As the SMU Mustangs and Pittsburgh Panthers prepare to meet next week in the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., much of the attention surrounding the game has centered around the coaching shakeup at Pitt. Days after blasting three assistant coaches who left to rejoin their former boss, Rich Rodriguez, at Arizona, head coach Todd Graham and a handful of the remaining assistants bolted for Arizona State.

Interim offensive line coach Wes Suan (photo by SMU athletics).

But another change that went largely unnoticed could have a significant impact on the game, which will mark SMU’s third bowl appearance in as many years. After offensive line coach Adrian Klemm headed back to his hometown to coach at UCLA, head coach June Jones turned the offensive line coaching job over to Wes Suan. The Mustangs’ running backs coach since Jones was hired four years ago, Suan had spent two years coaching the offensive line at Hawaii before coming to SMU.

Suan isn’t going to change the Ponies’ blocking schemes in the 13th game of the season, but his teaching style has impressed his players.

“He focuses a lot on technique,” guard/tackle Bryan Collins said. “With the extended time we have before this game, we really have gone back more to the basics.

“Coach Klemm was more about us being physical. With him, it was not so much how we got there, but get there aggressive. With Coach Suan, we’re doing the same things, the same blocking schemes, but I guess you’d say we’re refining our technique.”

Tackle Ben Gottschalk, who was recruited to SMU by Klemm, admitted he initially was disappointed to see Klemm leave, but said he has improved significantly since Suan took over.

“I was worried when Coach Klemm (left), because I owe all of my success to him,” Gottschalk said. “So when Coach Suan started working with us, I think I was stubborn more than anything — maybe ignorant, maybe arrogant. It’s like I had it in my mind that Coach Suan didn’t know what he was talking about, because I thought Coach Klemm was such a good coach.

“But the fact is, there are other really good offensive line coaches out there, and Coach Suan obviously is one of them. He’s the complete opposite of Coach Klemm. Coach Klemm taught us to be really aggressive, maybe even a little wild, while Coach Suan has taught us about being more patient. As an offensive lineman, I have learned as much in the last two weeks as I did in the previous two years.”

Guard Bryan Collins said interim offensive line coach Wes Suan is focusing on cleaning up blocking techniques before SMU faces Pitt next week in the BBVA Compass Bowl (photo by Travis Johnston).

Collins said Suan’s teaching style asks the Mustang linemen to take a more analytical approach to preparation.

“About the only thing that is the same is the ladders we do,” Collins said, referring to drills in which the players run through a rope ladder that is stretched out on the turf. The drills are designed to improve players’ footwork, largely for stability and balance. “I like how we’re working with Coach Suan. He’s not trying to reinvent the wheel. But we have extended time between our last game and the bowl game, so we’re taking advantage of that.

“We’re focusing more on film now. With Coach Klemm, we focused more on what we did wrong. But with Coach Suan, because we have this extra time, he shows us a lot of what we’re doing right, too. With the seniors, you don’t always have to show what they’re doing right — they have been doing it for four years, and they know what they’re doing — but that positive reinforcement is important. I think it will help.”

Gottschalk said Suan’s more controlled approach could end up being helpful against the Pittsburgh defense next week.

“Coach Klemm always wanted us to be aggressive all the time,” Gottschalk said, “but Pitt is pretty aggressive, too — they really come at you. We’re still going to be aggressive — you don’t change what you’re doing this late in the season — but Coach Suan is teaching us to be patient, too. It’s almost like we’re waiting for the defensive end, and by doing that, we can read what he’s doing and use his momentum against him.”