PonyFans.com spring practice report (March 6, 2014)

[PonyPride]

The Mustangs completed their third spring workout Thursday morning, moving inside Ford Stadium for the first time. Some notes:

• It is not uncommon for players dealing with various ailments to sit out of drills during the spring while working their way back to full health, and this spring is no different, with players like LB Stephon Sanders (ankle), S Hayden Greenbauer (knee), WR Deion Sanders (shoulder), etc., enjoying a front-row seat to watch their teammates go through workouts while they recover from their injuries.

Another of the walking wounded is defensive coordinator Tom Mason, who is attending practice but not nearly as active and vocal as he usually is. During the last week before football's Signing Day at the beginning of February, Mason began to "feel a twinge" in his right shoulder, but shrugged it off. As it got worse, however, and tingling radiated down his arm, he got checked out, learning that two vertebrae in his neck were compressing a disc, enough so that he was told that if he didn't have surgery to alleviate the problem, the results of which potentially could include nerve degeneration and partial paralysis. Mason had the surgery (the same kind made famous by Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning) two weeks ago, and now wears a collar that braces his neck in place. He now sleeps on a slanted pillow, moves around the practice field in a cart, and gets rides to and from work while he is restricted from driving.

In addition to coordinating the defense, Mason always has worked closely in practice with the linebackers. He still observes and offers his thoughts, but is relying much more heavily this spring on LBs coach Eric Daniels. "He's doing a great job," Mason said. "I'm not ready to give up the keys to the (defensive) car yet, but he's a really good football coach."

• Mason acknowledged that the high ankle sprain that has LB Stephon Sanders on crutches and in a protective boot about two months after the injury is concerning, but he fully expects Sanders to spend the spring and summer slowly working his way back to top form. If the injury drags out too long, however, Mason said he could redshirt Sanders.

• Mason said he isn't really sure what he has in Jerry Saena, the freshman who played offensive tackle last year and now is trying to make the transition to defense, where he would play nose tackle. "He and Spencer Hollie — those are some big-time football players," Mason said. "They sure look the part, anyway. Now we'll see how well they can play."

• Mason acknowledged that one element the team lost after the 2013 season is the vocal leadership of LB Randall Joyner, who led the Mustangs last season in tackles (with 98), forced fumbles (3) and motivational pep talks in practice and on the sideline during games. While acknowledging that pep talks don’t catch touchdowns or make tackles, Mason said that the role of a vocal, inspirational leader is important. Joyner filled the role even before he became a full-time starter, and got help in 2013 from teammates, including QB Garrett Gilbert, leaving a void in the noise level at practice and on the sidelines. Mason said the role could be filled by a number of players, including LB Stephon Sanders, S Hayden Greenbauer, S Shakiel Randolph or DEs Zach Wood and Beau Barnes. “You have to have players who take ownership of the team,” Mason said. “We need that this year, and we have several juniors and seniors who have the personality to fill that role.”

• Before the end of last season, head coach June Jones said that RB Prescott Line was starting to look more like his brother, former SMU and current Minnesota Vikings RB Zach Line. When spring workouts started this week, Jones reiterated that the younger Line was starting to resemble his older brother more and more. Prescott Line said the comparisons are understandable, and nothing new. “I’m used to it,” he said. “I’ve been hearing that forever. We have the same name, we always played the same positions, we kind of look alike.”

The comparisons are understandable, Prescott Line said, but the two players are not clones.

“Zach likes to juke more than I do,” Prescott said. “He’s more of a ‘tap, tap, tap’ and then go. I like to take one step and go. He can make you miss a little better; I like to put my head down (and run through defenders).”

Line said he has enjoyed his initial meetings with new SMU RBs coach Steve Broussard, and is encouraged that he and the other Mustang runners will learn a lot from their new coach.

“I like him a lot,” Line said. “He’s obviously really experienced, he knows so much about the game. He has been through it all as a player, [/b]and he has been a good coach at other schools. We’ll learn a lot from him.”

There has been some speculation that because the Mustangs will replace 2013 starting QB Garrett Gilbert and two starting WRs in Jeremy Johnson and Keenan Holman, the Mustangs will rely more heavily on the run in 2014. Line admitted that he and the other RBs would like to see more of an emphasis on the running game, but insisted that dismissing the Mustangs’ passing game would be a mistake.

“We have a lot of good receivers, and I really like (QB) Neal (Burcham) — I have full trust in him,” Line said. “He gave us a good spark against UCF, he’s athletic enough to run, and he is a smart guy with a really good run. Besides, he had a great role model in Garrett Gilbert.”

• Most people insist the best way to learn a new job is by jumping in and doing it. But Colin Lagasse is learning a new position while standing on the outside, looking in.

Lagasse has spent his first two seasons on the Hilltop as a running back/receiver, but through the first three days of spring workouts, he has been across the field, watching the defensive backs go through drills and soaking up the teaching of secondary coach Derrick Odum.

“I actually was recruited by SMU as a safety, but then I moved to offense,” said Lagasse, a multi-position star at Lake Travis High School in Austin who played in the secondary, quarterback, running back and receiver for his high school team. “So it’s not entirely new.”

Lagasse’s learning curve, however, has hit a snag, however, as he is sitting out of workouts because of a contusion and calcium buildup in his left thigh, a condition that requires rest in order to heal. Lagasse said he hopes to be back on the field before the end of spring workouts.

• WR Arrius Holleman looks like a new man. After surgery to repair the scaphoid bone in his wrist after his true freshman season two years ago, Holleman admitted he “didn’t have the right mindset” and got out of shape, ballooning up to about 227 pounds. Two years later, thanks in part to a more strict diet, the 6-3 Holleman is down to about 210 pounds, and hopes to lose a few more. (“I don't want to go below 200,” he said, "but my six-pack is coming back.") Holleman is among those competing to replace graduting WR Keenan Holman at the “Z” receiver position.

• Freshman C William Barns is having a lot more fun this semester than he did in the fall. Three practices into his college career, Barns is thrilled to be working out with his new team after spending the fall semester at home as a greyshirt.

“I’m so excited, just to be here, to be going to practice every day,” Barns said. “I haven’t padded up in a while.”

The anchor of the Highland Park High School offensive line in 2012, Barns spent his semester away from school making the short trip to SMU to watch practice, and working out.

“It was beneficial,” said Barns, who said his last football-free fall was when he was in the third grade. “When I got here last summer, I probably weighed about 250 pounds, and my strength in high school wasn’t good enough, so I wanted to get bigger and stronger … but I wanted to gain good weight. I’m about 275 or 280 now, but it’s better weight than I had last year.”

Because of his summer that he spent working out with the Mustangs, Barns forged relationships with his future teammates, allowing him to seek their advice on occasion.

“I could ask questions, but they were busy — they had games to get ready for,” Barns said. “I watched practice and games when I could, and I tried to take mental reps, but being here now, I have probably learned more in the last three days than I did by watching all last season.”

[dirtysouthpony]

Thanks for the report. I'm very optimistic about the defense next year. We stayed within shouting distance of our conference champion last year with our back up qb. We have a very strong group of d linemen coming back. Zach, Darian, and Beau have to be candidates for pre season honors. Getting Greenbauer back will help too.

A strong running game will actually help our defense. It looks like JJ is trying to go back to the offense that he ran here in Atlanta. Broussard was part of a really hard nosed rushing attack with the Falcons. Looking forward to see what he will do with our rb's.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

I agree.

[ojaipony]

I'm very optimistic about the defense next year.

There should be nothing about this team you should be optimistic about next year. 3-4 wins at most. And it pisses me off.

[dirtysouthpony]

I'm very optimistic about the defense next year.

There should be nothing about this team you should be optimistic about next year. 3-4 wins at most. And it pisses me off.

Ball control usually makes for good defense. Teams that run the ball well usually have good defenses because the are not on the field as long (Stanford, Alabama, Auburn,Cincinnati,UCF etc.) Our defense will only be helped if we can run the ball on 3rd and short and convert field goals into touchdowns. It sounds like we will be running the ball more next year. I'm thinking we will win 6 next year.

[ClickClack]

Auburn's Defense was good last year? News to me.

Oh and ball control is def the reason Alabama and Stanford's defense are great, nothing to do with all the stud athletes they recruit and great defensive minds on the sideline.

Ball control can mask weakness in a defense, it certianly doesn't make a great defense.

[ponyscott]

Very good report...thanks for all the details and time on this.

[dirtysouthpony]

Auburn's Defense was good last year? News to me.

Oh and ball control is def the reason Alabama and Stanford's defense are great, nothing to do with all the stud athletes they recruit and great defensive minds on the sideline.

Ball control can mask weakness in a defense, it certianly doesn't make a great defense.

Maybe I used the wrong terminology. You are right in that it masks weaknesses in a defense. It helps a defense. That being said, a strong running game and a decent defense will beat the best qb's 9 times out of 10. Ask Peyton Manning.

But UCF, they really have a dynamic offense right? They scored 17 points against us and beat the brakes off of Baylor. UCF has a lot more 5 stars than Baylor right? Briles is a better coach than O'Leary right?

[mrydel]

I think we need to quit comparing our UCF game and the Baylor UCF game. Our game was bitter cold and UCF had already clinched a BCS Bowl. Most of their team had never even seen snow. There was no crowd home or away. No energy on or off the field. The bowl game was just the opposite.

I am an eternal optimist for our football team although I try to also be realistic. I am not saying I do not think we could field a decent team even with the flaws I can see. But basing the competitive level of our team on the performance against UCF and their game with Baylor is comparing apples and poop.

[ClickClack]

mrydel beat me to it, how you could compare our game vs UCF and the BCS bowl game is beyond me. They had nothing to play for when they played us and were on the road in the snow in a stadium that no exageration had less than 1,000 people in it.

UCF averaged over 34 points a game. Pretty good offense with Bortles, Storm Johnson, Hall, Perriman and Warton....not sure why you asked that question though

[Stallion]

yeah the 2014 SMU running game under June Jones with these RBs and OLine is gonna be great. Write that down. Can't wait to see the Pony Express III