Texas A&M Football: Statistical Preview – New Mexico

With game week having finally arrived for Texas A&M football, the time has also arrived for our weekly previews of the Aggies’ matchup. Tuesday means statistical preview and recap, and since there’s no previous game to recap, we will be looking forward to the New Mexico Lobos. Some might say that it is tough to do a statistical preview of the first game of the year since each team has yet to record a single statistic. When people say things like this to me, all I can do is flash a wry grin, laugh in a knowing manner that evinces my years of experience in sports blogging, and respond with a hearty “nuh uh.” I am a man who stares in the face of impossibility and laughs. When it comes to writing about the Aggies, I mean.

With all that said, let’s take a look at the Lobos.

It should be no surprise that New Mexico does not exactly stack up to the Aggies when it comes to the numbers. But not every Texas A&M football fan might realize just how dreadful the Lobos have been in recent memory. I’d wager that a fair few recall the 31-0 shutout that the Calzada-led Aggie squad pitched in early 2021, but things have only gotten worse in Albuquerque since that game. In 2022, New Mexico was bottom 20 in the country in the following statistics:

• Points/Game
• Average YPC
• Average YPA (dead last!)

That’s some bad offense!

The defense, however, does not accord with this. Of course, they’re bad all things considered, but not quite as horrible as the offense. For example, the Lobos only gave up an average of 26 points per game last year, including a (relatively) mere 38 points on the road versus LSU. As Jimbo mentioned several times in his presser, and as some Aggie fans may remember from the 2021 matchup, New Mexico brings all sorts of exotic blitzes and pressure looks. Especially for an offensive line getting its legs underneath it after a poor campaign last year, this could pose a challenge. The Lobos averaged just over 2 sacks per game last year—again, not exactly eye-popping, but not terrible for a lower-tier G5 squad.

I know many Texas A&M football fans want to see a dominating offensive performance out of Weigman and company, but it would really be a triumph to cover this 38 point spread. The Lobos only gave up more than 40 points once in the past two years, so while the Aggies should win handily, this team isn’t exactly a turnstile on defense.

That’s about it for what jumps out numbers-wise when examining this team. Tomorrow we’ll begin previewing individual matchups as we continue to ramp up to gameday.