I think I have a better perspective than just about everyone on this board when the topic is CUSA football. I'm a WKU grad and I watch more WKU football than Vandy now. I wouldn't have said that 10 years ago, but Vandy's constant losing compared to WKU's consistent winning gradually shifted me toward WKU games, and Mason's last two seasons put WKU over the top. I watched WKU almost every week, and I will watch future WKU opponents if I have time.
I watched a mid-week NMSU game against Sam Houston St about three weeks prior to the NMSU-WKU game. Then, I took my sons to the NMSU-WKU game. I didn't watch the Auburn-NMSU game live, but I did see 12 minutes of highlights, and this game was on my radar that week because I felt Auburn's offensive struggles could open the door for NMSU to make it a competitive game. I also watched the last three quarters of the CUSA championship game against Liberty.
I was not impressed when I watched them beat Sam Houston St (SHSU was 3-9 and new to FBS this season). However, I knew Jerry Kill is a good head coach and he did lead the Aggies to a bowl game last season (just the 3rd bowl in their history). I felt reasonably good about the WKU's upcoming opponent, but I wasn't completely confident because of Kill's coaching history. Western had also experienced a couple of second half scoring slumps.
The next NMSU game I watched was against WKU, and the NMSU offense looked different...a lot better. To be blunt, the NMSU defense shut down WKU in the second half and the NMSU offense ran the ball down Western's throat in the 4th quarter.
NMSU played was Auburn next week. Everybody can go watch the highlights and form their own opinion. https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi...95052D5641DB0BFCF7E795052D5641DB0BF&FORM=VIRE
The CUSA championship game was two weeks later. The Aggie offense played well, but the Aggie defense had no answer for Liberty's balanced attack. Here are the highlights:
The bowl game sucked, plain and simple. Maybe Fresno St is just that much better. I don't know. What I do know is I saw a lot of offensive improvement throughout the season, and they did not with very little talent on the roster. Imo, Tim Beck is a good hire and I'm willing to give him some time to build his offense.
I watched a mid-week NMSU game against Sam Houston St about three weeks prior to the NMSU-WKU game. Then, I took my sons to the NMSU-WKU game. I didn't watch the Auburn-NMSU game live, but I did see 12 minutes of highlights, and this game was on my radar that week because I felt Auburn's offensive struggles could open the door for NMSU to make it a competitive game. I also watched the last three quarters of the CUSA championship game against Liberty.
I was not impressed when I watched them beat Sam Houston St (SHSU was 3-9 and new to FBS this season). However, I knew Jerry Kill is a good head coach and he did lead the Aggies to a bowl game last season (just the 3rd bowl in their history). I felt reasonably good about the WKU's upcoming opponent, but I wasn't completely confident because of Kill's coaching history. Western had also experienced a couple of second half scoring slumps.
The next NMSU game I watched was against WKU, and the NMSU offense looked different...a lot better. To be blunt, the NMSU defense shut down WKU in the second half and the NMSU offense ran the ball down Western's throat in the 4th quarter.
NMSU played was Auburn next week. Everybody can go watch the highlights and form their own opinion. https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi...95052D5641DB0BFCF7E795052D5641DB0BF&FORM=VIRE
The CUSA championship game was two weeks later. The Aggie offense played well, but the Aggie defense had no answer for Liberty's balanced attack. Here are the highlights:
The bowl game sucked, plain and simple. Maybe Fresno St is just that much better. I don't know. What I do know is I saw a lot of offensive improvement throughout the season, and they did not with very little talent on the roster. Imo, Tim Beck is a good hire and I'm willing to give him some time to build his offense.
