New Mexico State Offensive Players to Watch vs. Mizzou

New Mexico State brings largely a new offense to Columbia next fall

The New Mexico State Aggies were not good offensively last year. 

There’s no way to sugarcoat finishing 89th in overall offense and 123rd in rushing. But this will be an almost entirely different Aggies team that comes to Columbia in November. After losing basically every offensive contributor from 2021, NMSU will have a new coach (Jerry Kill), new players, and a new identity (run the dang ball).

The Aggies do return three offensive linemen with starts from last season under their belts, so there will be at least some continuity up front. Still, they lost their best blocker, Sage Doxtater, to the NFL which hurts, and they’ll have basically all new faces toting the pigskin.

Kill is a notorious ground and pound coach, so the Aggies are going to run the ball a lot in 2022. After passing on essentially every down in 2021, it’s going to take some time to get their footing under Kill which may not happen until 2023. 

That being said, there are some players that could cause Mizzou problems if the Tigers aren’t careful.

QB Diego Pavia

Pavia wasn’t the starter last year. In fact, Pavia wasn’t even playing Division 1 football in 2021. Instead, he was at New Mexico Military Institute leading them to an NJCAA National Championship. The JuCo quarterback threw 21 touchdowns and ran for seven more last year while only giving up one pick. NMMI was a run-heavy team though, so he’s a bit less polished as a passer.

Pavia beat out the Aggies other passers in fall camp and has quickly taken the reins. He’s a shifty dual-threat guy who can manage a game under pressure, it will be tough for the Tigers to force turnovers off Pavia, but they should be able to track him down for some sacks.

RB O’Maury Samuels

Once a Michigan Wolverine, Samuels transferred to NMSU in 2019 but didn’t get a chance to suit up until last season. He only carried the ball 65 times but posted a respectable 202 yards and a touchdown. That may seem like light work, but it makes him the most productive returning member of this offense and Samuels will likely be ready for the full-time role this fall.

The ability to play Division 1 football is clearly there, but it feels like Samuels was still shaking the rust off last season. Under Kill’s run-heavy offense, he should get the ball a great deal more in 2022. Combine Kill’s tendency to run with a scrambling QB and veteran offensive line, and it’s clear that Samuels should be the workhorse for NMSU this season and will likely be carrying the rock a lot against Mizzou.

TE Tomaz Whitford

The preseason Second Team All-Conference (Independents) selection is supposedly poised for a breakout season. Whitford posted only 19 catches and a touchdown last year, but looks to have a much larger role in this offense.

With a heavy helping of runs on the way, Whitford should benefit from sneaky play actions and release valve routes this year. The Aggies’ quarterback Pavia isn’t a pro-style rocket launcher, so finding the extra-large Whitford should be right in his wheelhouse.

Mizzou will probably be laser focused on stuffing the run, so it’s important that the Tigers' linebackers and safeties don’t lose track of Whitford, especially in the redzone. 

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