Rock Dennis missed all of the 2007 season with a shoulder injury, but he has regained his starting role this spring (photo by Webmaster).

When the players fell, Dennis' left arm was extended. Martin landed on the top of his shoulder, driving the joint to the first-down marker on the ground. Forty percent of the socket around his shoulder joint broke off.

"I thought it was separated," Dennis said. "I knew I was hurt, but I thought I could pop it back in and play. Then X-rays showed the missing piece, and that was it."

The injury was not the first for Dennis. At Leavenworth (Kan.) High School, where he earned all-state honors at multiple positions, Dennis missed his last game with a separation of the same left shoulder. Even then, Dennis said, it took some effort by the coaches to keep him off the field. This time around, Dennis - who had transferred from Garden City (Kan.) Community College and immediately assumed a starting role in the SMU secondary - was forced to sit and watch for a full season. As the Mustangs skidded through a 1-11 season, Dennis was little more than a spectator with a seat close enough to badger his teammates all year.

"He never stopped talking all year," cornerback Bryan McCann said. "He talked a little trash to try to keep us loose, he encouraged us, he told us what he was seeing from the sideline when we were out on the field. He wasn't trying to tell us how to do our jobs - he was just staying involved. We knew it was killing him to not be out there with us."

Dennis agreed with McCann's assessment.

"That was the worst part of the whole (injury) - having to watch," Dennis said. "Knowing I could go out there and make a difference, help us win. That was really frustrating."

To rehabilitate the injury, Dennis headed to the place where he was a bona fide star at Garden City CC - the weight room.

"It was two months before I could even lift my hand over my head," he said. "I lost a little weight when I couldn't lift, and then I got back up to about 190. Now I'm back at 185. I tried to rush it a little, I guess. It got sore, but that's just typical rehab. I never hurt it, really - I've got a really high tolerance for pain."

Dennis said his strength is "back," although instead of matching his 360-pound maximum bench press that he did when he first arrived at SMU, his best post-surgical effort has been a set of 10 repetitions at 225 pounds. The regained bulk has rebuilt not only his physique, but also his confidence.

"My first hit this spring was actually on DeMyron again," Dennis said, "and I didn't think about my shoulder, not once. I didn't hit him with one arm, or turn to hit him with my other shoulder. Nothing - I didn't even think about it."

Once again entrenched in the starting lineup this spring - Dennis is running with the first-team defense at strong safety, with Tyler Jones at free safety - Dennis said new defensive coordinator Tom Mason's unit, and specifically new secondary coach Derrick Odom's defensive backfield, will be vastly improved over the unit that struggled last year, even though much of the personnel remains.

Rock Dennis said that since his return to the field this spring, he has not thought of his shoulder injury when making tackles (photo by Webmaster).

"Coach Mason goes off personnel and runs his defense to fit the abilities of the players he has," Dennis said. "(In the secondary), we've got some great athletes. He's going to call packages that play to our strengths, and one of the strengths in our secondary is straight speed. Plus, a lot of us have played offense before, so we've got a lot of guys back there with good ball skills.

"We know we're going to improve this year - we have no choice but to improve. We're already minimizing mistakes and playing as a unit, rather than a bunch of individuals trying to learn this new system. It's like every other defense - for us to have success in the secondary, we have to get a good pass rush from the front seven, and for them to have success up front, we need to make plays behind them. It all goes hand-in-hand."

The pieces for a vastly improved defense are in place, Dennis said, and he is eager for the season to start.

"I'm the first one in my family to go to college, so I'm even appreciative of getting to take part in two-a-days," he said. "You have to enjoy, to count the days you get to play this game, because they easily can be taken away."

Dennis said he feels no pain in his shoulder, and McCann said his teammate doesn't practice like a guy coming back from a major injury.

"He hasn't played a down, and he's already a leader for us," McCann said. "He naturally leads us, with his work ethic, and then you watch the way he practices, with his speed - we can't wait to get him out there. I have to say, he looks solid as a ... rock."

Dennis said he doesn't fear re-injuring his shoulder.

"I really don't worry about that," he said. "I worry about playing football, and that's it. When I walked through the tunnel before the Texas Tech game last year, it felt so great ... but then I had to watch the game, instead of playing in it. I want to play. I want to show the people who said I was too small.

"Kansas State recruited me (out of high school), but a lot of schools said I was too small to play Div. I football. I'd really like to prove them wrong. I'd like to show them that just because you don't come from a big town doesn't mean you can't play college football. I'm ready to play, and I'm ready to silence the doubters."