KEY FOOTBALL DEPARTURES HEADLINE AZTECS AS THEY HEAD INTO BOWL SEASON AGAINST NORTH TEXAS STATE
BASKETBALL OFF TO A SLOW START IN A COMPETITIVE CONFERENCE ENVIRONMENT
Nothing is ever guaranteed in life. That is true especially in the world of college football. It has long been the game where coaches will leave a program for greener pastures. Recently, players have been able to do the same with the transfer portal. As of this time, no major names have given their intent to depart. The coaches are a different
story. The architect of the Aztecs’ dominating defense, Rob Aurich, has left the program to take the same position with the Nebraska Cornhuskers out of the Big 10 Conference. This will result in a substantial pay increase for Aurich as he steps into the big time conversations. Demetrius Sumler, Aztecs cornerback coach for the past eight seasons will take over as the interim defensive coordinator for their upcoming game against North Texas State in the New Mexico Bowl.
Aztec linebacker Owen Chambliss expressed his disappointment in Aurich’s departure, but added, “We have amazing confidence in Coach Sumler. I was more excited to hear the news that Coach Sumler was going to be the coordinator than Coach Aurich was leaving.”
Sumler added, “I’m just excited. It’s something I’ve worked a long time for. I’m appreciative of Coach Lewis and Rob, and even the past coordinators I learned from, and just trying to make the most of the opportunity.” His focus turns from the eight or nine position players to a much expanded role of nearly 50 players. Edge Rusher
Trey White chimed in, “It did come as as hock. I love Coach Aurich. He was my edge coach here when I first transitioned to the position and made me into the man and player I am today. I can’t thank him enough. Coach Sumler has been here all four years that I’ve been here. I love that he’s going to be the DC. He’s going to bring that energy and passion and the standard isn’t going to drop under his watch.”
Sumler is eager for the opportunity to make a positive showing on what he can do. He is preparing the Aztecs to be successful against No. 23 North Texas who has an outstanding offense.
AZTEC ALL CONFERENCE PLAYERS
The Aztecs were well represented in conference honors.
Defensive Back Chris Johnson was named the co-defensive player of the year along with Jaxton Eck from New Mexico. His stat sheet is impressive: 36 solo tackles, four interceptions with two being returned for scores and is the fifth highest graded defensive player in FBS and the tops at his position. Expect him to be taken in the NFL draft. Others on defense include first team picks:
DL: Trey White
LB: Owen Chambliss
Punt Returner: Jordan Napier
On offense:
RB: Lucky Sutton
OL: Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli
Second Team honors included:
WR: Jordan Napier
OL: Christian Jones
P: Hunter Green
Honorable Mentions:
TE: Seth Adams
OG: Bayo Kannike
LB: Tano Letuli
CB: Bryce Phillips
S: Dalasean Staley
The New Mexico Bowl takes place on December 27 as the Aztecs face off against the North Texas Mean Green. They will be playing under interim coach Drew Svoboda, replacing Eric Morris who left to take over the head coaching job at Oklahoma State. North Texas is led by quarterback Drew Mestemaker. The Freshman out of Austin, threw for over 4,000 yards and 31 touchdowns. The ground game is led by thousand yard rusher Caleb Hawkins, another freshman out of Oklahoma. They also have a thousand yard receiver in sophomore Wyatt Young from Katy. North Texas starts out as a 3 point favorite with an over/under of 55.5 points. The Mean Green are a 66% chance outright winner. The Aztecs will counter with Lucky Sutton who is separated from Hawkins by one yard.
One has to wonder how much of Coach Aurich will be on display in this final game. Of bigger note is who, if any, will follow Aurich to Nebraska.
Aztec Basketball Notes
The Aztec basketball team has not been as dominant as one might expect during the preseason. They are currently 5-3 after their most recent 89-71 win against Lamar. They also have wins over Long Beach State, Idaho State, Oregon and Utah Valley. Their losses were a double overtime loss at home to Troy followed by losses to Michigan and Baylor. Returning All-Conference player Miles Byrd had a breakout game against Lamar with 19 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. He is finally getting himself into the playing mindset needed. Guard BJ Davis has been leading the team with 12.6 points, with fellow guard Reese Dixon-Waters right behind him with 12.3 points. Coach Bryan Dutcher will be challenged to get playing time for his 11-person rotation. The Mountain West Conference has turned some heads during the pre-season games. New Mexico, Boise State, UNLV, Colorado State and Nevada all have good wins. Utah State is 8-1 and Wyoming is 8-2 after recently dropping a four-point game to Texas Tech. New to the conference this year is Grand Canyon who has one of the most exciting venues in all of college basketball. The Aztecs are rated the third-best in the conference. “Everybody in the league that plays well gives us more quality win opportunities,” Dutcher said. “The better the league is, the better our opportunities will be to grow our resume during the conference season.”
The Aztecs next face off with an early conference game on 12/17 against Air Force, the prohibitive doormat in the conference this season. They next travel to Phoenix for a tournament game against number one Arizona. Then it’s home against Whittier before ending the year in conference play again in San Jose on the 30th. One thing is sure. There is more depth in this conference. The chances of winning the conference season will be challenging, but with the talent and depth the Aztecs possess, they should be well prepared entering the conference tournament time with an expected NCAA berth on the line.
