Foy Munlin

[Pony4Life]

What an unbelievable story on the home page about Munlin -- great job! That anecdote at the beginning is unbelievable.

And if any of you haven't yet read the Munlin story on the home page, do so!

Terrific job, fellas - keep it up!

[SMUguy]

That is a cool story - I can't believe the story about weight lifting with blood all over himself. That is one tough player.

[ponydawg]

what a bad [deleted].
You know he would love to stick to tech.....I can't wait!

[bubba pony]

real big guy. did I understand this correctly that his playing time was reduced because TT had even bigger guys?

[gostangs]

I just can not wait to see this guy play.

[EP Pony Fan]

real big guy. did I understand this correctly that his playing time was reduced because TT had even bigger guys?

Interesting - I didn't read it that way. I read it as if Tech just has more guys, some of whom leapfrogged Foy on the depth chart. I don't know of many schools who have a bigger running back. This guy looked like a monster when I was in town for the Red/Blue game.

[DallasDiehard]

Perfect - here's a Dallas guy, returning home from a Big 12 school and he looks like he could have a big year, if things go right .... and the Morning News hasn't written a thing about him. Typical. Glad to have PonyFans.com around to actually cover our school. Great story.

[The Falcon]

Met this young man on the campus a couple of weeks ago. He is very
personable and polite. Seems to be articulate and communicative. He is also very big and muscular, so I can see how he might run over people - that is if they can catch him first.

He told me that the reason he left Tech was that they throw the ball all the time and he is a runner who likes to run the ball several times a game. He was very excited and anxious for the season to start. He is looking forward to playing for our new offensive coordinator.

I believe this young man will do great things this year, and he just might help the others to rise to the occasion. We have needed an injection of strength and speed in our team, and I believe Bennett is turning the corner with his new recruits and transfers.

[Higher Authority]

I couldn't agree with you more. Coach Bennett IS turning the corner with our program, and Munlin is going to be a monster this year. He might even challenge Timmy Chang for WAC offensive Player of the Year - I think he'll make that much of an impression.

Great story. The story about the bloody workout was a little gross, but as long as it wasn't my teeth that got rearranged, it gets me fired up about how tough this guy is. Can't wait for the season!

[WreckEm16]

Our running backs last yar (Henderson and Mack) touched the ball more than most of the receivers.

The fact of the matter is, Foy's days at Tech were over when we got Taurean Hendrson. The kid is phenomenal, and leapt over Foy in the depth chart.

Munlin's saying that he left because he wasn't gettig enough touches was true, but it's not because the RBs don't touch the ball... it's just tough to touch the ball when you're sitting the bench.

But yes, he is a great guy and a solid running back. Very, very tough. Should do well for the Ponies.

[Lotus]

Thanks for the encouragement, Wreck'Em.

That's true, the RBs do get a lot of touches in the Tech offense, but didn't Henderson have 80 or 90 receptions? My understanding is that Munlin can catch the ball pretty well, but maybe he prefers an offense where he'll get the ball through standard means (handoffs, pitches, etc.)

And you're right, Henderson is a sensational talent. Hope he and your Red Raiders have a great year - starting in week 2!

[Jim Rome]

Out here they refer to guys like that as "having juevos."

[WreckEm16]

Lotus - your analysis is dead on.

At Tech we have what we call a Red Raider Handoff. The RB is actually several yards away from the QB when he's "handed" the ball; it's more of a short pass / long shovel than a handoff in the traditional sense of the word. As a result, these handoffs go down as receptions, even though the RB hasn't run a route (or even really moved for that matter). Thus, Henderson had 90+ "receptions" last year, although he was rarely across the line of scrimmage when he was "passed" the ball.

Munlin never seemed comfortable with this set up. He's a guy who's built to be a power running back, and sees himself as such. This is a problem in Lubbock, where our offense has no resemblance whatsoever to a power game. For crying out loud, our OL lines up with a yard to a yard and a half of seperation between them - not the kind of thing a power running back wants to see.

I'm glad to hear he's doing well at SMU, and no doubt he'll have a chip on his shoulder when he lines up against the Red and Black. Should bode well for the Ponies, as our defense has not proven to me that they can stop a donut rolling from one endzone to the next.

Good luck and Guns Up.

[Pony4Life]

.... For crying out loud, our OL lines up with a yard to a yard and a half of seperation between them - not the kind of thing a power running back wants to see.

OK, I'm glad you brought that up. I remember watching Tech play last year and wondering how the hell B.J. Symons lived through the season (on one knee, apparently). Looks to me -- admittedly not a player or coach -- like DEs and LBs with any quickness/burst could shoot through those gaps and eat the QB alive. How does that scheme work?

....I'm glad to hear he's doing well at SMU, and no doubt he'll have a chip on his shoulder when he lines up against the Red and Black. Should bode well for the Ponies, as our defense has not proven to me that they can stop a donut rolling from one endzone to the next....

OK, now THAT's funny! Best of luck, Wreck (except for the opener, of course).

[WreckEm16]

Pony - the line splits can be confusing, no doubt. Like all other aspects of our offense, they rely on mismatches and angles.

When faced with an OL as spread out as ours is, the DL has two general choices.

1.) They can keep their usual formation and line up close to the QB. This prevents runs up the middle, and can be especially inviting for a DC who wants to blitz the QB. The main problem here is that you leave free blockers on the wings - and this area of the field happens to be where 90% of our passes go. So in addition to the one-on-one situation our system is designed to create, you've also got one or two free blockers to help the receivers out. And with so many receivers, it's VERY difficult to get to the QB before at least one of them gets open.

2.) The DL can line up relative to the OL. This keeps all blockers accounted for and prevents Leach's favorite play, the "Jailbreak Screen." However, the extra distance between the DL and the QB gives our signal caller 4 or 5 extra seconds to read the field. These few extra seconds can be the difference between a 5 yard pass and a 30 yard pass.

As radical as the splits seem, they work extraordinarily well for our offense. I don't have any statistics with me, but I would be stunned if there were more than 2 or 3 other teams in the Big XII with fewer sacks than we had. There wasn't a single team last year that succeeded in repeatedly hurrying BJ. I admit that it seems counterintuitive, but you can't argue with results.

My advice for SMU's defense would be to mix up coverages on every play and blitz with a different LB every time. Don't let our QB get into a groove - the minute he feels comfortable, all hell breaks loose. Colorado has always played our offense well, and their tactic was very similar to this. They lined up in what could be called a "spread defense" - seven or so guys on the line of scrimmage, spread up and down the field. On each snap, different guys would rush and different guys would drop back. The QB never knew who was going to do what, and wasn't given any clues by the D's initial formation (since it never changed).

So anyway, yeah. Sorry this is so long, you folks have a good night.