Re-loading the weapons Stronger and more accurate, Padron leads offense into 2010 Posted on 09/02/2010 by PonyFans.com To suggest that the SMU offense was better in 2009 than it was in 2008 would be an understatement. The Ponies’ scoring average rose by more than a touchdown, to 29.2 points per game. They generated 255 first downs — 50 more than they did the previous season. Their average total yardage per game rose by more than 77 yards per game, to 391.8. Sophomore Kyle Padron returns for his first full season as the Ponies' starting quarterback after leading SMU to its first bowl appearance in 25 years (photo by Webmaster). There are indications that the 2010 could be just as potent, but there are questions that must be answered after the departure of several key players. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, the Mustangs’ career record holder in just about every receiving statistical category who also caught 98 passes for 1,339 yards and seven touchdowns last season, is now a Pittsburgh Steeler. Running back Shawnbrey McNeal, who scored 14 touchdowns (12 rushing, two receiving) and whose 1,188 rushing yards were the most ever by a June Jones-coached running back, is in camp with the San Diego Chargers. Also gone from the starting lineup are wide receiver Terrance Wilkerson, guard Josh LeRibeus and center Mitch Enright. The 2008 Mustangs were just getting their feet wet in Jones’s Run-and-Shoot offense. The improvement showed early last year, and increased when then-freshman Kyle Padron took over as the starting quarterback. The Mustangs’ scoring average only rose by about a point — from 26.4 to 27.3 points per game — after Padron took over, but he injected a spark into the offense, which scored at least 26 points in every game in which he started, cracked the 30-point plateau in four of his six starts and capped off the season with 45 points in his record-setting performance in the Hawaii Bowl. Padron appears poised to pick up where he left off last season. He is substantially stronger than he was a year ago, having added about 20 pounds since this time last year, and he has a stronger grasp of the offense. He was one of the team’s leaders in the offseason conditioning program, and has had an excellent preseason camp, showing significantly improved arm strength and accuracy. Padron will be backed up by junior J.J. McDermott, a strong-armed transfer from New Mexico State who sat out last season per NCAA transfer rules. Both Padron and McDermott have drawn raves from Jones, assistant head coach-offense/quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison and numerous teammates. The Ponies threw the ball on 55.5 percent of their offensive plays last season, but because of the talent and experience the Ponies have at quarterback, that percentage could go up a little in 2010. Senior running back Chris Butler has added 12 pounds of muscle since the 2009 season (photo by Travis Johnston). Padron’s top returning target is senior Aldrick Robinson, the senior speedster who was second on the team with 47 receptions for 800 yards and five touchdowns (including a 96-yarder ; his 17.0 yards-per-catch average was the best on the team, despite the fact that he battled nagging ankle and hamstring injuries all year. The other top returning receiver is junior Cole Beasley, who caught 40 passes last season for 493 yards and three scores. Sophomore Darius Johnson caught 11 passes in a debut season that was interrupted by a broken collarbone and a two-game suspension. Junior Brad Haynes (6-3, 222 pounds) likely will assume a starting spot, and he and senior Patrick Fleming (6-4, 242) give the Ponies a size element they previously lacked. A stable of other receivers will compete for backup roles, including sophomore Ryan Walker, redshirt freshman Marcus Holyfield and several true freshmen. Among the newcomers, those who have drawn the most praise from teammates and coaches have been Keenan Holman — a big target who is raw, but has excellent size (6-2, 178) and speed and has shown the ability to get deep — and Jeremy Johnson, the former high school quarterback whose extraordinary athletic ability is allowing him to make a smooth transition to his new position. How much they play early remains to be seen, but it seems likely at least those two will get on the field at some point in 2010. Several running backs are competing to replace McNeal, and the truth is that the Mustangs will use several. Sophomore Zach Line heads to Lubbock listed as the starter, in large part because of his blocking ability, Jones said. But lost in the McNeal hype last year was the fact that Line was a productive short-yardage back who scored seven rushing touchdowns in his freshman season; the year before, the Mustangs managed just three as a team. Line will be joined by senior Chris Butler, who was well on his way to taking over as the starter in 2008 before injuring his knee. Butler has bulked up to 230 pounds, and does not appear to have lost any quickness. He is visibly stronger, and running backs coach Wes Suan said Butler — already a reliable blocker — is even more effective with the added bulk. Junior Blake McJunkin takes over at center after the graduation of Mitch Enright (photo by Travis Johnston). Also in the mix will be veterans Ryan Moczygemba and Bryce Lunday, as well as a pair of highly-touted freshmen, Kevin Pope and Darryl Fields. Each has been impressive in camp, and should contribute early, either on offense or special teams or both. Many who are following the Mustangs’ preseason camp are saying that the offense will go as far as Padron can take it, but as is the case with every offense, the first key is the performance of the offensive line. Moreso than in recent years, the Ponies will roll out a veteran group in 2010, with five juniors expected to start: preseason all-conference left tackle Kelvin Beachum, Jr., left guard Bryce Tennison (who is jumping over from right guard), center Blake McJunkin, right guard Kelly Turner and right tackle J.T. Brooks. The newest face in the bunch is Turner, who played in 13 games last and started three, and set a team record with 19 knockdown blocks in his first start last year, shattering Brooks’s previous record of 14. The starting five is solid, and led by Brooks and Beachum, who might be the best pair of tackles in the conference. But the strength of the group might be in how close-knit they are. Offensive linemen rely on communication and familiarity with other players as much as any position group on the field, and the Mustangs’ line is a very tight group that also happens to be bigger and stronger than in years past. The key might be in the backups, which include sophomores Bryan Collins and Jordan Free, redshirt freshman Josh Emshoff and true freshmen Christian Miller, Ben Hughes and 2010 signees Ben Gottschalk and Ashton Duhe.