Thursday practice notes

[PonyPride]

• Players who missed previous practices — including WR Keenan Holman — sat out again. Joining them on the sideline was RB-turned-LB Travis Carlile, who watched practice while standing on crutches, the result of a mid-foot sprain suffered when a teammate fell on his foot during special teams drills.

•Slot WR Larry Centers, Jr., who has missed all of the Mustangs' spring workouts after breaking his thumb, got the pins removed from his thumb earlier this week. He continues to wear a light protective brace on his (right) hand, and will not take part in Saturday's final practice.

• Visiting practice Thursday: former SMU linebacker Chase Kennemer.

• Also in attendance were three incoming freshmen from Louisiana: WR Nyle Johnson, CB J.R. Richardson and CB Daren Kitchen. The three are in town while their schools are on spring break.

• The Ponies have spent more time on special teams over the last couple of days. When special teams coach Frank Gansz, Jr., put the team through its daily punt return (and coverage) drill, the top returner was RB/LB Darryl Fields, who took his first return straight up the middle, untouched ... and later muffed a punt, had the presence of mind to find the ball while four players charged toward him, scooped it up and shot straight up the middle of the field again.

• One of the more interesting returns was turned in by WR Jeremy Johnson, who charged up the right side of the field and cut back toward the middle, where a couple of quick fakes a would-be tackler down. But at that point, Johnson stumbled a little, so he smoothly rolled into a somersault. When he popped up to his feet, Johnson slowed down, apparently unaware that the play wasn't ruled over. Walk-on Dl Gareth Riley-Ayers reached in and snatched the ball out of Johnson's hands and rumbled about 30 yards to the end zone.

• LB Ja'Gared Davis fielded a couple of punts Thursday. If that sight wasn't unusual enough, the next one was: Davis took off toward the right sideline, where he handed the ball on a reverse to ... OL Bryce Tennison, who looped around and got stopped in his own end zone. Tennison acknowledged after practice that the play might need to be removed from the playbook (in case it was in there in the first place).

• For the second consecutive day, the offense worked extensively on red zone plays, and for the second consecutive days, CB Chris Parks broke up several passes. Parks appears to be pretty adept at playing back a little and then using his speed and long arms to dive in front of would-be receivers to knock passes to the ground.

• CB Chris Castro did the same thing Thursday, laying back before jumping a route on a pass intended for WR Steve Nelson for the interception in the back of the end zone.

[ponyboy]

Also in attendance were three incoming freshmen from Louisiana: WR Nyle Johnson, CB J.R. Richardson and CB Daren Kitchen. The three are in town while their schools are on spring break.

Three non-Texan Jeff Reinebold recruits.

[Casey]

I know the coaches have said Chris Parks is still a little raw, but it sounds like he's coming along nicely.
Really looking forward to seeing what Acker and Parks and Robinson can do in two-a-days.

[westexSMU]

I would have liked to have seen Tennison on that reverse punt return. Doesn't he run about a 5.4 40 ? He might have looked in slow motion looping around sideline to sideline on the reverse. Hopefully we will not try that at aTm.