STRENGTHS
The Aggies really clicked on offense in the second half of the 2000 campaign, scoring 31 or more points in four of their last five games. The improved output allowed Mick Dennehy's squad to finish with a 4-2 record in the last six games after struggling out of the gate at 1-4. With eight starters returning -- including smart, overachieving junior QB Jose Fuentes and record-setting tailback Emmett White -- the Aggies should field a fairly potent offense, although not quite up to last year's standards.
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Aggies at a glance
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2001 schedule
Sept. 1 at Utah
Sept. 8 at LSU
Sept. 15 at Fresno St.
Sept. 22 vs. Wyoming
Sept. 29 vs. Oregon
Oct. 5 at BYU
Oct. 20 vs. Idaho St.
Oct. 27 vs. Central Florida
Nov. 10 at Connecticut
Nov. 17 vs. Weber St.
Nov. 24 at South Florida
2000 results (5-6)
at Texas Tech L 38-16
Southern Utah W 30-14
at Arizona S. L 44-20
Utah L 35-14
at BYU L 38-14
at North Texas W 17-12
Idaho W 31-14
Arkansas St.W 44-31
at New Mexico St. W 44-37
at Boise St. L 66-38
Idaho St. L 27-24
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At WR, there is a lack of proven depth, although youngster Chris Stallworth is coming off a freshman campaign that saw the 6-2, 195-pounder haul in 26 receptions. Up front, the Aggies figure to be in decent shape. The key performer is senior RG Jim Walker (6-3, 290).
On defense, hard-nosed senior DE Nick Onaindia is back at full strength, while the linebacking corps benefits tremendously from the return of MLB Tony Newson from the injury list. He missed the entire 2000 season with a shoulder injury. Sophomore Nate Putnam and senior Ryan Duncan combined for 24 tackles for loss and eight sacks from the DE position last season. At OLB, Jesse Busta has emerged as quite a performer (second on team with 110 tackles). The top player in the deep patrol is junior CB Ade Jimoh, who picked off two passes and broke up 12 others last season.
QUESTIONABLE AREAS
After Stallworth, the Aggies lack experience at WR, especially with sophomore David Fiefia (31 catches last season) switching to tailback.
On defense, they need someone to emerge along the interior at DT next to sophomore Jorge Tapia. Last year, the opposition rushed for nearly 200 yards per game against the Aggies. As for special teams, pressure will be on junior kicker Dane Kidman to adequately replace Brad Bohn, who converted 14-of-19 field goals last season from inside 50 yards.
Overview: The Aggies face a brutally tough schedule that forces them to open with three consecutive road encounters against Utah, LSU and Fresno State. They also play at BYU in early October. The week before that, the Aggies host Oregon. Fuentes completed only 52.7 percent of his passes last season, but he threw 16 TDs and did a good job overall of directing the attack. White burst on the national scene in a big way last season, rushing for nearly 1,400 yards and scoring 13 TDs. The versatile 5-10½, 195-pounder also had 47 receptions, averaged 8.7 yards per punt return and returned 22 kickoffs for a 24.1-yard average. The offensive line, while not dominant, should open up sufficient running room, led by RG Walker. The key position to watch is WR. Stallworth figures to be the No. 1 option, but after that there is a great deal of inexperience.
The Aggies had problems last season defensively but figure to be improved due to the return from the injury list of DE Onaindia and MLB Newson. With the healthy return of Onaindia, plus DEs Putnam and Duncan, the Aggies have a nice rotation on the outside. While the interior of the defensive line is still questionable, the return of Newson figures to help solidify things to a certain extent. The secondary, which returns all four starters, led by CB Jimoh, will be counted on to perform more consistently. And in tight games, new PK Kidman must deliver. Schedule-wise, after what figures to be a challenging first six games, the Aggies must remain confident and also not come away bruised and battered. That's because the latter half of the schedule should allow the Aggies to finish with a rush. Along the way, it will be fun watching a quality all-purpose back like Emmett White do some damage.
