For the Las Cruces Bulletin
Football was in the air Saturday, April 2, as the New Mexico State Aggies held their first practice of the spring. The team has 13 more practices before their spring game Saturday, April 30.
Third-year head coach DeWayne Walker said the team had a hightempo practice and it was good to get the guys moving around.
“Everybody was energetic,” he said. “The guys are happy to get out, and the coaches are happy to get out of the office and start our 2011 campaign.”
After the first practice, Walker said the team knows what they’re doing.
“It’s the first practice, so obviously there are some mistakes and the guys have to go to the film room and back to the playbook, but that’s expected,” he said.
Walker has laid out three goals for the spring. He wants the players to believe they can win. He wants them competing hard, and finally, he wants their football IQ to improve, which he said will leadto out executing the opposition.
In discussing the team’s football intelligent quotient, Walker wants the players to understand the game, from the basics of game play to the nuances of the players’ respective positions.
“These kids have a lot on their plate, but we can’t make excuses for them,” he said. “They have to lift weights, go to class, tutors, study hall and they’re still kids, so they want to enjoy the college life. They’ve got a lot going on but they have to learn how to play football, too. They need to understand the game as well as the coaches to a certain degree.”
While the Aggies don’t offi cially start the season until Sept. 3, Walker has already discussed the importance of having a good spring and accomplishing their goals.
“To me, it’s just continuing to push these guys to believe they can win,” he said. “Right now, there are no wins and losses. My focus is in those three areas, and when we get the rest of the team here in July that’s when we start worrying about wins and losses.”
New Mexico State will welcome 28 newcomers, including Mayfield High School running back Brandon Betancourt to summer football practice in July.
The Aggies’ practices are open to the public and the next one is from 11:20 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 9. Regarding what fans should be on the lookout for in practice, Walker said they can watch the team’s organization and see the work the players are putting into the practice.
“They’re not going to understand our schemes but even the naked eye can come out and see if these guys know what they’re doing,” he said.
The Aggies return 20 starters from last year’s squad. While that’s generally a step in the right direction for a team, Walker explained that for it to be a positive, the players must improve.
“Twenty starters is 20 starters, but we want a better 20 startersthan we had last year,” he said. “That’s where the IQ part gets better. If it gets better with those 20 guys then it’s a positive. If the IQ stays the same, then it’s not as positive as we would like it to be.”
Two of the 20 starters returning are hoping for big years after stellar 2010 seasons. Wide receiver Taveon Rogers and strong safety Donyae Coleman are both glad to put the pads back on.
Rogers was a threat returning kickoffs for the Aggies last season, returning 52 kickoffs for 1,410 yards – both school records. His special team performance earned him a spot on the Western Athletic Conference’s all-conference second team. Rogers also caught 18 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns in 2010.
“It’s my second year and I feel more comfortable in the offense and the program,” he said. “It’s always a good thing when football season starts.”
Rogers said he worked hard in the offseason and is looking to be more of an offensive threat for the Aggies in 2011. He led the team last season in all-purpose yards, averaging 145.2 per game.
“I want to build chemistry with the quarterbacks and better myself to better the team,” he said.
While returning kicks and running routes may seem difficult, Rogers said he is up to the challenge.
“I don’t think anything’s hard,” he said. “I just think it takes hard work to do it, and it’s something I’m willing to do.”
Coleman was a tackling machine for the Aggies last season, averaging 7.7 a game – sixth in the WAC.
Like Rogers, he too, is excited to be back on the field honing his craft.
“It feels great coming out here with our guys,” Coleman said. “We worked so hard in the off season.”
Coleman said this year’s Aggies have a lot of energy.
“We’re going to go out there and see what we can do and get better each day,” he said. “We’re going to believe and compete everyday with our boys. At the end of practice we know we’re all family.”
Coleman said the Aggies didn’t slouch around in the off season, hitting the weight room hard and improving their skills.
“We had our nose to the ground like dogs,” he said. “We didn’t try to upstage anybody or downplay anybody. We just worked.”
