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LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) -- New Mexico State quarterback Chase Holbrook and receiver Chris Williams have had a good season. The Aggies have not.
Holbrook has set single-season records for passing yards, pass attempts and total offense, and Williams is among the national leaders in receiving yards and catches.
But individual excellence and all the big numbers couldn't prevent the Aggies from another losing season.
"I think both of us would take back a lot of our numbers for wins," Holbrook said this week as the Aggies (2-8, 0-6 Western Athletic Conference) prepared to take on equally struggling Utah State (1-10, 0-6) in Logan, Utah, on Saturday.
New Mexico State is mired in a seven-game losing streak and has lost 21 straight games to Division I-A opponents.
"At the beginning of the year we thought the (individual) numbers would correlate into wins, but we've matured and realized that there are a lot of aspects to the game," Holbrook said.
At one point this fall, Holbrook was the nation's total offense leader.
He currently is averaging 381.8 yards passing a game and has thrown for a single-season school record 3,818 yards. He's completed nearly 69 percent of his passes and thrown a school-record 492 attempts.
Williams has caught 73 passes for 1,114 yards and is averaging just over 111 receiving yards a game. The 1,114 yards is a school record, surpassing a mark that stood for 33 years.
Utah State's only win so far this season was against Fresno State. It has been a long season for USU, which has given up 38 or more points eight times. And unlike New Mexico State, Utah State has not had an offense with which to counterpunch.
Utah State's offense is scoring a mere 10 points a game and averaging just 247.4 yards in total offense.
But the Aggies from Logan do have tradition on their side in the series with the Aggies from Las Cruces. Utah State holds a 25-5 edge and won 20 straight games from 1968 through 1998.
With New Mexico State headed to another losing record -- these Aggies have had only four winning seasons since 1967 -- second-year coach Hal Mumme wants his players to enjoy the remaining two games.
"I just hope they'll go out there and have some fun Saturday," Mumme said. "We'll just prepare for it and not worry about all the little stuff."
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-11-22-06 1305MST
