The Liberty Flames ride a three-game win streak into Las Cruces, New Mexico this weekend to take on the New Mexico State Aggies.
With games at BYU and Virginia looming, this game is critical to Liberty’s bowl game hopes. A bye week will follow this weekend’s game, but the Flames have business to take care of before their week off.
The Aggies have stumbled to an 0-5 start. Losses at Alabama and Washington State would have been daunting tasks for any team, but most don’t realize the Aggies’ strength of schedule outside of their opening two weeks. NMSU lost to San Diego State in week three, dropped a heartbreaker to New Mexico in week four, and most recently dropped a week-five game to Fresno State. Not an easy slate, by any means.
NMSU is scoring around 19 points per game and surrendering about 47. Quarterback Josh Adkins has thrown for 1,210 yards, six touchdowns and nine interceptions. The Aggies ground game is led by senior Jason Huntley. Huntley has rushed for 300 yards on 41 attempts so far: good for 7.3 yards per carry. Containing Huntley should be a point of emphasis for Scott Symon’s defense this week.
Tony Nicholson and OJ Clark pace the Aggies receiving corps with 30 and 29 receptions, respectively. Behind them, junior wideout Robert Downs has caught 19 passes. Behind downs, the Aggies don’t have a receiver with more than 12 catches. The statistics don’t lie: NMSU only gives the ball to a small handful of players.
The inflated average of points scored against the Aggies defense could be misleading. Mike Leach at Washington State is one of the best offensive minds in the country, and everyone knows what Nick Saban is capable of. Despite their poor showing in Lynchburg last weekend, the New Mexico Lobos have a strong offense.
Elevation, climate and travel are also factors to consider anytime the Flames travel to the southwest. In a press conference this week, Flames defensive end Jesse Lemonier noted the dryness of Las Cruces air and the enthusiasm of the Aggies faithful, who cheered their team to a 49-41 victory over the visiting Flames in 2018.
New Mexico State also enters this game with a small margin for error. If they hope to become bowl eligible, the Aggies will have to win all but one of their remaining games. A tough challenge even if they didn’t have SEC Ole Miss on the salte. The Aggies will look to their homecoming crowd for inspiration as they host a Flames team in a “defining game,” as NMSU head coach Doug Martin said earlier this week.
Liberty is favored in this game, and rightfully so. The Flames control their own fate this week. If the Flames execute their game plan, their winning streak should extend to four.
