-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
Holbrook carries Aggie offense into Boise
Archive
Comments
Story
New Mexico State likes to throw the football – a lot. After being overshadowed by the aerial attack of Hawaii for so long, NMSU is fighting to break free from the stigma of being the ‘other’ pass happy Western Athletic Conference team. On Sunday night the Boise State defense will get a chance to see first hand how far the Aggie offense has come from last season’s match-up.
In 2006 NMSU threw the football 65 times against the Broncos falling just short of victory, 28-40. The Aggies ran the football 20 times in that game but gained just eight yards on the ground. NMSU quarterback Chase Holbrook (6-5, 235) kept the game close with 526 passing yards on 49-of-65 passing – numbers that won’t likely change when the Aggies head to Boise this weekend.
“Last year I think they ran 86 plays to our 63 plays and so it’s obvious they like the no-huddle,” BSU Head Coach Chris Petersen said. “They’re going to get a lot of plays and it’s pretty smart how they do it. In that case we have to make our possessions count. Taking advantage of every chance we get to move the ball.”
Through the first five games of the 2007 season the Aggies have averaged 47.6 pass attempts per game. They are also averaging 340.8 passing yards per game, which is ninth overall in the country.
After a 3-2 start to the season, NMSU Head Coach Hal Mumme brings his team to Boise for the first WAC game of the year for both schools. Mumme’s air raid offense has been moderately successful thus far with wins over Southeast Louisiana, University of Texas-El Paso and the University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff.
NMSU opened the year with a 35-14 win in Las Cruces, N.M. over SLU. In week two the Aggies traveled to in-state rival University of New Mexico. NMSU fell to the Lobos in an offensive shootout, 34-44. After a week three win over UTEP, 29-24, NMSU went on the road again to face South East Conference powerhouse Auburn. The Aggies fell 20-55 in front of 83,012 fans, which kept NMSU winless on the road so far
this year.
Last weekend NMSU returned home to play host to Arkansas – Pine Bluff. The Aggies prevailed 20-17 thanks to a last second 37-yard field goal by Paul Young. Holbrook threw for just 246 yards on 31-of-42 passing.
Mumme and company now focuses their attention on the Broncos and a defense that has only allowed 177.2 passing yards per game and five touchdowns this season. Holbrook has already thrown 14 touchdown passes this year but has only tossed three in his last two outings.
Despite being picked No. 6 in both the conference preseason media and Coaches polls, NMSU is expected to be one of the most improved WAC teams this season. After five games, however, it is very unclear whether or not that is the case.
Offense
There is no deception to the NMSU offensive scheme – throw, throw, throw, throw, throw. Coach Mumme’s offense uses short throws to athletic receivers, which allows his players to simply make plays. It is no secret that the Aggie offense relies solely on the success of the passing game. Coach Mumme is okay with that.
So far this season Holbrook is ranked in the top ten nationally in five different statistical categories. He currently ranks fourth with 1697 passing yards, third with 226 pass attempts and second with a 73.5 pass completion percentage. He is also tied for ninth with 14 touchdown passes. The one blemish on his stat line so far – 10 interceptions, which is ranked third by any quarterback in the country.
“Chase [Holbrook] is a talented player,” Coach Petersen said.
“He’s very good and can light you up at any time and we have to be ready for what he will bring to the table.”
Holbrook’s favorite target over the past two seasons has been junior wide receiver Chris Williams (5-8, 157). Williams leads the team in receptions this year (38) and touchdown catches (nine). He is averaging 108.8 receiving yards per game. Last season Williams tallied 191 receiving yards against BSU.
“That kid is amazing,” Coach Petersen said. “He’s one of those guys that you better catch on your first chance cause if you don’t get him then you won’t get him.”
Defense
The NMSU defensive unit doesn’t share much of the spotlight with Holbrook and the offense, but that isn’t necessarily the fault of the Aggie defense. So far this season the Aggie defense has allowed 30.8 points per game, but that includes two high scoring losses at New Mexico and Auburn.
NMSU allowed an average of 50 points in the two losses this season. In the three wins NMSU has only given up 18.3 points per game, which clearly defines that the NMSU defense is extremely vital to the team’s success.
Senior linebacker Dante Floyd (5-10, 236) leads the Aggie defensive effort with 48 tackles this season – 19 of which are solo. Floyd has also recorded one interception and three sacks so far. As a junior he played in all 12 games for the Aggies and
finished the year with 66 tackles.
As a team NMSU has allowed 129.6 rushing yards per game and 365.6 yards of total offense per game this season. The Aggies have forced 31 punts and held opposing offenses to 39 percent on third down conversations. The Aggies have also recorded nine sacks on quarterbacks for a loss of 57 yards.
“They’re explosive on offense and they’re good on defense,” Coach Petersen said. “So we just need to take care of the football and play our style.”
Jake Garcin