High hopes turned into disappointment before halftime. New Mexico State entered the night a heavy favorite and walked away with only a narrow win. The Aggies showed first game jitters all over the field, and frustration spilled quickly into the stands. Some fans are already calling for changes or writing off the season after one game.
But the sky is not falling. Not yet. The next two opponents, Tulsa and Louisiana Tech, are not powerhouses. They give NMSU the chance to correct mistakes, settle into rhythm, and still come out of this stretch on the right side of the record.
Tulsa is not Bryant, but Tulsa is not elite either. Last season they managed just one win, though they opened this year by piling up more than 500 yards and blowing out Abilene Christian. Vegas opened this matchup at Tulsa favored by three and a half, which means oddsmakers see this as a one possession game. One play might swing Saturday night. For NMSU, the defense only needs small tweaks. The front seven set the tone against Bryant, getting pressure and shutting down the run. The bigger concern is the secondary, which gave up open looks that Bryant’s quarterback missed. Defensive coordinator Joe Morris will need to clean that up quickly, because Tulsa’s offense will not miss those chances.
After Tulsa, NMSU moves on to Louisiana Tech, another opponent in that same middle tier. The Bulldogs are 1–0, but they did not make major strides in the offseason. NMSU beat them last year, and this year’s meeting should be close again. It is another chance for the Aggies to get right without facing a giant.
The path is clear. Major improvements before Tulsa, then smaller adjustments before Louisiana Tech, and suddenly NMSU could be sitting at 2–1 or even 3–0 before the schedule stiffens. But that only happens if the self-inflicted mistakes are cleaned up. Penalties that wipe out drives cannot keep happening. Empty possessions inside the opponent’s 40 cannot keep happening. The run game and the offensive line have to find rhythm so the offense is not one dimensional. Logan Fife needs better protection, but he also has to hit the routine throws that he missed in Week 1.
The next two weeks will decide everything. If the Aggies come out 2–1 or 3–0, a bowl game is still in play. If they stumble to 1–2, the back half of the schedule does not offer many lifelines. Another 3–9 season or worse would loom for Tony Sanchez.
The sky is not falling. Not yet. Give it two weeks to find out if it will. For now, the Aggies have earned at least the chance to fix what is broken, and the support to try.