Bennett considering lifting Massey's redshirt

[PonyPride]

At his Monday media lunch, Coach Bennett said he's seriously considering removing the redshirt from freshman RB Richuel Massey. He doesn't want to keep feeding the ball to Kincade 30-plus times a game, and said there are several factors that have held back Johnnie Fitzgerald, which might result in a position switch (perhaps to fullback or even to defense).

He said that Masseey and transfer RB Foy Munlin are doing a fantastic job with the scout team, and that part of the reason for the defense's success against Baylor is a direct result of the performances turned in by Massey and Munlin with the scout team. He mentioned that when running Baylor plays in practice last week, Massey took two of Baylor's basic running plays and turned them into long touchdowns.

He obviously doesn't have the experience Kincade has, but Massey is stronger and faster, and Bennett said he and Kincade could make a potent 1-2 punch. Bennett said he hasn't yet made the decision to lift Massey's redshirt, but that if he does, it could come as early as this week.

[MrMustang1965]

He needs to lift Ryan Wolcott's redshirt, too.

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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!

[JasonB]

That is really intersting to me.

Fitz looked good in the spring - I wonder what is holding him back? Does he have problems with fumbling? That would be my uneducated guess on why you would switch him out.

At the final fall scrimmage, I was struck by two things with Massey. First was the quickness that I thought he showed a little of, which is very important for a back.

However, that said, the plays he was in he seemed to be trying to make the big play every time, rather than get the solid yardage. One nice thing about KK is that you don't see him trying to run around to make a play happen and lose 5 or 6 yards. It is a freshman mistake I would be concerned about with Massey in the game.

We desperately need someone who can make a play though, so maybe it is worth a shot.

[Ikus]

Wolcott? You want to bury McMurtray again after one miss, like last year? Relax - he'll be fine. Every kicker misses once in a while.

I don't know what is holding back Fitzgerald -- Coach Bennett always sounds like he loves the kid. But Massey should get a chance. Maybe we'll learn that he's not yet ready to take the job over, which is OK - he's a freshman. But He's unbelievably strong, and if he has better speed than Kincade, that strength and speed could be a dangerous combination.

Give him a shot. Can't hurt.

[Lefty]

So this would mean that Massey and the Munlin kid would be the backs next year? Sounds like a strong pair. Munlin has some experience from Tech - get Massey's feet wet now, and then turn them both loose next year.

[Stallion]

Munlin is an excellent receiver out of the backfield too-he could be used as a FB as could Massey.

[Under the Lights]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by MrMustang1965:
<B>He needs to lift Ryan Wolcott's redshirt, too.

</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree with you. Had Wolcott been kicking Saturday night, I can assure all of you that we would have tied the game with the 38 yard field goal in the 4th quarter. Additionally, Wolcott can handle the punting duties as well. With Mentzel's thumb broken, it might be a good time to give Wolcott a shot on both kicking duties.

[Lefty]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Under the Lights:
<B> I agree with you. Had Wolcott been kicking Saturday night, I can assure all of you that we would have tied the game with the 38 yard field goal in the 4th quarter.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, it would have been his first college game, with the game on the line .... no field goal over 25 is a gimme (although it should be). It's not fair to McMurtray to assume Wolcott would have drilled it. McMurtray has nailed much longer FGs in practice before, so to assume Wolcott would have hit it is taking a big leap of faith. I'm not saying he wouldn't have made it, but let's not shoot McMurtray over one miss, huh? Considering what we (and McMurtray, from the bench) watched last season, I'll stick with him.

[The PonyGrad]

I like the thought of Massey playing now. KK is still doing his 3 yards in a cloud of dust though poor passing production is not helping ( dropped passes don't help.) Adding Massey would give more options on those second or third and long situations.

[Under the Lights]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Lefty:
<B> Well, it would have been his first college game, with the game on the line .... no field goal over 25 is a gimme (although it should be). It's not fair to McMurtray to assume Wolcott would have drilled it. McMurtray has nailed much longer FGs in practice before, so to assume Wolcott would have hit it is taking a big leap of faith. I'm not saying he wouldn't have made it, but let's not shoot McMurtray over one miss, huh? Considering what we (and McMurtray, from the bench) watched last season, I'll stick with him.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Lefty - McMurtray has had 2 years to show he's the guy. He was the starter last year and then lost his spot during the year only to regain it for the last 2 games. Some players are able to handle the pressure of the game and some aren't. Wolcott has kicked in some very high pressure situations and he has not missed. Let's throw some red jerseys into the creek and get on the field of play.
We need all the help we can get - NOW!

[Lefty]

Two years? He missed one kick last year and got shelved in favor of Stephenson, who made McMurtray look like Morten Andersen. Kickers are like relieve pitchers and hockey goalies - their game is 90 percent mental. Let him play, and save Wolcott. If nothing else, it would be unfair to Wolcott to have him lose his redshirt year and then split time, which is probably what would happen.

[Under the Lights]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Lefty:
<B>Two years? He missed one kick last year and got shelved in favor of Stephenson, who made McMurtray look like Morten Andersen. Kickers are like relieve pitchers and hockey goalies - their game is 90 percent mental. Let him play, and save Wolcott. If nothing else, it would be unfair to Wolcott to have him lose his redshirt year and then split time, which is probably what would happen.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Then let's be unfair to Wolcott. We need him.

[Under the Lights]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Peruna:
<B>How are Massey's hands as a receiver? Kincade looked good in the games I saw last year - real good. I don't know how much a new back will open things up. If we don't put together some hint of a passing game to make the defense honest, KK (or Massey) will be running into an OSU team picture Saturday - they'll all be at the line of scrimmage.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

One of the main reasons that we have no passing game, except for minor horizontal routes, is that our receivers get zero separation from the defensive backs in the vertical passing game. Case in point was the long bomb thrown by Bartel in Saturday's game. Beautiful protection, beautiful spiral, but no separation (by way of speed, height, deceptiveness, etc) from the defensive back. Result - another SMU incompletion.

[Corso]

Why wouldn't it be a good idea, while we're in the "development" stage of the passing game, to stick Kincade AND Massey in the game at the same time? I bet Massey can lay some folks out with his blocking, and he'd be a crazy change of pace for a defense to deal with. Then you also could move Kincade all over the place (slot, out wide, etc.) and take advantage of his receiving skills and try to cause mismatches for defenses and headaches for defensive coordinators.

[Stallion]

that's what I have thought would happen all along.