New Mexico State head coach Hal Mumme is an optimistic man these days.
And he believes he has good reason to think that way.
"We're deeper than we've been, we have great players and a great staff,"
Mumme said during Thursday's Western Athletic Conference football media days. "This is the most optimistic I've been, anywhere I've been."
This season will be Mumme's fourth at NMSU and arguably his most important.
Mumme is 8-29 during his three-year tenure at the school but he has a solid starting quarterback, good wide receivers, more depth on theoffensive line and a newdefensive coordinator in Joe Lee Dunn, whose attacking3-3-5 defense is well-respected around the nation.
"We're deeper on the offensive line, we recruited some good running backs and the kids are adapting to Joe Lee's defense,"
Mumme said.
Mumme, who was given a one-year contract extension after last season, was asked if he felt as if he was on the hot seat entering year No. 4.
"I'm a football coach, I'malways on the hot seat,"
he said. "Last year we had nine starters miss 35 games, I think they (referring to the administration) know that."
# Holbrook gets props: NMSU quarterback Chase Holbrook received some accolades from opposing players on Thursday.
The 6-foot-5 senior quarterback, who has thrown for nearly 8,500 yards in two years and has thrown for 60 touchdowns, heads into his senior season as arguably the best quarterback in the league.
"He's a good # quarterback, he's got a good arm and he's one of the best in the league,"
Hawaii linebacker Solomon Elimimian said of Holbrook. "He's got a future in the game and if he continues to improve and work hard, he'll be fine."
San Jose State defensive tackle Jarron Gilbert has gone up against Holbrook the past couple of years and he alsobelieves the quarterback has a chance to a good player down the road.
"He's played in a lot of games and has a lot of experience,"
Gilbert said. "He has a good arm, he is smart and is accurate."
# Defensive backs:Aggie sophomore defensive back Davon House, who also was at the WAC footballmedia days, is hopeful of another solid season at corner.
Last year he tallied fourinterceptions, had eight breakups and had 37 tackles. This year his experience and health will be key in Dunn's new defense, particularly since fellow cornerback Chris Woods likely miss some games after having shoulder surgery in the spring.
"I just want to keep improving as much as possible,"
he said. "It's a good defense, we are gaining a lot of confidence. We want to be in situations where we have to make plays and get the ball back for our offense. We have depth in the defensive backfield, guys like Marvin Betts and Vincent Butler can get the job done."
