Five months after suffering a gruesome injury to his lower leg and foot, Tommy Poynter is back to running with the first-team offensive line (photo by Webmaster).

"It was Oct. 20, against Tulane. I was blocking a guy on a play when a defensive end got thrown into the back of my legs. My knee braces really saved me."

"Saved" is a relative term; at least there was no damage to Poynter's knees. As it is, when the Tulane player fell across the back of his legs, the braces didn't save everything. The collision snapped his left fibula - the non-weight bearing bone in his lower leg - and tore ligaments in his left foot. During the ensuing surgery, doctors inserted seven screws in his lower leg and drilled a pair of holes through the bone in his ankle, through which metal cords were run to help hold the ankle together. The hardware remains in his ankle.

The 6-4, 277-pound Poynter's season was done, of course. He was relegated to crutches until after Christmas, and then wore a walking boot until mid-January. Unable to run or lift weights with his legs, Poynter's fitness regimen consisted of upper-body lifting and abdominal work.

Poynter was cleared to resume running in early February, and began to increase his cardio workouts, starting on an elyptical machine before graduating to a Stairmaster and then a treadmill. "When they cleared me," he said, "I started hitting it hard. They say when you get hurt, you have to get your mental strength back, as well as your physical strength."

Now Poynter is back on the field with his teammates, albeit at a new position, or at least new since his arrival at SMU - he played tackle at MacArthur High School in Irving. Gone are longtime linemates Kenard Burley, Caleb Peveto and his cousin Ben, leaving Tommy as the elder statesman on the Mustangs offensive line. But watch him at practice, and he's literally running and bouncing around between drills, like a kid let outside for recess, or maybe a recent parolee.

Now the grizzled veteran of the Mustangs' offensive line, Tommy Poynter is returning to the position he played in high school: offensive tackle (photo by Travis Johnston).

Part of that energy, he says, is drawn from new offensive line coach Dennis McKnight.

"He's awesome - I really like him a lot," Poynter said. "He's always energetic, he's always positive. He's a little intimidating, I guess, but that's because he played in the NFL for about 12 years. He knows what he's doing."

Poynter said he welcomes the move from guard to tackle, his old high school position, but said the notion that he will be blocking smaller players isn't necessarily accurate.

"At guard, you mostly have to deal with defensive tackles who are about 300 pounds," Poynter said, "but at offensive tackle, you get to deal with some defensive ends who are just about as big - and they're faster. At tackle, I'm usually going to get the defense's best athletes, and I prefer that. I want to play against their best guys."

Poynter said that playing for McKnight will involve a complete overhaul of technique, so switching from guard to tackle will be just one of several adjustments.

"In this (blocking) scheme, everything is totally different," Poynter said. "Everyone is in a two-point stance, not a three-point stance (with a hand down before the snap). Being in a two-point stance, you're sort of telling everyone to expect us to throw - doesn't mean we will, but just to expect it.

"The only running we'll do will be power running. It will be a change of pace, but we can come out in a passing formation and then pull out a running play - let's us catch the defense on its heels."

Poynter admits it's odd to be recognized as the old man of the offensive line. He said he is impressed with the slew of young linemen on the team, especially guard Josh LeRibeus, who he said turns into a "rolling ball of butcher knives" once he gets going upfield. He said the youth of the Mustangs' line will be covered in part by the fact that the team will roll at least two complete sets of linemen in and out of the lineup, in an effort to keep fresh players on the field.

For the first time since his arrival at SMU, Tommy Poynter won't be working on the offensive line with his cousin, Ben (photo by Webmaster).

"Coach McKnight wants linemen who can move, and it doesn't do any good if you have guys out there who can't catch their breath," Poynter said. "He wants to play two solid lines, and we finally have enough talented guys to do that."

Unlike some coaches, Poynter said that McKnight doesn't want lean linemen at the expense of bulk; he wants his pupils to be huge, not fat.

"He wants us big," Poynter said. "He wants us to be a force on the field - not just because we're lean and can run fast. He wants us in the weight room, and eating more. I think as a group we're eating better - cutting out the fast food, eating more chicken and pasta.

"He doesn't make any secrets about what he expects from us, but he also does everything he can to help us reach those goals. He builds us up, he's always positive."

For Poynter, who will graduate this spring and found out this week that he has been accepted into SMU's Master's of science and accounting program for the fall, sitting out part of his junior season has made him even more eager to get back on the field with his team.

"Those five games were the longest five weeks of my career," he said. "It was terrible, because of how much love I have for this sport, for this team. It drove me nuts, and I'm sure I drove some of the guys nuts.

"I couldn't stand watching, but I've put in the work. It doesn't hurt anymore - I'm ready to get started all over again."