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Observations from practice (3/4/23)

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Observations from practice (3/4/23)

Postby PonyPride » Sun Mar 05, 2023 1:52 am

Saturday's practice was a lot like many spring practices, meaning not a lot of hitting, which is worth remembering when evaluating what is seen (actually, there was a competitive team session at the end ... but that is not a daily thing — more on that in a bit).

• Remember the days of playing teams like Texas Tech, when Mike Leach put together an offensive line made up of blockers so big it looked like a row of Coke machines, or maybe Stonehenge? I promise you that sometime next season, someone is going to look at OTs Marcus Bryant (6-8 / 315) and Hiran White (6-7 / 330) and ask "where did SMU get those guys? Get up close to them, and they make their listed heights and weights look conservative. For more perspective, in one series, they were joined by LG Cameron Ervin, C Branson Hickman and RG Ben Sparks. That interior trio is not exactly small ... until they stand between Bryant and White.

• As advertised, transfer RBs LJ Johnson and Jaylan Knighton are very different players, but there is some overlap. Knighton is a burner who at some point will break a long run and leave a secondary wondering where he went ... but he has some sturdiness to him and good balance, which he showed when absorbing hits and either bursting through or bouncing plays to the outside. Johnson, on the other hand, looks bigger than his listed 210 pounds (especially in his legs), and busted through some tackles, including when plowing into high traffic.

• Also showing good power in the run game: RB Brandon Epton.

• Several former players were at practice, including TE Ben Redding, WR Tyler Page, OL Danielson Ike and TE Tommy McIntyre.

QB Preston Stone looked sharp, and showed no signs of discomfort. True, his injury against Tulsa was to his non-throwing shoulder, and that was four months ago, but the throwing motion puts some strain across the body. He had good accuracy on most of his passes, and delivered many with outstanding velocity. During passing drills in which the receivers ran routes in coverage, Stone repeatedly connected on beautifully-thrown back-shoulder passes, placed where his receiver could catch it or nobody could.

• Catch of the day was made by WR Keaton Cheves, who hit the brakes to lose a defender and then dove back toward the line of scrimmage to snatch a pass just above the top of the grass ... until WR Jaxson Lavender went up between two defenders on a deep (+/- 35 yards) pass, making the reception when he pinned the ball to his hip with one hand. (Also, by the always-accurate eye test, Lavender is taller than his listed 5-10).

• On signing day, head coach Rhett Lashlee talked about WRs Romello Branson and Key'Shawn Smith, and both impressed Saturday. Smith, whose deep speed had drawn rave reviews from Lashlee, showed off his wheels Saturday, consistently getting behind the secondary to make plays downfield.

• Defensive linemen wearing single-digit numbers on their jerseys tend to stand out. At times Saturday, the Mustangs had three at the same time: DE Elijah Roberts (5), NT Jordan Miller (6) and DE Nelson Paul (9). Miller was particularly notable: he's listed at 315, and he certainly can clog the middle of the line, but don't let his listed weight mislead you: Miller looks exceptionally strong, moved several blockers out of the way to make plays and moves well for someone on the north side of 300 pounds.

Defensive coordinator Scott Symons said during the 2022 season that tackling is most likely to improve during the spring, and the pads did pop during the team (11-on-11) session. The defensive front was particularly physical when the three above were joined by DeVere Levelston; plenty of running lanes were plugged up.
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Re: Observations from practice (3/4/23)

Postby AusTxPony » Sun Mar 05, 2023 10:49 am

Thanks for the report. Nice diversion from re-alignment saga.
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Re: Observations from practice (3/4/23)

Postby PNW_Stang » Sun Mar 05, 2023 9:25 pm

Thanks so much! Been hoping for these.
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Re: Observations from practice (3/4/23)

Postby BUS » Mon Mar 06, 2023 10:55 am

This is a way better read than who's going to what conference. How about SMU just NIL's it up and we win again.
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Re: Observations from practice (3/4/23)

Postby HorsePower » Mon Mar 06, 2023 11:18 am

Glad to see Epton mentioned. He is in a crowded RB group, but I think he has talent. Hope he gets a shot.
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Re: Observations from practice (3/4/23)

Postby Charleston Pony » Mon Mar 06, 2023 11:35 am

HorsePower wrote:Glad to see Epton mentioned. He is in a crowded RB group, but I think he has talent. Hope he gets a shot.


Me, too. Local kid who could be on our roster for 5-6 years if he's eligible for a Covid bonus year. He'll certainly be mature and if not a starter, he could be an injury or two away from being a significant contributor...not to mention having an opportunity to earn multiple degrees in that time frame.
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