Scrimmage

[BennettBacker]

For those of us who are out of town, can some PonyFans give their impressions from the scrimmage tonight?
Thanks.

[rich_alum]

I didn't stay that long, so I may not be the best source.

I thought we looked pretty sloppy for the most part.

Bright spots at receiver are Blake Warren and Devin Lowery.......lots of speed there.

Its gonna be another long season though.......2 to 3 wins.

[Stallion]

OK I've seen enough-I'm going out on a big limb and predict that if Devin Lowery stays healthy he will shatter the SMU freshman reception record-probably held by Jason Wolf I'm guessing. I think in this offense he could get as many as 50-60 receptions. He had at least 4-5 receptions several in heavy traffic plus a nice KO return to start the game. The highlight of the game was the FG kicking-McMurtry hit about 5 in a row in the drill where they move the ball back 5 yards after every kick. He finally missed at 52 yards. The backup didn't do bad either and hit a 50 yarder. Phillips didn't throw it much in a rather limited performance but was looked sharp and quick. He adds a whole new dimension to this team that the others simply don't. Eckert and Romo have a long way to go. Eckert had about 4 passes either blocked or tipped and had a horrible INT where he threw it up for grabs. Later in the scrimmage he did have a nice down field pass after scrambling for his life. He also threw a nice 30 yard fade in the endzone which was dropped or was it called back for a penalty. Neither Eckert or Romo were sharp at all. Because of the added dimension Phillips brings to the offense they ain't getting on the field without a much better performance in the passing game. The running game was mediocre at best although Munlin didn't play. Massey was unremarkable-Cedrick Dorsey appears to be a capable backup every time I'm watching-he brings a new dimension with speed and quickness- I wouldn't be surprised to see him win the backup job. DeMyron Martin had a nice 9 yard run but I don't remember any more carries. Rico Harris made some nice plays at LB. Wilton McCray is getting some work with the first time(maybe passing situations)-he recovered a fumble that he would have returned for a 60 yard TD for the secongd time this fall. I still haven't seen Bobby Chase catch a ball-I think eventually he will end up at H-Back where I think he could really be an asset in a few years. Blake Warren had a couple of nice Punt returns. He always impresses me at Punt returner but I'm still looking for more at WR. The Kicking defense was awful-porous. There were some problems blocking and snapping in the punting game although I'm not sure it was the first team. One kick was blocked an recovered in the endzone by Sturdivant-he may have blocked it as well-couldn't tell. I think we are thin at WR-we have a long way to go outside of Lowery. Rolando Humphrey had a nice Int on a deep ball where he kept nice positioning.

[Mustangs35SMU]

oo well atleast Longview won

[Nacho]

On offense it's going to be the Lowery/Munlin show. If they play 8 in the box and double Lowery I don't know what we can do.

We either have the best punt/ko returners in the world or the worst punt/ko defense. My suggestion: don't kick/punt in bounds.

Overall a very sloppy performance. Now the TT coaches can get some good sleep. I don't think we scared them tonight.

Maybe we were trying to play too consevatively, not trying to give anything away.

I agree that Mc Murtray was much improved.

I didn't walk away thinking that we will be much improved over last season. The 2nd team o-line was very porous. Anything over 3-8 would be almost miraculous.

I know this sounds awfully negative. I'm just trying to be realistic. If Phillips gets it going. the o-line gels (without any injuries), Warren and Rushbrook come through, the D can stop the run and pass and the coverage teams can stop returns we have a chance. In short this team has a long way to go. We need improvement in every area.

[Hoop Fan]

I was actually encouraged by what I saw of some of the offensive linemen. If you noticed, Keischnick and Johnson did not play. Thats two starters right there. I thought Urbanus and Guidry looked pretty tough and in shape.

I agree that tonight didnt scare anybody, but I see three offensive weapons we did not have this time last year in Phillips, Munlin and Lowery. Its a start. Phillips will be much improved as the season goes on. I hope Lowery stays healthy, hes pretty thin. Pellerin and Chase are big targets, we need Pellerin to be a big contributor.

Tonight didnt do anything to raise my outlook for this team much, but it sure didnt hurt it either. Size and talent is improving noticeabley, need to see some attitude on the field this year.

[DallasDiehard]

Pretty good reports.

Most important and positive note of the night: it didn't look like anyone got hurt.

I agree with everyone here -- Devin Lowery looked terrific. Not only did he make a lot of tough catches, including some in traffic, but he also broke tackles and made people miss in the open field after the catch. He's listed at 170 -- I think that's a generous listing. Cedric Vinson had that drop, but he's had a really good preseason, I gather. I disagree about the notion that Bobby Chase moving to H-back -- while he gets used to the routes he's running and everything that's expected of him, he still can contribute. He's huge for a WR, and looks like he's a very willing and capable downfield blocker. With little guys like Lowery and Warren and Cleveland getting the ball underneath, that's going to be invaluable. How many catches last year could have gone further -- maybe to the end zone -- with better downfield blocking?

The offensive line is young. I knew Johnson wasn't playing, and I can't believe I didn't notice Kieschnick wasn't in there. There were breakdowns on the line. But more than anything, they looked like an offensive line. They are BIG. Peveto, Boren, Poynter, Guidry, and especially Urbanus (he's just huge) looked very impressive. I promise that once those guys all get together in unison, there will be times when they simply shove a defensive line straight back when we need short yardage. For the first time in years, the line looks the part.

Cory Muse is fast. Really fast. He's clearly still kind of raw and needs to refine his technique, but man, the athletic ability there makes you drool. For my money, though, Justin Rogers was the DE who caught my eye. He looks significantly thicker/stronger than last year, and he's still quick. He also looks much more comfortable out there. I think we might have a real player there.

Rico Harris looked great at OLB. He didn't look like a guy who's been in the secondary and just moved up there -- he looked like he's always been an LB. And he didn't seem to favor his leg at all -- he looks fully recovered. We'll miss Reggie Carrington's speed in the middle, but overall, I liked the linebackers.

Frankly I didn't notice the safeties tonight. That could be bad, because they didn't make a lot of plays, or good, because they didn't get torched. What I did see was three CBs -- Akinyemi, Humphrey and Jones -- who look like they know what they're doing and can drop back and run with a guy or get up and press. Akinyemi, in particular, looks really physical. Jonathan Lindley and David Haynes didn't play as much as I would have liked, but based on what I've seen in practice, they're going to be good. Really good.

Saw Tate Wallis at the game. He looked good, and he looked happy. I wish him well in whatever he does.

[westexSMU]

How did Defensive Lineman Mouton look Saturday night ?

[Stallion]

I did notice Mouton once when the ball went outside-can't rember if it was a pitch, sweep or quick pass-but for a 305 pounder he was covering ground faster than any of our other young defensive linemen have showed me. He's got some mobility for a guy his size.

[KnuckleStang]

I've heard Bennett refer to Johnnie Fitzgerald as "the best athlete on the team" on more than one occasion, a guy we need to figure out how to get on the field. I think they were going to put him in the defensive backfield. Did this guy even make an appearance?

[PK]

Some stats from smumustangs.com;

http://www.smumustangs.com/news/news_re ... sp?id=3966

[PonyFan]

I've heard Bennett refer to Johnnie Fitzgerald as "the best athlete on the team" on more than one occasion, a guy we need to figure out how to get on the field. I think they were going to put him in the defensive backfield. Did this guy even make an appearance?

Yeah, he got out there, and he looked OK. Didn't make a ton of tackles that I noticed, but he also didn't get burned or blow any assignments (at least none that I could tell). He is a really good looking safety - pretty big and really fast. Faster than Nnabuife and Harper, and probably faster than some of the CBs. Dude can flat-out run.

Brandon Jones is going to be a great addition. He has more size than Humphhrey and Akinyemi, and he has really good speed and jumping ability. He seems to understand positional defense, getting to the right spot in time to compete for the ball at the point of reception (one of Coach Bennett's favorite catch phrases). I think with him, and with Lindley and Haynes, we're going to be in good shape at CB.

And today's DMN says Fred Turner is going back to CB. With the loss of McGee and Barnett, I guess that had to happen so we can play some nickel and dime packages, which we haven't done in the past two years because of a lack of athletes back there.

I really like Rico Harris at OLB. Maybe not quite as fast as Avery Cleveland and Wilton McCray -- who I predict will get on the field a lot this year -- but Harris doesn't look like a guy coming off a blown knee, and he hits like he's really trying to mangle a guy. He and D.D. Lee are going to ring a lot of bells this year.

[Stallion]

well if Turner is going back to CB that's a big disappointment to me because I simply don't see very much talent that can make plays at the receiver position except Lowery. You can always find guys to catch short passes in the spread but the idea is finding some kids that can make BIG PLAYS out of the spread. We could be in trouble at receiver-I'm not impressed by any of those guys. Maybe Henderson could be played at Inside Receiver but I think he was promised a shot at TB in recruiting.

[mrydel]

Nacho:

If our opponents play 8 in the box and double one of 4 split receivers, if I can not score on every play I shut down the whole program. Hopefully the athletic ability of Phillips, and the spread formations will prohibit stacking the middle. Now....execution is necessary, but it sounds as if the formula is there.

[PlanoStang]

oo well atleast Longview won

You mean we knocked them off down there? Maybe we should go back to the 4 team district