The problem with New Mexico State's offense is a little bit of everything | Coppola
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New Mexico State’s offense has hit a wall in almost every game this season.
The Aggies (3-5, 1-4 Conference USA) have averaged a CUSA-worst 301.6 yards per game with 21.4 points per game. The poor unit was on full display on Saturday, Nov. 1, in a 35-16 defeat to Western Kentucky, as NM State managed season lows of 178 total yards and 112 passing yards (both stats were 176 and 110, respectively, until two extra passing yards were added to the total after last Saturday).
The Aggies’ next game against Kennesaw State (6-2, 4-0) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, at home might provide a chance to bounce back, as the Owls have given up 391.4 yards per game. But KSU has averaged a CUSA second-best 21.4 points allowed per game.
The hire of offensive coordinator David Yost promised greater offensive success, but the unit has not had the upgrade from 2024 that Aggies fans hoped for.
What’s gone wrong this season? There are problems across the board. Let’s take a look at them.
Quarterback play
I called Logan Fife an average CUSA quarterback last week. Not great, but not the worst in the conference either. It seems he did everything in his power to prove me wrong and get closer to the bottom against WKU.
Fife tallied his lowest Pro Football Focus passing grade of the season at 32.4. He recorded zero big-time throws for the first time this season and his three turnover-worthy plays (one of them being an interception on a pass thrown in an area with multiple Hilltoppers around) tied his season-high.
Fife recorded a QBR of less than 20 for the fourth time this season at 11.8, which brought his total QBR down to 22.5 this season (132nd among 136 qualified quarterbacks). He also took longer to throw the ball last Saturday with a season-high average of 2.76 to throw.
Aggies coach Tony Sanchez has backed Fife all season and believes the offense isn’t doing enough to help him.
“We’ve got to do a good job of setting Logan up to have success,” Sanchez said during a Monday press conference. “Simplifying some of his reads, making sure that we’re taking advantage of what the defense gives us.”
Drops
Fife has had 17 on-target passes dropped this season, tied for the most among CUSA quarterbacks with Middle Tennessee’s Nicholas Vattiato.
Wide receivers PJ Johnson III, TK King, Donovan Faupel and tight end Gavin Harris have all dropped multiple passes, with Johnson III and Harris leading the way with three each. Fellow receivers Shawn Brown, TJ Pride and Jackson Owens have also recorded drops.
Fife has had his issues, but he also needs more help from the people he’s supposed to trust on the field.
Rushing struggles
The Aggies steadily improved their ground game throughout October, recording their three highest rushing-yard totals: 95 against Sam Houston, 146 against Liberty, and 82 against Missouri State. Last Saturday was a chance to build on that, as WKU has allowed the second-most rushing yards in CUSA at 1,599.
NM State did the opposite. The Aggies’ running backs only rushed for 44 yards against the Hilltoppers and ended with 68 rushing yards in total. Kadarius Calloway, who was named a starter on NM State’s depth chart for the game, rushed for just six yards. Dijon Stanley rushed for a season-low six yards, extending his streak of games with less than 20 rushing yards to six.
The 68.5 rushing yards NM State averages per game ranks last among all FBS teams. Saturday provides another chance for the Aggies to improve that number, as Kennesaw State ranks in the bottom half of CUSA (seventh) at 157.8 rushing yards allowed per game.
“Probably all of the above,” Sanchez said on Monday when discussing NM State’s rushing issues. “It’s a collective… We didn’t do a very good job of sustaining blocks up front. We’re not playing with great pad level. There are occasions where our backs didn’t do a good job of hitting the hole.”
Offensive line
The Aggies’ offensive line has been unremarkable. PFF currently has them as CUSA’s lowest-graded pass-blocking team at 48.3.
Armando Nieves, who has started at right tackle since Week 2, has allowed a team-high 21 pressures (the fifth highest among CUSA offensive linemen who have played 20% or more of their team’s snaps) and three sacks. He’s also committed eight penalties. Malik Williams, who began the season as NM State’s right tackle before shifting to left tackle after Ma’Kyi Lee’s ACL injury in Week 1, has allowed 19 pressures and four sacks.
Interior offensive linemen Mateo Rodriguez and BJ Tolo have combined to allow 23 pressures and three sacks, with the latter having committed five penalties this season. The run blocking has been a little better, but NM State’s 53.8 run-blocking grade ranks in the bottom half of CUSA at seventh.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: The problem with NMSU’s offense is a little bit of everything
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