In a press conference before the first game of the season, New Mexico State head football coach Doug Martin said this team would only go as far as the defense would take them. Four games into the year, that statement has proven to be true.

The Aggies are 2-2 after dismantling I-10 rival UTEP last Saturday, picking up their first win over the Miners in eight years. The offense was exceptional but NMSU has always been able to put up numbers on that side of the ball under Martin. However, the defense was firing on all cylinders for the first time in a long while, adding three sacks and five interceptions to their Sun Belt leading totals in each category on the year.

This improvement is no coincidence according to Martin. Defense has always been something the Aggies looked to improve but that has been able to come to fruition in defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani’s second year.

“If anybody wants to do any research on a great defensive coach, look his past up and what he’s been able to do,” Martin said, praising Spaziani. “He’s a phenomenal coach. He knows how to lead people and knows how to put people in positions to succeed. He can overcome a lack of talent because of the way he calls defenses and the positions he puts our guys into.”

Spaziani was the defensive coordinator at Boston College for ten years before getting the head coaching job for the Eagles in 2009. Spaziani’s defenses were consistently among the nation’s best during his tenure, producing NFL talent that included top-10 picks B.J. Raji for the Green Bay Packers in 2009 and Luke Kuechly, who is considered one of the best overall players in the entire league, for the Carolina Panthers in 2012.

Spaziani’s track record has been impressive, but the strides made by this 2017 NMSU defense is what Aggie fans care about. After struggling in Spaziani’s first year, NMSU currently sits in the top four in the conference in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense and opponent’s third down conversion rate after the first four games — a massive improvement. The Aggies also have the best turnover differential in the Sun Belt at +3, in big part because of cornerback, and conference player of the week, Shamad Lomax’s three interception (and one pick-6) performance against UTEP.

“Once the ball’s in the air, we turn into receivers and have to go get it,” Lomax said when talking about the Aggie secondary’s aggressiveness. “[Spaziani] helps out Coach Bell in the secondary… He gives us good techniques to use and he’s always putting us in great positions to make plays on the ball.”

That aggressiveness on all levels of the NMSU defense has helped hold opponents to 26 points per game, almost a two-touchdown difference to last year’s 38 points allowed per contest. The seven interceptions through four games more than doubles the amount by any other team in the conference, but another source of big plays on the less glamorous side of the ball has been the high number of sacks (12) by the defensive front. Defensive line coach John Mumford has had a large role in the strides made by a group that Martin says is key to their defensive success.

“This is the best our defensive line has ever played and the best coaching we’ve ever had up there,” Martin said, talking about the addition of Mumford. “Our linebacker play has been much better this year but part of that of that reason is because of our front. Our front is really taking up blocks and freeing up our linebackers to make plays and that’s something that we haven’t had in the past.”

Consistency in the coaching staff has been important in the team’s success early in the season, but Martin also credited the age and experience of the players, taking pride in not playing any freshmn.

“I remember where I thought Mario Moccia really has a chance to be a great athletic director and knew this guy gets it is when he first got here and he made the statement that you don’t win college football (games) with freshmen,” Martin said as he emphasized the importance of experience. “The senior leadership we’re getting on this football team is phenomenal… They’ve bought into the vision.”

New Mexico State’s defense is greatly improved through four games this season but faces a tough test this Saturday as the travel to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas. It is inevitable that playing an SEC team on the road will be a challenge, but with NMSU finally pairing their gaudy offense with a consistently stout defense, they have a chance to start the year 3-2 for the first time since 2007.

Martin Gets Three-year Contract Extension

With this being the last year of Head Coach Doug Martin’s contract, there have been plenty of questions regarding his future with the program and a potential extension, especially after this impressive start to the season. Martin spoke on that Tuesday, two days before finalized a three-year contract extension to keep him in Las Cruces until 2020:

“That’s out of my control. All I can control is winning games and that’s all I’m focused on and I’m focused on this team and these players. When Vicki and I came back here from Boston College, we came back here for a reason and we had the vision to build a football program and not go for the quick fix but do it the right way; with recruiting high school and developing players, and I think we’ve done that. We’re starting to see some of the benefits in that and I hope that that will be appreciated by people. I hope we continue to win — it’s all about winning games so we’re just going to worry about what we can control.”

Martin went on to say that he wants to be here and believes that keeping that consistency in the coaching staff benefits a program’s ability to recruit. He also noted that the program still has a long way to go, but he and his team are “doing some things that haven’t been done before here.” Martin hopes to keep this hot start going throughout the year.