Monday (7/18/11) voluntary workout notes

[PonyPride]

• The best non-catch of the day happened early in the Mustangs' seven-on-seven drills Monday, when QB Kyle Padron fired his best fastball through three defenders to WR Larry Centers, Jr., who made a nice twisting catch at the back of the end zone. Defenders immediately pointed to the ground, claiming that Centers' foot had landed out of bounds — oddly enough, Centers vigorously disagreed — and apparently won the argument, as the offense took a mulligan on the play.

• One play that is showing up more and more in the team's seven-on-seven drills is the short comeback route by WR Keenan Holman. With the ball at the 6-yard line, Holman drove CB Chris Castro to the back corner of the end zone before whipping around and racing back toward Padron, making the catch to finish off the drive that was prolonged by the Centers non-catch. Holman's speed forces DBs to respect his ability to generate space, and his height and arm length will make him a threat on high passes. When defenses honoring those two factors, his comeback route becomes extremely difficult to defend.

• Kevin Pope continues to look more and more comfortable at linebacker. On one play, QB J.J. McDermott took a snap at about the 10-yard line and spotted WR Der'Rikk Thompson breaking over the middle of the field from the left side of the field. But Pope read the play and came across from the opposite side of the field and knocked the ball away.

• Another young LB who seems to be improving by the day is Randall Joyner. McDermott eyed WR Darius Johnson over the middle and fired, but Joyner broke off his coverage of another player and charged toward Johnson, who pulled his arms in, causing the pass to fall incomplete. Since they weren't in pads, Joyner wasn't going to hit his teammate anyway, but for a guy who has played linebacker for less than a year (Joyner started out at safety when he arrived at SMU last fall before bumping up to linebacker), the quickness with which he read the play and reacted was very impressive.

• On the very next play, Joyner showed why defensive coordinator Tom Mason raves about Joyner's athleticism. A McDermott pass was intended for Thompson at the goal line, but Joyner — who, again, was covering another player — reacted to the throw, jumped from his position behind Thompson to the receiver's right side and then dove in front of him to knock the pass away.

• While the offensive regulars (and veteran subs) ran seven-on-seven drills on the north end of the field, a group made up mostly of freshmen did the same at the south end. QB Conner Preston still is in the process of learning the offense, of course, but he showed that if nothing else, the arm strength is there. At one point, Preston looked to his left and then looked off a couple of receivers before spotting RB K.C. Nlemchi, who had beaten a DB down the right sideline. Preston snapped a 50-yard strike ... that fell harmlessly through Nlemchi's hands. While he did a few self-imposed push-ups as punishment for the dropped pass, some of his teammates were nice enough to suggest Nlemchi should switch to linebacker.

• Remember when then-Green Bay QB Brett Favre and WR Antonio Freeman hooked up on this ridiculous catch a few years back on Monday Night Football? The Ponies created their own version of the play Monday when WR Cole Loftin shook his defender and found a huge gap over the middle of the field while chasing a deep pass from McDermott. Loftin dove for the ball, tipped it up and grabbed it while lying on the turf.

[SMU 86]

This is impressive about the freshman,

"Preston looked to his left and then looked off a couple of receivers "

[PoconoPony]

This is impressive about the freshman,

"Preston looked to his left and then looked off a couple of receivers "

This is correct. When the receivers are not attentive in the huddle he looks them off and throws to another receiver !!!!!!!

[SMU 86]

I guess PonyPride meant DB's. Heck, It was midnight when he wrote it so fatigue must have set in.

[AusTxPony]

Any comments on QB Kaiser? Haven't heard his name much in the reports. Fully recovered from his mono last year?

[davidpaul123]

•At one point, Preston looked to his left and then looked off a couple of receivers before spotting RB K.C. Nlemchi, who had beaten a DB down the right sideline. Preston snapped a 50-yard strike ... that fell harmlessly through Nlemchi's hands. While he did a few self-imposed push-ups as punishment for the dropped pass, some of his teammates were nice enough to suggest Nlemchi should switch to linebacker.

[PonyPride]

I guess PonyPride meant DB's. Heck, It was midnight when he wrote it so fatigue must have set in.

Not true ... or sort of true. He looked off (away from) a couple of WRs because they were covered. Two ways of saying the same thing, I guess.

(And midnight isn't late!)

[S....M....U]

cool stuff. thanks

[Hoss]

Nice job finding that link (or at least remembering the players involved). Pretty cool.

[SMU 86]

I guess PonyPride meant DB's. Heck, It was midnight when he wrote it so fatigue must have set in.

Not true ... or sort of true. He looked off (away from) a couple of WRs because they were covered. Two ways of saying the same thing, I guess.

(And midnight isn't late!)

I was actually kind of hoping he was moving the DB's with his eyes like Tom Brady. That just shows he does not lock on to his primary WR. I will have to start calling you Count PonyPride since you really come out at night.