How You Doin’.... New Mexico State Aggies

The New Mexico State Aggies enter into Madison 0-3 including a loss to another Big Ten team just two weeks ago, Minnesota. Last week they were one possession away from victory with a 20-13 loss to the UTEP Mountainers. Let’s review how each unit is doin’!

Status Of The Offense

So look I know things seem bad right now for the Wisconsin offense but at least we’re not New Mexico State’s offense. The Aggies literally have the second to last productive offense in all of division one football, averaging 230 yards a game. Who’s last you wonder? Iowa, averaging 158 yards a game. WHAT?!?!?! You know the Hawkeyes. Right!?!?!? Didn’t see that one coming going into week 3 did ya? 2022 has been strange and full of bizarre wonder. Anyway, this team’s offense is just as confusing as those numbers are. For example, they can’t even decide on which quarterback is their starter.

It’s almost a competition in who’s worse. Freshman Gavin Frakes and Junior Diego Pavia have both thrown three times as many interceptions as touchdowns. Just for your numbers, they’ve each thrown three INT’s respectively, six total, and Frakes has managed to get the one touchdown of the two on the board through the air.

They’re rushing stats are equally as confusing but just as demoralizing. Pavia, you know the quarterback, is the team’s leading rusher. He’s chewed up 119 yards so far with a respectable 5.2 yards per carry but it’s far from ideal. Most of the yards have been created out of pure fear and leaving the pocket in an attempt to not get sacked in the backfield. Their second-leading rusher, Sophomore Star Thomas, hasn’t even eclipsed 100 yards on the season yet.

The Aggies don’t really have enough protection upfront to allow the wide receivers to create space and get open. After 3 games only one of New Mexico’s wideouts has more than 100 yards...Yikes! This offense is almost non-existent.

Status Of The Defense

If the offense is terrible the defense isn’t much better. The Aggies are giving up more than 300 yards a game, 27 pts on average, with totals of three sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 0 interceptions so far in 2022.

But other than the Minnesota contest (38-0 loss) the defense has been able to at least keep them in the game enough to give the offense a chance to stay within close to one possession of the opponent.

The good news here for Wisconsin is that they seem to have a tougher time stopping the run than shutting down the pass in the secondary. I’ll be eager to see what Bobby Engram draws up but even more eager to see if there’s any continued improvement in the execution from Mertz and the wideouts.

It ain’t much but this defense unit is the best thing that this team has going for it. If we learned anything last weekend, hopefully, the Badgers don’t take this unit lightly and come out prepared to make a statement to turn the tides of the game and hopefully this season in their favor.

Overall

Things have gone from bad to worse for New Mexico State’s new head coach Jerry Kill. If that name sounds familiar it’s because it is. Kill was the former head coach for Minnesota from 2011-2015. As head coach of the Gophers Kill went 0-5 against Wisconsin, we’ve missed ya Jerry. Not only has he started 0-3 he got absolutely spanked 38-0 shutout vs his old team, the Gophers. Kill is in for a full rebuild at NMSU, and so far things have not looked pretty. I would expect more of the same this week.