New Mexico Football Report

One major difference between DII and Div.1 FBS football is that Div.II players are invariably described as student-athletes in all press releases and news. With all the hoopla this past week surrounding Texas A&M's "Johnny Football" (John Manziel who led the Aggies to an upset over #1 Alabama) not once has any news organization seen fit to designate him as a bonafide student-athlete. I guess the hypocrisy of "big time" college football starts and stops at the top.

The  New Mexico Military Institute Broncos closed out their season with a win over  Pima Community College of Tucson  46-26.   The NMMI Broncos compete in the Western State Football League (WSFL) At this level of college football getting reliable information and scores is hit an miss. For some reason, as of Tuesday, neither  NMMI nor Pima had posted a final score for  the game (played in Tucson on Saturday)

The WSFL's website (which redirects to the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference page) did have the score, but no game recap or box score. I realize this is the lowest rung of competitive college football and that Arizona is backwards as hell... but "C'mon, man!"  The WSFL seems to have a rather haphazard record keeping system.  The final scores for several games were listed as 0-0, those games were recorded as ties. This, even as the actual game scores were posted on the websites of the schools in question.

Ties? who do they think they are the NFL?  Speaking of which,   Arizona Western JC is where former NFL player Ricky Siglar of Albuquerque (Manzano hs.) played before transferring to San Jose St. Univ., he played for four different NFL teams during his career.  The Pima C.C. Aztecs claim membership in the WSFL yet are not listed in the league standings (maybe they're on double secret probation) Scottsdale C.C. played it's entire schedule within the league, including two games against Glendale C.C., that's known as a home & home or two legged tie.

The league champion for 2012 is Snow College, a school described on Wikipedia as  "a rural, two-year state college located in Ephraim, Utah, U.S." Bronco Mendenhall, current BYU head coach and former UNM assistant coach played for the Badger's 1985 national championship team.  Snow College  won the WSFL title outright for the first time since the 2008 season and they will be looking for a bowl invite after deciding earlier this year not to host the Top of the Mountains Bowl game.

The Jucos do not hold playoffs to decide a national champion, the #1 & #2 ranked teams meet at the end of the year to crown a champion. This year that happens to be Iowa Western Community College and Butler College of Kansas. Other NJCAA teams, deemed bowl worthy are then sent packing to some godforsaken places, for anonymous bowl games under miserable weather conditions that make even the New Mexico Bowl seem like the Rose Bowl.

Western States Football League   2012 final standings

Snow College                             8-0 10-1
Arizona Western College              6-2 7-2
Glendale Community College     6-2 7-3
Mesa Community College              5-3 6-4
New Mexico Military Institute     3-4 5-5
Eastern Arizona College              3-5 5-5
Scottsdale Community College     2-4 5-5
Phoenix College                            2-6 2-7

ENMU Greyhounds  13                  Texas A&M- Kingsville  33

ENMU's sports information department closed the game recap of Saturday's season finale against the Javelinas of TAMUK with one sentence.  "The Eastern New Mexico University football team has concluded the 2012 season"  No commentary, or in depth review of the season, just a brief and somewhat terse reminder that there won't be anymore Greyhound football this year. The Hounds, who dropped a 33-13 decision to Texas A&M- Kingsville finish the season at 3-7, 2-6 in the Lone Star Conference. 

From their season opening loss to New Mexico Highlands through the final game against the Javelinas, ENMU struggled to find consistency on either side of the ball. Other than a dreary 7-3 win over TAMU-Commerce and a thrilling 34-24  victory over U. of Incarnate Word, the defense could not keep anyone under thirty points. TAMU-Commerce's offensive miscues kept them out of the end zone in that game as much as Eastern's defense did. That's asking your offense to carry a big load. 

During a five game conference losing streak, ENMU's defense gave up 35, 49, 59, 44 & 51 points in succession. For head coach Josh Lynn, the move up from the Juco ranks at NMMI didn't result in an immediate round of success. Barring an extraordinary recruiting effort during the off season, it doesn't look like 2013 will get much better. Sr. Wesley Wood, who played practically every down for the Hounds at quarterback is done, it's highly unlikely that Lynn has another Wes Wood on the roster.

Wood closed his career as the ENMU record-holder for total offense, with 9,245 yards, no previous player had reached the 8,000-yard mark. His touchdown pass to Charlie Savedra (Socorro hs., Socorro N.M.) was the 69th of his career, also a school record. Wood finished his final game as a Greyhound, 21-of-35 for 210 yards and an interception.  The man who WTAMU's head coach Don Carthel called "tough as a boot" rewrote the Eastern New Mexico record book for quarterbacks and certainly left his mark at Blackwater Draw. 

That touchdown pass to Savedra which gave the Hounds their only lead of the game at 7-6 and  

Christian Long's 20 yard run in the third quarter were all the scoring that ENMU could muster. For ENMU,  Long's touchdown pulled the Hounds to within 19-13, but the Javelinas  scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to put the game away. In the Lone Star Conference there's a huge gap between ENMU and the front runners, that dink and dunk juco offense has the Greyhounds chasing their tails.

Some last words from Blackwater Draw, remember 'Hounds keep your chins up and "Some trails are happy ones, others are blue. It's the way you ride the trail that counts.... Happy trails to you"

NMHU Cowboys  58        WNMU    0

For the first time since 2008, the Warrior Helmet will see the light of day in Las Vegas, N.M. I finally caught a glimpse of the traveling trophy and it appears to be a bronzed leather football helmet (like the kind George Clooney wore in Leatherheads) propped on a stick attached to a wooden box.  It's hideous and not nearly as cool as ENMU's Wagon Wheel or the annual Musket Game between Fort Lewis and Adams State. Where traditionally, seniors from the winning team get to fire the muzzle loader at the conclusion of the game. 

A rivalry game is no fun when one team fails to show up. Not in a physical sense, mind you... the WNMU Mustangs did take the field, but their effort had all the tell tale signs of a team that just wanted the season to end. Often times this points towards dissension within the team and as the season wraps up team cohesiveness breaks down. I don't have access to the Mustang's locker room, so I can only speculate on the relationship between Coach Clark and his players or between the players themselves. 

It does appear that as the season progressed, team chemistry went south, and in all honesty neither team had much to play for other than that ugly trophy. NMHU was knocked out of the league championship race after losses to the front runners  Chadron St. and CSU-Pueblo. The Cowboys were passed over by the NCAA when playoff seeds were handed out and no D-II table scraps bowl game came-a-knockin' 

Then as if to heap insult upon injury, Cowboy Qb. Emmanuel Lewis, who in my opinion is the most exciting and explosive player in the RMAC, was relegated to a tie for third team All-Conf. Qb.  and his wasn't the only slight, NMHU's Zach Tapia led all kickers in scoring with 96 points, made 48-52 PATs 16-25 field goals and was left off the RMAC team altogether. Tapia outscored, out kicked and was more clutch than the first, second & third team kickers...  his lack of all conference honors is puzzling to say the least. 

WNMU's starting Qb. Mitch Glasmann, was named freshman offensive player of the year in the RMAC. He was passed up for any other league honors, despite some gaudy stats that begged otherwise. I liken Glasmann to Carson Palmer  of the Oakland Raiders, both deliver steady and consistent play while leading a team that can't find ways to win. Both are prone to digging themselves into holes with costly interceptions and other bonehead mistakes. Yet both are blessed with amazing talent, Glasmann is by far the best pure passer in the RMAC. 

With all that said, let's not downplay the fact that Highland's defense put WNMU in a Ted Nugent stranglehold that they never saw coming. NMHU's defense is among the very best in the conference as evidenced by the fact that four Cowboy defenders were named to the RMAC defensive first team, Randy Salmon, Jordan Campbell, Jared Koster & Abdul Kanneh. Devin Howard and DiAmaal Holmes were named to the second team on defense. 

WNMU had won three straight Warrior Helmet games, but NMHU in 2012  played at a much higher level than their rivals. The Cowboys finished the season at 8-3, 6-2 in conference play. It was their best finish since 1998 with their losses coming to #1 CSU-Pueblo, # 20 Chadron St. and Div. I, FCS Southern Utah Univ. (on the road) The Mustangs, 4-7, 3-6 in the RMAC, rode out the season on the crest of a four game losing streak that will now carry over to 2013

NMHU dominated WNMU in every way possible. The Cowboys had 630 yards total offense to the Mustangs 85.... that's not a typo, 85 total yards in offense. Mitch Glasmann finished with 60 passing yards on 8-35 passing. NMHU out rushed Western  256 to 25. Emmanuel Lewis completed 36 of 56 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns with a long pass of 40 yards. Lewis also rushed for 40 yards on 12 carries for a total offensive day of 367 yards. 

NMHU receivers Darius Davis and Kevon Williams both made the first team on offense. They were joined by Western New Mexico's reliable Marquis Sumpter. Bernard Williams of WNMU made the first team on defense, Mustang receiver Donald Byrd was second team on offense. I mentioned Mitch Glasmann as the Freshman of the year on offense. Mitch broke several marks at WNMU in his first season, including 3,139 passing yards and 27 touchdown in a single season. He also completed 249 of 426 passes.

Emmanuel Lewis, despite not being the team's starter at the beginning of the season rewrote the record book at NMHU. He set records for passing yards in a season, 3,667. Total Offense in a season, 3,929. Most passes completed in a season , 286. Most touchdown passes, 28.  He was ranked second in the NCAA in total offense per game at 392.60 yds. per game. He rushed for 262 yards on 92 carries and one rushing touchdown. Yet, he was picked for the third team, tied with Matt Brown of Colorado Mines.