COLUMBUS, Ohio � DeWayne Walker may never rival Patrick Henry or John Paul Jones when it comes to stirring rallying cries.

When his New Mexico State Aggies � who are 44-point underdogs � take the field on Saturday at No. 17 Ohio State, Walker hopes his players are inspired by his somewhat tepid words of encouragement.
�Both of us, players and coaches really have something to prove to say maybe we�re not as bad as maybe you guys think we are,� Walker said this week.
Don�t look for Walker�s words to be engraved on a monument in Las Cruces, N.M. The Aggies are coming to Ohio Stadium not so much to prove or test themselves as to add $850,000 to the athletic department�s budget.
Asked what improvement he�d like to see his Aggies (3-5) make before 105,000 partisan, boisterous fans in the Horseshoe, Walker said he�d like to see the defense grow and the offense � which is last in the nation among the 120 FBS teams � score some touchdowns.
Then he added, �It may not be the perfect team to really have these positive notions, but we�re still trying to build and we can�t worry that it�s Ohio State.�
For what it�s worth, the Buckeyes (6-2) aren�t that excited about playing the Aggies, either. They would rather be continuing their quest for a fifth consecutive Big Ten title instead of playing a who-cares game.
�I don�t like taking a break from the Big Ten season,� Ohio State tight end Jake Ballard said. �I can�t remember the last time we did that. I definitely would like to continue the Big Ten season week to week, but since that�s not the case this year, we just need to go out there and play a good game and continue to improve.�
New Mexico State is hoping to test its young and improving team against a ranked team in an unfriendly environment.
�I can�t talk to you about playing in that atmosphere because I�ve never played in anything like that before,� Aggies defensive tackle Chris Romero said. �It�s a great opportunity. I expect it to be crazy. There�s going to be tons of people screaming at the top of their lungs.�
Ohio State wants to win, not lose anyone to injury and to get ready for three major games looming on the horizon: at No. 12 Penn State, home with No. 7 Iowa, at archrival Michigan.
Just two weeks ago the Buckeyes overlooked Purdue � a two-touchdown underdog which had won just one of its first six games � and came away with a stunning 26-18 defeat.
Now they�re on high alert for an upset.
�Any given day can be your day when you lose and we definitely don�t want that,� Ohio State defensive end Thaddeus Gibson said. �So we�re going to approach this game as if it was the national championship game. Because every game counts and every game matters.�
Doug Worthington, one of Gibson�s linemates, disregarded the oddsmakers.
�If we win by 2 or we win by 40, that�s fine,� he said. �We just want to make sure we get the W.�
The balance certainly swings more toward a 40-point margin. New Mexico State has a winning record against only one school from a Bowl Championship Series conference � and that�s a 1-0 mark against Iowa State. Since the program began in 1894, the Aggies have played two Big Ten teams and lost 69-13 to Wisconsin in 1962 and 59-21 to Iowa in 1995.
Even though they score just 13.2 points a game, the Aggies have a running threat in Seth Smith, who averages 88 yards rushing per game � 30 more than anyone for the Buckeyes. But Ohio State�s defense is seventh in the nation in points allowed (13.1 per game) and 10th against the run (92 yards per game).
Ohio State�s offense has been stumbling most of the year, but quarterback Terrelle Pryor hopes to build on a three-touchdown day last week against Minnesota.
�Even though it�s out of conference we�ve got to treat it as a conference game,� Pryor said. �This game could mean anything � lower our confidence, give us higher confidence. We need to take care of this game and then move on.�
Coach Jim Tressel has stressed that the New Mexico State game is preparation for the Buckeyes� tough games that lie ahead.
�I think they want to become a good football team and the neat thing about it is we�ve got a 22- or 23-day period to find out if we can do that,� he said. �And we can use each day.�
Walker searched his brain for inspirational talk at the start of the week.
�I always try to have a teachable moment for every team meeting,� he said. �I think it�s something like David versus Goliath. I just think the main thing for us is to play hard for four quarters. You never know. We may catch them sleeping a little bit.�