Last year, New Mexico State running back Tonny Glynn flashed speed, shiftiness and explosiveness out of the Aggie backfield.

That is, until he got hurt for the season against the University of Nevada, getting his ankle rolled on a goal-line run midway through the contest that shelved him for the remainder of the year.

Glynn is back now, carrying the ball at spring football practice for NMSU. He couldn't be happier with the situation.

"It was tough last year with the injury, trying come back at the end of the season," Glynn said. "Now I'm back and feeling good. Ready to get the spring going."

Glynn's loss last year stuck a dagger in NMSU's offensive efficiency. He fit in well with the team's "Air-Raid" attack, providing a lightning-quick presence out of the backfield to go along with former Aggie running back Justine Buries, who was more of a pounder in between the tackles. Buries is now gone, as he transferred to Hofstra in the offseason. Still, NMSU seems to have weapons behind Glynn that should provide the team with plenty of depth.

Newcomers to the 2008 team will include Seth Smith, a junior college transfer from the College of the Sequoias, along with freshmen Ruben Martinez (Los Alamos High School), Todd Lee, Marquell Colston and Donavan Roberts. All are expected to compete for playing time.

"Tonny's one of the fastest guys on the team, probably one of the top four or five fastest," quarterback Chase Holbrook said. "When Tonny's in, we are that much better. We have another guy in right now, Seth Smith, he's a bowling ball. I think he weighs about 205. I'm excited to see him. He's a big guy and I think he should help us out."

Still, the group will have to leapfrog Glynn, who proved last year that, when on the field, he was more than capable of providing big-play potential to the lineup. The 5-foot-8, 190 pound junior ran for 587 yards and four touchdowns last season on 81 carries (5.6 yards per attempt).

He also provided a presence in the passing game, catching 24 balls for 171 yards. Such an element is essential in head coach Hal Mumme's offense, which calls for runners to come out of the backfield and control shovel passes, screens and also provide adequate blitz pickups.

Glynn seems excited about the upcoming year, even if the competition seems to be stiff around him. In Glynn's eyes, the talent level will make him better as a player.

"I always like competition," Glynn said. "We'll always be competing for the position. Plus it's good to have depth there in case if somebody goes down."

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