-purpose yards with 145.2 yards per game. Over the first four games of the season, Rogers only returned kicks for the Aggies, collecting 482 yards on 18 returns. During that stretch, Rogers broke the school record for return yards in a single game with 219 against Kansas (Sept. 25).
Bateman was a two-year starter at Pasadena Junior College at the wide receiver position. In 2010, Bateman was fifth on the team in receiving with 18 catches for 253 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 14.1 yards per catch and 31.6 yards per game. Bateman also returned punts and kickoffs for Pasadena JC, leading the team in punt returns with 18 returns for 118 yards, averaging 11.8 yards per return, while scoring one touchdown. He was third on the team in kick returns with 147 yards on nine returns, averaging 16.3 yards per return.
Source: NMSU Athletics
