Aggie Football Notebook: The Running Game

By: Anthony Esparza

It was difficult to determine what to make of the New Mexico State running game three games into the 2011 season.

The Aggies finished with a total of six rushing yards in a 44-24 loss to Ohio in the season opener, but bounced back the following week and rushed for 133 yards in a 28-21 win at Minnesota.

In week three, NMSU finished with just 16 rushing yards on 29 attempts in a six-point home loss to UTEP. To make matters worse, starting running back Robert Clay injured his shoulder in the game.

However, the turning point for the Aggie ground game came the following week at San Jose State. With Clay injured, Kenny Turner got the start at running back and never looked back. Turner went on to finish the season with 1074 yards and 10 touchdowns on 219 carries, and earned second team All-WAC honors.

Hampered by injury all season, Clay finished with 133 yards and one touchdown on 42 carries. He also recorded four passes on 57 yards, and returned five kicks. 

With Turner gone, Clay is projected to be the starter once again this season. The Aggie senior has a chance at redemption in 2012, especially if he stays healthy and has a decent offensive line to create space for him. 

Accompanying Clay in the backfield will be Akeelie Mustafa, a junior college transfer from Compton, Calif. Mustafa is similar to Turner in size and possesses many of the same skill sets. Both are quick, elusive backs who can also catch passes and return kicks.  

Mustafa was a duel threat his lone season at Santa Ana College. He ran for 1, 055 yards and 16 touchdowns, and caught 32 passes for 456 yards and five touchdowns. 

At the signing day press conference last spring, NMSU head coach DeWayne Walker acknowledged that Mustafa and Turner have similarities in size and running style, but said he believes Mustafa is the faster of the two backs.

If Mustafa can adjust quickly to the Division I level, he and Clay will provide the Aggies with a good combination of power and speed in the backfield.

The only other running back on the roster that saw action for the Aggies last season is Brandon Bentancourt. The Las Cruces native played in five games as a freshman in 2011 and is now listed as a running back/wide receiver.

Overall, the Aggies had a respectable running game last season. NMSU was fifth in rushing in the Western Athletic Conference in 2011, a notable improvement from 2010 when the Aggies finished last in the conference in rushing.

NMSU Rushing by the Numbers in 2011

Total Rushing Yards: 1625 (5^th in WAC)

Rushing Yards Per Game: 125.0 (5th in WAC)

Rushing Attempts: 446 (4^th in WAC)

Average Yards Per Rush: 3.6 (6^th in WAC)

Rushing Touchdowns: 16 (7^th in WAC)

Please return tomorrow for a preview of the defensive line