The Chase is on for New Mexico State

Maybe Chase Holbrook understands the expectations put on him, and maybe he doesn't.

Holbrook, a 6-foot-5 sophomore quarterback who transferred from Southeastern Louisiana when Hal Mumme left there to become head coach at New Mexico State, has the chore of leading the Aggies back to football respectability.

It won't be easy. The Aggies were 0-12 a year ago, and Mumme constantly shuffled his quarterbacks in and out of the lineup trying to find the magic. Holbrook, under NCAA rules, had to redshirt a year ago.

At first glance, Holbrook appears unfazed by the task he's undertaking.

"I enjoyed playing for him (Mumme) at Southeastern," Holbrook said at last week's Media Day in Boise. "I have a good idea of what he wants. I know what to expect from him. As long as we're scoring points, he's happy.

"It's hard to go 0-12. Everybody wants to win. Nobody goes out there wanting to lose. The effort was there."

Mumme, who coached Tim Couch at Kentucky, has the type of quarterback he needs in his system.

"We were very fortunate to sign Chase when we were at Southeastern," Mumme said. "There were a lot of Division I schools like Missouri, Tulsa and TCU interested in him. He was an option quarterback in high school. He wanted to learn to be a dropback passer.

"Coaches were looking at his size, and I think if it didn't work out at quarterback they would move him to another position. I always told him that if for some reason we left (Southeastern) he could transfer. That's how that deal worked. All he lacks is a lot of game experience."

Indeed. Holbrook played behind a Division I-AA All-American quarterback at Southeastern, and played in 10 games, mostly in mop-up roles. He completed 7 of 9 passes for 75 yards.

"He played sparingly," Mumme said. "As the season went on, you could see him getting better and better. You could see he was going to be a great player.

"Chase isn't going to do this all by himself. We have to put good players around him, and hopefully they will get better each time they play."

And, with talented receivers like Tim Tolbert, transfer Aikeem Jolla and A.J. Harris to throw to, Holbrook's job will be easier.

Holbrook served as an unofficial coach during practice. He worked with the scout team, and helped teammates get acquainted with the new offense.

"Sometimes players learn better from teammates," Mumme said. "He did a good job on the scout team."

Holbrook played well during the spring, showing virtually no rust from not having any real game action since 2004. Only time will tell whether Holbrook can lead the Aggies out of the cellar and into the upper echelon of WAC teams.

The Holbrook File

Year in school: Sophomore

Position: Quarterback

Height: 6-5

Weight: 235

Of note: Was an option quarterback in high school