Not to worry, the Aggies are still talking about running what's left on the table.

"We've got six games left and if we win out, we'll be 8-4 and still make a bowl game," says wide receiver Chris Williams.

It's been 46 years since the Aggies (2-4, 0-2 WAC) went to a bowl game, but they think all that can start to change with a win over Hawaii (4-2, 2-1 WAC) Saturday in Las Cruces.

"A win would steamroll everything for the rest of the season," said defensive back Derrick Richardson. "We think we're as good as anybody we've played."

All that optimism seemed to gain momentum from, of all things, another loss. New Mexico State, a 26-point underdog going in, threw a scare on national TV into No. 18 Boise State on Sunday before losing 40-28.

Boise State had a 21-0 lead after scoring on its first three possessions but the Aggies got within 27-21 in the second half. Two of the Broncos' scores were set up by an interception and an NMSU fumble.

"Boise has been the class of the WAC for some time," said Williams. "We gave them 21 points and still cut the lead to six. We're right there and we're very, very close to winning some of these games."

Said wide receiver Derek Dubois: "We hung around with them. That should definitely give us a boost in our morale. Everyone should ... see that we can play with some of the better teams in the nation."

Over the past 40 years the Aggies have had trouble beating much less talented teams than Boise. They've had only four winning seasons since 1967 and are still looking for their first win in the Western Athletic Conference since joining the league in 2005. They're also trying to snap a 17-game losing streak against Division 1-A opponents.

"The bottom line is this is a building program and we still have recruiting to do. We still have some holes to fill," Mumme said.

Mumme said the Boise State game gave the Aggies great exposure and some of the recruits the Aggies are pursuing were elated the New Mexico State put up a better showing than the oddsmakers expected.

"Our coaches were getting e-mails and text (messages) after the game from recruits," he said. "We got a chance to show a national audience what we're about. In terms of national exposure it was really good for us. It would have been a lot better if we'd gotten the upset."

The Aggies might have gotten closer with a better kicking game. Kicker Matt Pratt missed a 38-yard field goal try and had another one blocked because of a low trajectory. Pratt is 2-for-7 on field goals and Mumme has put the word out on campus that anyone can apply for the job — females included.

"If they're eligible, we'll take a look," he said.

There's no such problem with the Aggies' passing game, led by sophomore quarterback Chase Holbrook.

Holbrook leads the nation in total offense (409.7 ypg) and last week nearly broke the single-game school record with 526 yards against Boise State. That was just 20 yards shy of the school record. Holbrook at one point completed 16 straight passes and his 49 completions were a school and WAC record. He's thrown for 2,579 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Hawaii won't have trouble counterpunching. Warriors quarterback Colt Brennan is second to Holbrook in the national total offense leaderboard with an average of 395.7 yards a game and has thrown for 2,271 yards and 28 touchdowns.

With that kind of matchup, the points should pile up and fans may need to leave a wakeup call for Sunday morning.