The Aggies of New Mexico State University went 3-10 overall and 1-8 in conference play in the 2009 season. Head coach DeWayne Walker is going into his second season with the team and hopes that the upcoming season will be better with new discipline and focus. However, the Aggies are scheduled to play 12 straight games with a difficult schedule early in the season. One of the tougher games will be against Big 12 standout Kansas.
The University of Kansas Jayhawks are coming off of a 5-7 overall record in 2009 where the team went 1-7 in conference play. Kansas has been through a busy offseason with the firing of former head coach Mark Mangino and the hiring of newcomer Turner Gill.
Both teams are looking for redemption after a dreadful 2009 season and both teams lost a lot of players due to graduation and injury.
NMSU's run game looks to be the strong point for their offense. They have two starting running backs returning - one who rushed over 1000 yards last season. The Aggies also have an incoming 24-year-old JUCO transfer that is looking to make an impact in the backfield in 2010.
The number one QB for the Aggies this season will be determined during fall camp. Returning QB Jeff Fleming and incoming freshman Matt Christian will duke it out for the starting spot. Who they will be throwing to is another question up in the air. NMSU is lacking at the receivers position. They only have one returning wide receiver. Eight players return for this position, with three incoming freshman looking to step in and fill the empty spots.
Like NMSU, Kansas will be deciding who their number one QB is during fall camp as well. Kale Pick and Jordan Webb will be the top two competitors. Returning to catch the ball on offense is tight end Tim Biere who registered 14 catches last season. One thing the Jayhawks will not have to worry about is their offensive line. The entire line returns to dominate in the 2010 season.
On the defensive side, returning for the Jayhawks is true freshman linebacker Huldon Tharp. Tharp made 59 tackles in 2009 and was selected by Phil Steele as a Freshman All-American First Team pick. Chris Harris returns as a cornerback in the secondary. Harris has started 29 games in his three years at Kansas and made 84 tackles last year. He also broke up nine passes in 2009.
Make sure you check out this September 25th battle airing on Fox College Sports.
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