Mizzou Tigers Opponent Preview: New Mexico State Aggies
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The Missouri Tigers 2022 campaign will be in it’s twilight when New Mexico State comes to Columbia for the second to last game of the regular season. The Aggies have been pretty bad for a really long time, posting only one winning season since 2002. They’ve hired a new head coach in Jerry Kill, who has already begun overhauling the roster, but don’t expect NMSU to significantly improve on their 2-10 record from last season.
Kill won’t have many returners to work with on offense, but the Aggies’ defense may be a bit sturdier than it was last fall. Still, NMSU hasn’t won a true road game since 2018 and Memorial Stadium should provide a significant advantage for the Tigers.
Mizzou will essentially be facing a completely different Aggies team compared to the one that took the field last year. NMSU was 123rd out of 130 in rushing offense last season and passed on nearly every down, which is the exact opposite of Kill’s run-heavy philosophy. The defense returns eight starters, but those starters gave up 40 points per game in 2021, so expect to see the Aggies’ Power 5 transfers taking a lot of the snaps.
New Mexico State Aggies
2021 Record: 2-10
Offensive Scheme: Power Run
Returners: 4
The Aggies will return three starting linemen to the fold which should give them a decent foundation up front. They’ll bring back almost no starting skill players, save for tight end Tomaz Whitford who made nineteen catches last year and receiver Dominic Gicinto who got injured a few weeks in with nine catches to his name. Transfer quarterback Diego Pavia won the starting job and could pump some life into this side of the ball.
Traditionally, Kill likes to run the ball a lot. With a new quarterback and rookie receiving corps, it’s a pretty safe bet that the Aggies will put the ball on the ground a lot behind their more experienced offensive line. Running the ball will also help keep their defense off the field, which would be a good thing for NMSU considering they finished third-last in the country for total defense in 2021 (127th out of 130). The Tigers should be ready to stack the box and defend the occasional play action when the Aggies arrive in late November.
Starting Lineup (* denotes returning starter)
QB Diego Pavia
RB O’Maury Samuels
WR Warner Terrell
WR Kordell David
WR Dominic Gicinto
TE Tomaz Whitford *
LT Gabriel Preciado *
LG Carson Pharris *
C Canaan Yaro
RG Isaiah Mursalat
RT Doro Omerhi *
Defensive Scheme: 4-2-5
Returners: 8
When Kill as hired, so was defensive coordinator Nate Drelling, who has installed a 4-2-5 defensive set at NMSU since his arrival. On top of the eight starters they return, the Aggies got some solid help via the transfer portal and will likely be better defensively this season, if only slightly.
They finished almost dead last in passing defense last year (129th out of 130) and gave up almost a 70% completion rate. In fact, they gave up 9.5 yards not per completion but per throw, which means that teams basically got an automatic first down whenever they called a pass against the Aggies in 2021. NMSU did add two defensive backs from Power 5 schools, and they bring back solid linebacking group, but the Tigers should be able to fill the stat sheet in this one.
Starting Lineup (*denotes returning starter)
DT Lama Lavea *
DT Marcus Buckley *
OLB Lazarus Williams *
OLB Donovan King *
WLB Chris Ojoh *
MLB Trevor Brohard*
CB Syrus Dumas *
CB DJ McCullough *
NB Andre Seldon
FS Bryce Jackson
SS Dylan Early
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