When Jim Hess became New Mexico State football coach in 1990, he gained a 17-game losing streak. Sports Illustrated called it the country's worst program.
Hess built. By 1993 NMSU nearly went to Las Vegas Bowl II. Utah State prevented it. In the last Big West game, in Aggie Memorial Stadium, USU, the league's fourth bowl option, used halftime news that winless Arkansas State had beaten No. 1 Nevada to mount a comeback. USU beat NMSU 20-17 and went on to win in Vegas.Now the 0-5 Las Cruces Aggies are going backward, 110th of 111 in NCAA Division I in scoring (5.4 ppg) and punt returns (2.9 ypp), 100th to 106th in four categories and 97th or 98th in three more. It's been a tough slate - rivals New Mexico and UTEP plus Texas and LSU. But NMSU also fell 33-0 to Cal State Northridge, which USU beat 57-27 two weeks earlier.
"The heart is still beating," says defensive coordinator Jay Brown. "We still have a chance to salvage the season. It's discouraging, but we're not as discouraged as one might think."
Saturday at 6:30 MDT, it's Ags on Ags again, a Big West opener for both. USU is 2-4 but has dominated NMSU 18-3 with 16 straight wins, 10-1 in Las Cruces. It won 27-14 here last year.
Denvis Manns, '95 BWC frosh of the year, is second to USU's Abu Wilson in league rushing (90.0 ypg) and second in all-purpose yards (137.0). But Manns and top receiver Duane Gregory have no TDs. QB Chad Salisbury has four TD passes but seven interceptions; the defense has no interceptions. Top tackler Markeith Blackshire has only 49 stops, but LB Matt Botone is second in BWC tackles-for-loss (nine) and Blackshire is fifth with six.