One glance at the New Mexico State Aggies' football schedule, and a few things stand out.
The competition is solid. The team begins a week later than most college programs — Sept. 11, to be exact.
And, there's no bye week during the season. Twelve-straight weekends the Aggies take the field. And the need to start preserving players has already crossed head coach DeWayne Walker's mind.
"Just gotta be real smart and keep these guys healthy," Walker said. "We have depth in some places, some places we don't have depth ... I'm not beating up on them this camp as much as I did last year. Just trying to be sensible, I guess you could say."
Technically, the team's 2010 bye comes during the opening week of the college football season — Sept. 4. From Sept. 11-Nov. 27, the Aggies will take the field each week.
"The bye week is an excuse to rest," quarterback Matt Christian said. "Would you like one in the middle of the season somewhere? Yeah, if you're beat up ... The coaches talk about learning to practice smart so they can save us sometimes. We're learning to practice smart while still practicing hard."
Practicing smart means practicing sometimes in just helmets and shoulder pads. It's a style that could be put to use a time or two throughout the 2010 campaign, in an effort to keep the physical punishment to a minimum.
"(Walker's) trying to make sure we have our legs ready for game day," wide receiver Todd Lee said. "He's changing up practice a little this year.
"Sometimes we just go in shells and helmets. More mental practice than physical."
In certain respects, starting late could have its benefits for the Aggies. The team used this offseason to install a new offense under first-year coordinator Mike Dunbar. While the concepts are new, so is the personnel — Christian, who was nursing a sore right elbow until recently, was just named the starting quarterback on Tuesday.
"We got a lot of new receivers out here. We got some other position guys fighting to get in," Christian said. "Having that extra week will not only give us a chance to learn, but it will give us a chance to practice it ... Especially with me missing a couple days getting hurt, it gives us a chance to get our timing down, get our rhythm down and get a rapport."
The Aggies' Week 1 opponent, San Diego State, opens the season on Sept. 4 against Nicholls State. The next weekend, the Aztecs will pay a visit to Las Cruces.
"One thing I am looking forward to is that I get to watch other coaches sweat for a week," Walker said. "It'll be fun, get to watch college football, get to watch other teams get after it and know at the end of Saturday night, we're on the clock."
On the clock for the remainder of the season.
"We gonna need these bodies for 12 weeks straight," Walker said. "But I know our coaches feel comfortable with us and I know our players are feeling more fresh. Hopefully it will lead us into our first game feeling pretty good."
Teddy Feinberg can be reached at (575) 541-5455
Aggie schedule
Sept. 11 San Diego State 6 p.m.
Sept. 18 at UTEP 7:05 p.m.
Sept. 25 at Kansas 5 p.m.
Oct. 2 Boise State 6 p.m.
Oct. 9 New Mexico 6 p.m.
Oct. 16 at Fresno State 8 p.m.
Oct. 23 at Idaho 3 p.m.
Oct. 30 San Jose State 2 p.m.
Nov. 6 at Utah State 1 p.m.
Nov. 13 Louisiana Tech 4 p.m.
Nov. 20 at Nevada 2:05 p.m.
Nov. 27 Hawaii 1 p.m.
