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

2012 WAC Football Preview: Louisiana Tech

By: Zack Ponce

2011: 8-5 (6-1, WAC Champions)

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs won the program’s second WAC championship in 2011 thanks to a potent offense, and a defense that combined for 32 quarterback sacks and 21 interceptions.

The Bulldogs are loaded with talent and must be considered the early favorite to win the WAC once again.

Louisiana Tech only loses three offensive starters from last year’s team – lead running back Lennon Creer, No. 2 receiver Taulib Ikharo, and lineman Kris Cavitt.

The other eight all return as seniors looking to end their collegiate playing careers on a high note.

Quinton Patton will lead a Bulldogs receiving core that is fully intact, sans Ikharo.

 

Patton was a first-team All-WAC and All-Louisiana selection last year, and was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List entering 2012.  Patton caught 79 passes for 1,202 yards and 11 touchdowns, leading the team in all categories.

Four of the starting five offensive lineman return, including center Stephen Warner who was named to the first-team all-WAC.  He enters 2012 on the Outland Trophy, Rimington Trophy, and Lombardi Award Watch Lists.

The Louisiana Tech defense returns six starters from 2011, including four of the five members of the secondary.

However defensive lineman Matt Broha and Christian Lacey, possibly the two most important members of the defense, will not be returning.  Broha and Lacey combined for 16 of the team’s 32 sacks.

Louisiana Tech’s kicking game is just as strong as their other two units.

Bulldogs punter Ryan Allen won the 2011 Ray Guy Award, becoming only the second Louisiana Tech player to win any sort of national award.

Field goal kicker Matt Nelson was named to the All-WAC second team. Nelson converted 15-of-21 field goals and kicked a season-long field goal of 47 yards.

Louisiana Tech retains their whole coaching staff for the third straight year.  They are one of only 14 FBS schools to not make a single coaching change entering 2012.

The experience and talent of the players and coaches should carry the Bulldogs to another bowl game and potentially another WAC title.

2012 WAC Football Preview: Utah State

By: Zack Ponce

2011: 7-6 (5-2 WAC, 2nd)

The new-look Utah State Aggies have a re-designed image, jerseys and all, entering the 2012 season in preparation for a move to the Mountain West Conference in 2013. 

The Aggies hope to use the improvement seen in 2011 as a foundation to compete for a 2012 WAC championship.

Last year head coach Gary Andersen led Utah State to its first bowl appearance in 15 years, finishing with a 7-5 regular season record.  The Aggies received a birth to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl where they fell 24-23 to the Ohio Bobcats.

This year, Utah State will seek its first back-to-back bowl appearances since 1960-61.

However the loss of two key players from last year’s team will place a burden on the Aggies.

Running back Robert Turbin, the WAC Offensive Player of the Year and a two-time all-WAC honoree, was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft.  Three-time all-WAC linebacker Bobby Wagner, who led the team in tackles, graduated.

But all hope is not lost in Logan, Utah.

Utah State’s speedy running back Kerwynn Williams returns for his senior season.  He played in all 13 games last year and received 81 touches as the third-string running back.  Williams also started on special teams as the number one kick returner.

Matt Austin and Chuck Jacobs, two of the Aggie’s three top receivers in 2011, also return for a final year in Logan.  The two combined to catch 54 balls for 683 yards and eight touchdowns.

Senior defensive stars safety McKade Brady and linebacker Bojay Filimoeatu will anchor that side of the ball for Utah State.

Brady, the team’s leading returning tackler, finished with 86 tackles and a forced fumble last season.  Filimoeatu compiled 41 tackles and three sacks while playing both linebacker and defensive end positions.

Utah State will begin the year without a clear number one quarterback.  Senior Adam Kennedy and sophomore Chuckie Keeton return after both starting games for the Aggies in 2011. 

Keeton began the year as the starting quarterback as a freshman but lost the job by midseason.  Kennedy solidified his role as the starter by the San Jose State game in mid-November and never relinquished the job. 

Kennedy showed the ability to elude pressure in the pocket and rush the ball in his game at New Mexico State.  Kennedy ran for 95 yards on 15 attempts against the crimson Aggies and led Utah State to a close 24-21 victory in Las Cruces.

Keeton should receive another chance to re-claim the starting role, but the coaches will give the job to Kennedy if he gives the team the best shot to win.

Utah State has a strong team and will challenge for a WAC championship in their final year in the conference regardless of who earns the starting quarterback position.

Please return tomorrow for our final team preview featuring the 2011 WAC champion Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

2012 WAC Football Preview: Texas State

By: Zack Ponce

2011: 6-6 (FCS Independent)

There will be a lot of excitement in San Marcos, Texas this year as the Texas State Bobcats join the Western Athletic Conference as an all-sports member for the 2012-13 academic year.

Dennis Franchione will lead Texas State in his second season as the Bobcats’ head coach.  

Franchione was previously the head coach of Texas A&M during the mid-2000’s.  He led the Aggies to three bowl games over his five-year tenure in College Station.  Franchione’s long coaching resume also includes a stint as head coach of the New Mexico Lobos from 1992-97.

The Bobcats will have an experienced team in 2012. Texas State returns a total of 17 starters from last year’s team, eight on offense and nine on defense.

The running back tandem of senior Marcus Curry and sophomore Terrence Franks will lead a run-heavy Texas State offense that rushed the ball nearly twice as many times as they threw it in 2011. 

Franks led the Bobcats in rushing last year as a freshman with 911 yards on 146 carries with nine touchdowns.  Curry added 669 yards and three touchdowns on the ground on 127 carries. 

Offensive lineman Thaddeus Watkins (senior) and Charlie Will Tuttle (sophomore) are the only returning starters on the line and will be key if Texas State can find running success.

On defensive the Bobcats return two of their three top tacklers from a year ago. 

Junior safety Xavier Daniels led the team with 77 tackles and three interceptions.  His teammate senior cornerback Darryl Morris compiled 62 tackles and an interception. 

Senior Joplo Bartu will lead the line-backing unit.  Last year he accumulated 51 tackles, sacked the quarterback four times, and forced two fumbles.  Three of the four Texas State defensive line starters will return for another go-around.

Texas State won four of their six home games in 2011.  The Bobcats will need a significant home field advantage if they hope to beat any WAC foes besides Texas-San Antonio in 2012.

Please return tomorrow for a preview of the Utah State Aggies. 

2012 WAC Football Preview: San Jose State

By: Zack Ponce

2011: 5-7 (3-4 WAC, T-4th)

Mike MacIntyre enters his third season as the head coach of the San Jose Spartans. 

MacIntyre led San Jose State to a 5-7 record in 2011, including a one-point win at home against Hawai’i.  The Spartans also welcome two new position coaches to their 2012 squad, Fred Guidici and Brian Lindgren.   

Guidici, an alumnus of San Jose State, was most recently the head coach of Menlo College in Atherton, Calif. from 2009-11.  He will be the acting Spartans special teams coordinator and running backs coach.   

Lindgren joins the San Jose State staff as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.  He held the same positions at Northern Arizona for three seasons from 2009-11.

Junior receiver Noel Grigsby headlines a young and dangerous receiving core that will be the Spartans greatest strength in 2012.  

Grigsby was named to the All-WAC Second Team last year as a sophomore, catching 89 passes for 886 yards.  Grigsby’s 89 receptions set a San Jose State school single-season record in that category.  He enters this year ranked 12th nationally among FBS players for career catches per game.

Senior tight end Ryan Otten, junior receiver Chandler Jones, and sophomore receiver Jabari Carr round out the Spartans deep threats.  The trio, along with Grigsby, accounted for 235 of 297 receptions and all 13 Spartans touchdowns in 2011.  

Otten was named to the All-WAC First Team, and was one of only two FBS tight ends in 2011 to rank in the top-100 in receptions per game, receiving yards per game, and total receiving yards.  He finished the year catching 52 passes for 739 yards and five touchdowns. 

Quarterback play could be the only thing holding back the San Jose State receivers this year. Last year’s starting quarterback Matt Faulkner graduated, leaving an opening for junior Dasmen Stewart.   

Stewart was the backup last season and completed 40 percent of his passes in four appearances.  He will be protected by senior tackle David Quessenberry, who in 2011 was named to the All-WAC Second Team and has started in every game since the 2010 season.

In total, San Jose State returns seven offensive starters and five defensive starters.

Seniors defensive end Travis Johnson and safety James Orth, and junior linebacker Keith Smith return to the Spartans defense after finishing 2011 as three of the team’s top four tacklers.  

Smith was the team’s leading tackler with 50 and was named to the All-WAC Second team.  Orth was second with 44 tackles and led the team with four interceptions.  Johnson was named to the 2011 All-WAC First Team.

The Spartans return punter Harrison Waid but lose their starting kicker Jens Alvernik.  Alvernik finished last year 18-for-25 on field goal tries, including 4-for-8 on attempts between 40-49 yards.  Waid begins this season ranked 12th among active FBS punters with a career average of 43.38 yards per punt as a junior.

The Spartans will be a competitive team if their underclassmen can perform at a high level, and a possible dark horse to win the WAC if their passing game lives up to its potential.

Please return tomorrow for a preview of the Texas State Bobcats.

2012 WAC Football Preview: UT-San Antonio

By: Zack Ponce

2011 Record: 4-6 (FCS Independent)

The UTSA Roadrunners are one of two all-sports Western Athletic Conference newcomers in 2012. 

Last year saw the birth of UTSA football.  The Roadrunners set NCAA start-up program records for their opening game (56,743) and average season (35,521) attendance last fall, showing the community of San Antonio is ready to embrace an FBS football program of its own.

According to NCAA start-up rules, UTSA will not count as a FBS opponent until the 2013 season and will not be eligible to play in a bowl game until 2014. 

The Roadrunners selected Larry Coker to be the program’s inaugural head coach last year.  That name may sound familiar because Coker led the Miami Hurricanes to a BCS National Championship in 2001 with a victory over Nebraska. 

Coker became only the second rookie head coach in NCAA history to do so, and the first in 53 years.  Coker followed-up his historic season in 2002 by leading the ‘Canes back to the BCS National Championship Game were they infamously fell to Ohio State in double overtime.

UTSA finished 2011 with an overall record of 4-6 and were not affiliated with a conference.  They defeated Northeastern State, Bacone, Georgia State, and Minot State.

The Roadrunners are a young, inexperienced team.  They return 11 offensive and 10 defensive starters from last year’s squad, a majority of whom are rising sophomores.

Look for junior quarterback Eric Soza and sophomore wide receiver Kam Jones to lead the UTSA offense. 

Soza started all 10 games for the Roadrunners in 2011, completing 56 percent of his passes for 2,148 yards and 14 touchdowns.  He transferred from Texas State, the other WAC football newcomer, and sat out the 2009 season.

 Jones led the team last year in receptions (39) and reception yards (578), and was the team’s number two kick returner.  Also keep an eye on senior guard Patrick Hoog who is a gigantic body on the line and listed at 6’ 4”, 300 pounds.

Junior linebacker Steven Kurfehs and sophomore defensive tackle Richard Burge will anchor the Roadrunners’ defense. 

Kurfehs missed the last three games of the 2011 season due to injury but was still able to finish third on the team with 61 tackles.  Burge finished with 31 tackles and 0.5 sacks.  He recorded a career-high seven tackles and blocked a field goal against UC Davis.  Defensive end Marlon Smith and linebacker Brandon Reeves are the lone seniors on the UTSA defense.

UTSA will look to continue to build upon a successful inaugural season and build a competitive football program in 2012.

*Please return tomorrow for a preview of the San Jose State Spartans.*

2012 WAC Football Preview: Idaho

By: Zack Ponce

Over the next six days truSports will be releasing one WAC team preview per day to get you ready for the upcoming college football season.  After you learn about the upcoming WAC foes, we will conclude with an in-depth breakdown of the New Mexico State Aggies.

We begin our series with the Idaho Vandals.

2011 Record: 2-10 (1-6 WAC, 8th)

Head coach Robb Akey enters the 2012 season in his fifth year at the helm of Idaho’s football program and two years removed from a 2009 Humanitarian Bowl victory over Bowling Green, the school’s second in program history.  The Vandals return five offensive starters and four defensive starters from their 2011 team.

Senior quarterback Bobby Cowan and senior receiver Justin Veltung will be the key components of the Vandal offense this season. Cowan, who has started all three years he’s been on campus, earned FWAA All-America honors in 2011. 

Veltung battled a foot injury all season long but only sat out two games for the Vandals.  He was the team’s star punt and kick returner and will look to continue his special teams success in 2012.  Cowan will also target senior receiver Mike Scott who led the Vandals last year in receptions (55) and receiving yards (691).

Idaho’s defense may take a step back in 2012 with the loss of three seniors who were named to the 2011 All-WAC second team, including linebackers Korey Toomer and Tre’Shawn Robinson, and defensive back Matthew Harvey. 

The Vandals will rely on corner back Aaron Grymes, safety Gary Walker, and linebacker Conrad Scheidt to provide senior leadership on an otherwise young defense this season.  Walker is the leading returning tackler for Idaho.  Last season he compiled 109 tackles, 67 of which were solo takedowns, tying him for 20th nationally.

Idaho boasts one of, if not the best kicking games in the WAC. 

The multi-talented Cowan also acts as the Vandals punter and was a 2011 Ray Guy semifinalist.  He led the conference last year in punting with an average of 46.4 yards per punt.  

Senior kicker Trey Farquhar finished 2011 on the Lou Groza watch list.  Farquhar has more 50-plus yard field goals (6) than any kicker in Idaho school history.  He is also the Vandals’ all-time field-goal percentage leader and holds the school record for most field goals in a season with 18 in 2010.

*Check back tomorrow for a preview of the UT-San Antonio Roadrunners.*