New Mexico State football coach Hal Mumme has never hidden his affection for the Hawaii Warriors and their successful program. And he didn't this week as the two teams prepared for their matchup in Honolulu at 10 p.m. (MDT) tonight.
"We watch them all the time," Mumme said. "Every time we get a film trade, we want to watch the Hawaii film, that's who we want to watch. I think (Warrior quarterback) Colt Brennan ought to be on the Heisman invitation list. I heard some talking head guy on one of those channels ripping him because he threw four interceptions in one game (against San Jose State) but he also threw (75) passes. How many other quarterbacks in the nation have their team at 7-0? Most teams don't throw that many passes in three games and if you stretch that out over three games, no one would even notice it."
Quarterback Chase Holbrook echoed his coach's praise of the Aggies' opponent.
"As an offense, we love watching them play, except when they're against us of course," Holbrook said. "But ya know, we caught the (Hawaii versus) San Jose game (on
television) and it's just fun to watch them. They're efficient and they're gonna put points up."
It's not a mystery why the Aggies envy the Warriors' gameplan. Hawaii is similar to NMSU, at least in outfit. The Warriors play a run-and-shoot offense that emphasizes the pass under head coach June Jones. And while the Aggies have ran the ball more effectively this season, they will never be mistaken as a smash-mouth unit.
The one glaring difference between both teams is in their records. Hawaii sits at 7-0 and at No. 16 in the AP Top-25 Poll and No. 14 in the Coaches Poll. Brennan is renowned across the country because of his gaudy passing numbers, but remains somewhat of a mystery, playing in the South Pacific and out of the national spotlight.
"I think they're a good football team," Mumme said. "I don't think they're ranked high enough."?
NMSU sits at 4-4, battling through a variety of injuries and inconsistent play. To the Aggies' credit, they've stuck together following the crushing 58-0 whipping they took at Boise State. The following week, NMSU outplayed, yet fell, to Louisiana Tech 22-21 on the road and last Saturday the team knocked off Idaho 45-31.
This week, the team hopes to make up for their disaster in Boise. The Warriors are considered one of the top teams in the Western Athletic Conference, side-by-side with the Broncos. NMSU hopes that, unlike their trip to Idaho, they can remain at least competitive tonight.
"I think that will go through their minds," Mumme said of his team reflecting on the loss in Boise. "There are two favorites in this league. We played very poorly at Boise and I think going to Hawaii and playing good and get to the fourth quarter with a chance to win the game would be terrific."
NMSU will have to iron out some wrinkles if they hope to give the Warriors a fight. The Aggies' special teams have been rocky, particularly on kickoff coverage. Idaho returned two kickoffs deep into NMSU territory last week, one which set up a touchdown. The Aggies can not afford to put the Warriors on a short field or the touchdowns will quickly pile up.
"Yeah, that was not good," Mumme said of the team's kicking performance following the Idaho game. "We're kind of pulling our hair out in terms of finding out how to do it right. We'll go back to the drawing board there."
The Aggies will also have to improve closing out the opposition. Two weeks ago, they let Louisiana Tech creep back into the game with under seven minutes left and allowed Idaho to stick around until late as well.
Down 14, the Vandals recovered an onside kick at the midway point of the fourth quarter. Although the Aggies forced a punt, Idaho got the ball back once more, driving downfield before stalling out inside the NMSU 20-yard line.
Mumme said that the late Vandal drives brought back memories of the loss against the Bulldogs. It's habits like that that Mumme has been trying to eliminate since he arrived in Las Cruces three years ago.
"We're New Mexico State," Mumme said. "We always have flashbacks. We've got more flashbacks than a Vietnam veteran."
Tonight's game promises to supply offensive fireworks. While Hawaii ranks second in the nation in passing-yards-per game (467.5), the Aggies currently stand in seventh (316.9).?
"Every time we play New Mexico State, you hold onto your rear end," Hawaii coach June Jones said. "They will come to play and move things efficiently on offense. Hal also know me better than any coach we play."
Brennan has thrown 20 TD's this season, but also 10 interceptions. While yards and scores are guaranteed every week he takes the field, the Aggies believe it could be an opportunity for their secondary to make some plays. Last season, the Aggies lost to the Warriors 49-30.
"It's always a big deal if you're a DB playing a passing team like that," senior safety Alex Bernard said. "There are a lot of opportunities to get interceptions, make plays and stuff like that. Playing against a team like Hawaii, as a DB, you just have to smile."
Mumme said that he expects his defense to be closer to full strength as they get set to play the Warriors. Linebackers La'Auli Fonoti and Chris Nwoko both sat out the last two weeks with injuries, but Mumme said the pair had a solid week of practice and that he expects them both in the lineup, at least for a handful of plays.
Cornerback Vince Butler is expected to return as well, two weeks after suffering a concussion against Louisiana Tech. The secondary will need all the help it can get.
"It's like he has a sixth sense on where his receivers are at all times," safety Derrick Richardson said of Brennan. "He can be looking somewhere else and just turn and throw it to one of his receivers on the back side. He's just a great quarterback, makes good decisions and gets rid of the ball quick."
The Aggies offense, minus receiver Chris Williams who is out for the year, is back at 100 percent. Kenneth Buckley will replace Williams as one of the team's starting wide receivers.
"They struggle a little bit on defense as well," senior receiver Derek Dubois said of the Warriors. "With Chase back, A.J. (Harris), Nick (Cleaver), myself, K.B. (Buckley) stepping in there, we should be fine. I'm not going to say they're pretty bad but they're not the greatest defensive team. We should have our way with em'."
Mumme said during the week that for the Aggies, a good offensive showing could be their only chance at a win.
"They could put up 100," Mumme said of Hawaii. "Our goal is to try to get one more than they do. We don't really care how it happens."
"We watch them all the time," Mumme said. "Every time we get a film trade, we want to watch the Hawaii film, that's who we want to watch. I think (Warrior quarterback) Colt Brennan ought to be on the Heisman invitation list. I heard some talking head guy on one of those channels ripping him because he threw four interceptions in one game (against San Jose State) but he also threw (75) passes. How many other quarterbacks in the nation have their team at 7-0? Most teams don't throw that many passes in three games and if you stretch that out over three games, no one would even notice it."
Quarterback Chase Holbrook echoed his coach's praise of the Aggies' opponent.
"As an offense, we love watching them play, except when they're against us of course," Holbrook said. "But ya know, we caught the (Hawaii versus) San Jose game (on
television) and it's just fun to watch them. They're efficient and they're gonna put points up."
It's not a mystery why the Aggies envy the Warriors' gameplan. Hawaii is similar to NMSU, at least in outfit. The Warriors play a run-and-shoot offense that emphasizes the pass under head coach June Jones. And while the Aggies have ran the ball more effectively this season, they will never be mistaken as a smash-mouth unit.
The one glaring difference between both teams is in their records. Hawaii sits at 7-0 and at No. 16 in the AP Top-25 Poll and No. 14 in the Coaches Poll. Brennan is renowned across the country because of his gaudy passing numbers, but remains somewhat of a mystery, playing in the South Pacific and out of the national spotlight.
"I think they're a good football team," Mumme said. "I don't think they're ranked high enough."?
NMSU sits at 4-4, battling through a variety of injuries and inconsistent play. To the Aggies' credit, they've stuck together following the crushing 58-0 whipping they took at Boise State. The following week, NMSU outplayed, yet fell, to Louisiana Tech 22-21 on the road and last Saturday the team knocked off Idaho 45-31.
This week, the team hopes to make up for their disaster in Boise. The Warriors are considered one of the top teams in the Western Athletic Conference, side-by-side with the Broncos. NMSU hopes that, unlike their trip to Idaho, they can remain at least competitive tonight.
"I think that will go through their minds," Mumme said of his team reflecting on the loss in Boise. "There are two favorites in this league. We played very poorly at Boise and I think going to Hawaii and playing good and get to the fourth quarter with a chance to win the game would be terrific."
NMSU will have to iron out some wrinkles if they hope to give the Warriors a fight. The Aggies' special teams have been rocky, particularly on kickoff coverage. Idaho returned two kickoffs deep into NMSU territory last week, one which set up a touchdown. The Aggies can not afford to put the Warriors on a short field or the touchdowns will quickly pile up.
"Yeah, that was not good," Mumme said of the team's kicking performance following the Idaho game. "We're kind of pulling our hair out in terms of finding out how to do it right. We'll go back to the drawing board there."
The Aggies will also have to improve closing out the opposition. Two weeks ago, they let Louisiana Tech creep back into the game with under seven minutes left and allowed Idaho to stick around until late as well.
Down 14, the Vandals recovered an onside kick at the midway point of the fourth quarter. Although the Aggies forced a punt, Idaho got the ball back once more, driving downfield before stalling out inside the NMSU 20-yard line.
Mumme said that the late Vandal drives brought back memories of the loss against the Bulldogs. It's habits like that that Mumme has been trying to eliminate since he arrived in Las Cruces three years ago.
"We're New Mexico State," Mumme said. "We always have flashbacks. We've got more flashbacks than a Vietnam veteran."
Tonight's game promises to supply offensive fireworks. While Hawaii ranks second in the nation in passing-yards-per game (467.5), the Aggies currently stand in seventh (316.9).?
"Every time we play New Mexico State, you hold onto your rear end," Hawaii coach June Jones said. "They will come to play and move things efficiently on offense. Hal also know me better than any coach we play."
Brennan has thrown 20 TD's this season, but also 10 interceptions. While yards and scores are guaranteed every week he takes the field, the Aggies believe it could be an opportunity for their secondary to make some plays. Last season, the Aggies lost to the Warriors 49-30.
"It's always a big deal if you're a DB playing a passing team like that," senior safety Alex Bernard said. "There are a lot of opportunities to get interceptions, make plays and stuff like that. Playing against a team like Hawaii, as a DB, you just have to smile."
Mumme said that he expects his defense to be closer to full strength as they get set to play the Warriors. Linebackers La'Auli Fonoti and Chris Nwoko both sat out the last two weeks with injuries, but Mumme said the pair had a solid week of practice and that he expects them both in the lineup, at least for a handful of plays.
Cornerback Vince Butler is expected to return as well, two weeks after suffering a concussion against Louisiana Tech. The secondary will need all the help it can get.
"It's like he has a sixth sense on where his receivers are at all times," safety Derrick Richardson said of Brennan. "He can be looking somewhere else and just turn and throw it to one of his receivers on the back side. He's just a great quarterback, makes good decisions and gets rid of the ball quick."
The Aggies offense, minus receiver Chris Williams who is out for the year, is back at 100 percent. Kenneth Buckley will replace Williams as one of the team's starting wide receivers.
"They struggle a little bit on defense as well," senior receiver Derek Dubois said of the Warriors. "With Chase back, A.J. (Harris), Nick (Cleaver), myself, K.B. (Buckley) stepping in there, we should be fine. I'm not going to say they're pretty bad but they're not the greatest defensive team. We should have our way with em'."
Mumme said during the week that for the Aggies, a good offensive showing could be their only chance at a win.
"They could put up 100," Mumme said of Hawaii. "Our goal is to try to get one more than they do. We don't really care how it happens."
