The Florida football team opens its season against New Mexico State Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Here’s what you need to know about UF’s first opponent, the Aggies.
Offense:
On paper, the Aggies had a middle-of-the-road offense last season.
They finished 52nd out of 128 FBS teams in total offense, averaging 420.9 yards a game while converting more than 40 percent of their third-down attempts.
But while New Mexico State was able to move the ball, it struggled to tack points on the scoreboard. The Aggies averaged 24.5 points per game, finishing 95th in scoring offense.
While the Aggies’ offense is average at best, their offensive line proved to be their strong point last year. In 12 games, New Mexico State gave up just 10 sacks, the third-best mark in the nation.
New Mexico State returns six players on offense who have started at least six games, three of whom are on the offensive line.
Defense:
While New Mexico State’s offense held its own, its defense struggled.
The Aggies finished dead last in rushing defense (308.75 yards/game), 116th in total defense (483.3 yards/game) and 121st in scoring defense (39.1 yards/game). Their front seven also struggled to generate any sort of pass rush, ending with an FBS-worst five sacks on the year. And with New Mexico State’s four defensive line starters having just a combined 10 starters among them, they could experience some growing pains early in the season.
Players to watch:
Quarterback Tyler Rogers and running back Larry Rose III both return with a year of starting experience under their belt. Rogers, a junior who started 11 games in 2014, passed for 2,779 yards and 19 touchdowns while also recording 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. Rose, a sophomore, recorded 1,102 rushing yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry. He became the first New Mexico State running back to amass 1,000 yards since 2011.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Aggies return a trio of linebackers with starting experience in junior Rodney Butler and sophomores Derek Ibekwe and Dalton Herrington. The trio tallied 305 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions.
Last Meeting: Sept. 3, 1994
Florida quarterback Terry Dean threw seven touchdown passes in the first half — a feat that is still tied for the national record — and the Gators packed on 618 yards of total offense in a 70-21 rout. Receiver Jack Jackson caught four of Dean’s touchdown passes.
Key Stat: 0
New Mexico State has yet to pull out a win against a Southeastern Conference team in 13 tries.
In those games, the SEC team came out victorious by an average of 35.2 points.
Here’s the full breakdown:
Sept. 27, 2014: LSU 63-7
Nov. 3, 2012: Auburn 42-7
Nov. 5, 2011: Georgia 63-16
Sept. 4, 2004: Arkansas 63-13
Nov. 15, 2003: Arkansas 48-20
Sept. 28, 2002: Georgia 41-10
Aug. 31, 2002: South Carolina 34-24
Sept. 23, 2000: Georgia 37-0
Sept. 2, 2000: South Carolina 31-0
Sept. 28, 1996: LSU 63-7
Sept. 16, 1995: Georgia 40-13
Sept. 3, 1994: Florida 70-21
Nov. 6, 1993: Auburn 55-14
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
