This is the time of year for miracles, and sometimes they even occur in sports.
The miraculous has happened in Las Cruces, New Mexico where the Aggies have shocked the college football world and are preparing for a rare bowl game.
Leading the developing story of good cheer is former University of Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill. He has been orchestrating and often resurrecting college football programs since 1994 but his first season in the arid lands of Las Cruces is a doozy.
For decades the Aggies have been one of the most unsuccessful and forgettable programs in the nation. Fodder for bad jokes and nearly a guaranteed homecoming win for opponents. Just a year ago Kill arrived in town to take over a team that had finished 2-10. Few people, even the coach, expected the Aggies to win much in 2022 either.
In the Aggies’ first four games they were outscored 147-32. Included was a 38-0 beat down by the Gophers where the Aggies managed just six first downs and were out gained 300 to 60 yards.
Things got better with a first victory in late September and the Aggies won three of their last four games, outscoring the opposition 165-31. They finished with a 6-6 record and will take on Bowling Green December 26 in Detroit’s Quick Lane Bowl. Playing an independent schedule, the Aggies lost one-sided games to Minnesota and two other power five teams but had wins over Hawaii, New Mexico, UMass, Lamar, Liberty and Valparaiso.
In a phone interview with Sports Headliners, Kill acknowledged his team was “pretty well beat up with the first four games.” Known for his achievements at five other head jobs, he said the coaching job in 2022 rates high among his successes. “Being able to be where we’re at right now is pretty much close to a miracle,” he said.
How did Kill, his staff and the players surprise everyone including themselves? Well, first they successfully mixed many new players with returnees. During adversity the staff “didn’t get down on the kids.” The coaches stayed consistent with encouragement and instruction, and the Aggies played hard, kept giving effort.
“Yeah, I just did the same things,” Kill said regarding the consistent approach. “When we lost, we just said, hey, this is what we gotta get better at. We didn’t dwell on it. We just moved forward. …We just kept getting better.”
A bowl trip to Detroit is looked on with disdain by many college football fans, but to the Aggies it’s a just reward for all their faith, time and efforts. “They deserve a bowl game, and what they’ve done is incredible,” Kill said. “The exciting thing for me is I coached about two-and-a-half hours from there (Saginaw Valley State). I was 32 years old. That was my first head coaching job. College job.”
After his time at Saginaw, Kill would have three more head college coaching jobs before he took over the Gophers in December of 2010. He turned around a Gopher football program that was in dire shape by every standard. He became one of the state’s most respected and popular coaches ever.
By the time he resigned as coach almost five years later he had led the Gophers to a January 1 bowl game for the first time since 1962. His 2013 team broke a losing streak against Nebraska that went back to 1960. Minnesota defeated Michigan in 2014 for only the second time this century and that year beat Iowa 51-14. He was named the 2014 Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Pressure, fatigue, and most of all his long battle with epilepsy forced Kill to resign during the 2015 season. In retrospect, could he have shuffled off a lot of his duties to staff for weeks, months or longer, and continued as the Minnesota coach?
“I’ve never really regretted anything I’ve done in my life, and I did what’s best for the University of Minnesota and me at the time,” Kill answered. “Did I miss Minnesota? I’ve never gotten over it. I never will.
“Would I have handled it differently? If I’d sat out for a year, or whatever, I think I’d hurt the program and I wasn’t going to do that.”
How is his battle with epilepsy? “Yeah, things are going good,” he said. “You just take one day at a time with all that, but I’ve been good.”
Incidents over the last several years? “Since I left in 2015, I’ve had a few but nothing like they were in the past,” Kill said.
After leaving the Gophers, Kill had a series of college athletics administration and assistant football coaching assignments. It’s crystal clear that despite his health history, which includes cancer, Kill is hard wired to love football and work with young men.
About 13 months ago Kill was named interim head coach at TCU after Gary Patterson was fired. Kill had been working for Patterson, directing the offense. He isn’t caught off guard that the Horned Frogs are now one of four teams headed to the College Football Playoffs and competing for the national championship.
“Oh, I am not surprised at all. Offensively, we were dynamic when I was there. They had them all (the players) back. The quarterback was great when I was there. He’s still great (and) better. That offensive unit has been together for a long time. A lot of seniors, a lot of great kids. Great players, probably seven NFL guys on the offense. …”
At 61 years old Kill is rebuilding a program that has only been to four previous bowl games: 1936, 1959, 1960 and 2017. Don’t bet against Kill taking the Aggies to four or more himself. Things are looking up in Las Cruces where the coaching and playing is trending straight up, and the finances will improve after joining a conference next year.
“We’ll get better,” Kill said. “We’re not even close. We’re far from where we need to be. And we’re a lot farther along than I thought we’d be. So, I was hoping we’d win one or two games. …We’re going into Conference USA and that’s going to be a huge boost for us, you know, even financially. So, I think we’ve got a lot of good things ahead.”