There’s an air of uncertainty surrounding SMU’s game Saturday afternoon at Tulsa regarding who will take snaps for the Mustangs’ offense. After starter Bo Levi Mitchell injured his left (non-throwing) shoulder last week against Houston, head coach June Jones said that if Mitchell can’t play, the reins to the Ponies’ offense will be turned over to true freshman Kyle Padron.

Kyle Padron played just five games as a high school senior before his season was cut short by a hand injury (photo by David Mojica).

Mitchell had his shoulder evaluated during the week, and Jones said that the decision on who will start won’t be made until shortly before game time. Maybe Jones already knows who he plans to play, but to everyone else — including Tulsa coach Todd Graham and his staff — the question remains unanswered.

Padron is not a complete unknown. He got his first taste of college action last week against the Cougars, completing 11-of-16 passes (68.8 percent) for 141 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He also rushed seven times for 19 yards. So there is at least a little film of him available.

Padron is big (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) and stands tall in the pocket, throwing with a high release, and runs better than many realize. Teammates say he seems to have more poise than a freshman should.

“His biggest strength is improvising,” wide receiver Brad Haynes said. “Against Houston, he got under pressure, and he didn’t really look like a rookie out there, as far as the way he moved around in the pocket. He does a good job of moving around — his mobility is pretty good — and he’s got a pretty strong arm. He’s tall, so he can see over the line, his delivery is quick … he’s got a lot of qualities, so he can be really good.”

When he entered the Houston game, quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison said he was curious to see how Padron handled the pressure of the situation. Morrison said he talked to several offensive players who were in the huddle, and was pleased with their assessment that the freshman passer seemed so calm and under control from the minute he stepped on the field.

None of the players or coaches know Padron as well as Ryan Walker, the walk-on wide receiver who is Padron’s roommate at SMU, and his best friend and former teammate during their years playing together at Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas. Padron played in just five games as a senior in high school before being lost for the year because of a broken bone in his throwing hand, after getting “mop-up” duty in one playoff game in his junior season. Walker said that the Padron who took the field last week in Houston seemed more relaxed and ready for the task at hand than the 11th grader who took the field for the Dragons in the 2007 state playoffs.

“His junior year (of high school), I definitely could tell he was nervous, but last week, it just seemed like he was out there having a lot of fun,” Walker said. “He was ready for it to be his time. He’s been waiting, because when he first got here, the coaches told him he would be battling (for playing time), and he really wanted to go out there and play. So by the time he actually got out there, he told me he was just out there having fun — he wasn’t worried at all. I thought he’d be worried, because I remember how he was in high school, but he just went out there and did really well. It was fun to watch.”

All of the SMU quarterbacks are young: Mitchell is a sophomore and Braden Smith is a redshirt freshman, but after Mitchell got hurt, Padron entered the huddle as a true freshman, expected to lead his older teammates down the field. Padron said his faith in his teammates allowed him to take on the challenges of guiding the SMU offense.

Kyle Padron completed 11-of-16 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in his college debut against Houston (photo by SMU athletics).

“The leadership on this team is great, and the offensive linemen — I know they can protect me, and I have faith in them,” he said. “I know (running backs) Shawnbrey (McNeal) and Zach (Line) are going to pick up (defenders), too. If I get hit, I get hit, but I’ve been in this situation before, in high school. It’s football, and it’s fun.”

Walker said that Padron’s ability to lead is natural, that he has been doing it ever since the two started playing together.

“He’s not like a Tim Tebow (vocal) kind of guy,” Walker said. “You can just look in his eyes and just know there’s so much confidence. Just like in high school — it was just natural. Every single year since seventh grade, we’d do our summer workouts and Kyle would get a leadership award every year. I don’t know exactly what it is. He always expects the best out of everyone. He’ll always take the blame, even if it’s not his fault, and he picks someone up when they’re down. There’s just something about him — he’s a guy you want to play hard for. You want to give him your best because of what he gives.

“It’s got to be weird, a little, for the older guys. Like (wide receiver) Emmanuel (Sanders) is 22 years old, and he’s supposed to be led by a kid who just got out of high school, 18 years old. But I think people have a lot more respect for Kyle after what he did last week, and I think everyone can kind of see who he is and where he’s coming from, so I think it will be good for us.”

Padron surprised some with his athletic ability, especially when he took off downfield, prompting Morrison to wonder whether his freshman passer knew how to slide to avoid a hit. Padron said that growing up with two older brothers who also played college football parepared him to absorb some physical punishment, but he knew that with Mitchell out, he and Smith were the only eligible quarterbacks the Ponies had left, and he would be wise to hit the deck.

“I got bullied when I was younger — I’ve taken my beatings,” he said, “but I chose not to take a beating Saturday night.”

Walker said Padron’s ability to tuck the ball and take off, or to endure the hits that come with playing the position came as no surprise.

“He plays basketball, and if you ever see him play basketball, he’s really physical,” Walker said. “He plays down low, and he’ll throw some elbows — he’s a really physical guy. And in football (at Carroll), obviously … he’d run and he’d never slide. He’d run just like Braden does and try to truck guys all the way downfield. He did that in high school, but I think he understands now that he’s big, but now we’re (possibly) down to our backup quarterback, he can’t afford to take a really big hit. I mean, he can take it, but for the team, we don’t want him to. So now, at the college level, he’ll slide when he has to.”

His ability to run, however, adds an element to the offense that even surprised some of his teammates Saturday in Houston.

“I didn’t really know he could run that well, because he put some nice moves on some linebackers,” Haynes said. “He’s got some shake to him. When I was going out for a route with Kyle back there, instead of trying to find some open space, I’m going to look to peel back and hit someone, because Kyle can really run. (Wide receivers) Coach (Jeff) Reinebold does a good job of teaching us that as soon as we’re done with our route, as soon as we see someone catch the ball or a runner (running back or quarterback) coming with the ball, we peel back and block for him. We practice that every day in practice.”

How many quarterbacks play Saturday in Tulsa remains to be seen. Even before Mitchell got hurt last week, Morrison and Jones have told Smith and Padron to be ready to play. There were no assurances that either would get into the game, but depending on how the game evolved, each had to be ready. So SMU could play just one, or might roll in all three against the Golden Hurricane. Padron said that if he gets the call, the SMU coaching staff has him ready to succeed.

“They’re going very in-depth with me while trying to get me prepared,” he said. “I think Coach Jones kind of evaluated me in practice this week, seeing what throws I can make and what throws he’s not too comfortable with me making. I trust him — I know he’s a great coach who coached in the NFL, and at Hawaii he had great success, so I know he’s going to put me in the right position.”

Walker said his friend is ready to make his debut as a starter, whether it’s this week or further down the road. He said Padron has worked hard in practice, and seems intent on performing well when he gets his chance.

“I wouldn’t say he’s nervous,” Walker said. “I think he’s really just enjoying life right now. What more can he ask for? He might be the starting quarterback this week, and that’s what he’s always wanted. That’s what he came here aspiring to be. He’s really happy, really relaxed, and ready to go out and play. It’s exciting to see what he’ll do.”