CHANGES on the 2-deep

[PonyFan]

According to Saturday's Morning News:

• Bryan Turner is now listed as the starter at LG. Has he been playing that well? Caleb Peveto looks every bit of the listed 6-4, 285 he's listed at, but Turner sure doesn't look like he's his listed 6-1. That weight of 292 might be right, but he's shorter than 6-1. I do know he's supposed to be unbelievably strong, so I don't foresee a huge dropoff. My theory (and I have no basis for this .... just a hunch) is that this move allows Peveto and Boren to prepare as backups at any position on the line. They both have good size and strength, and we all know you need to rotate big guys in and out. Maybe they're the best at being flexible, jumping from one spot to another, thereby making them as valuable to the line as the starters.

• Lucky DeLay has been moved to second-team DT. First and foremost, this is a tribute to how hard Lucky has worked to come back from that Achilles injury he had last year. To come back and face the physical pressure he'll get on that tendon (at only 265 pounds, no less) tells me that kid has a huge heart, a lot of desire and he's tough. My question now is: if Adami and Desmond Jones are the starters, who's on the second team with Lucky? Brandon Bonds? Kendall Mouton? Randy Denman? As long as these guys can check their egos at the sideline, they all should contribute in my opinion, because they're like OLs - you have to keep fresh guys in there.

• Cory Muse is now backing up at both DE spots. I think the reports about his speed and athleticism are true, and it's only a matter of time before he's on the field almost all the time. I bet he's starting before the season's out.

• Interesting note: one of the backups at MLB will be true freshman walk-on Landon Dyer, who according to the roster is 5-11, 214 from Bangs, Texas (wherever that is). It didn't say he's jumped Zach Hall for the #2 spot behind D.D. Lee, but it sure is nice to have more depth. Hopefully, he can help hold down the fort until Reggie Carrington gets back next year. Beyond that, I don't know much about the guy. But for Coach Bennett to mention a walk-on by name like that, he must have shown something.

• True freshman Wilton McCray is now #2 at WLB. The folks I've talked to have said he's even better than they thought in high school. Put some meat on this kid, and we might have uncovered a jewel.

• True freshman WRs Cortley Blackmon and Tony Hawkins will play in some sets, just like the PonyFans.com Preview (great job, by the way) indicated.

• Sounds like Jamar Bey has been moved back from DE to OLB. Anyone know why?

• The paper also listed some potential redshirts: TE Vincent Chase, RB DeMyron Martin, CB David Haynes, and LB Cliff Booker.

A. - I had heard Chase and Martin might be redshirting, to get an extra year in the system from them while they grow and develop. But wasn't Haynes expected to be a major contributor on defense?

B. - Who's Cliff Booker? (He must be a nice surprise as a walk-on, like Dyer, for Coach Bennett to mention him.) Anyone know more about him? How big? Where's he from? ILB or OLB?

[Charleston Pony]

Was the full 2-deep posted in the DMN? I haven't seen anything yet on smumustangs.com and DMN online doesn't show this column yet.

Certainly doesn't surprise me to see Turner earning a start. He earned time as a true frosh last year and I did not think he would relinquish playing time easily. Assuming Guidry holds the other guard spot, it sounds like experience prevails, but I think we can safely assume all the RS frosh will see plenty of snaps (Peveto, Boren and Poynter seem to be the guys everyone is talking about).

I wonder about the RB position if Munlin can't go. I would assume the hope was that we'd run 60-70% of the time against Tech, but if we have to throw 60-70% of the offensive plays, just hope we don't see a repeat of last year. If that happens, I hope these guys are tougher mentally than most SMU fans, who would immediately think: "here we go again". Maybe in Munlin's absence, Richuel Massey would get a chance to show he's every bit the talent we all hoped when he signed with SMU?

The Berry comment doesn't surprise me, either. This is another guy who earned playing time as a true frosh and played inside as an undersized DT. If he can get healthy/stay healthy, could be another Adami in waiting?

[Hoofprint]

Was the full 2-deep posted in the DMN? I haven't seen anything yet on smumustangs.com and DMN online doesn't show this column yet.

I think it was in the "college notebook" section.

Certainly doesn't surprise me to see Turner earning a start. He earned time as a true frosh last year and I did not think he would relinquish playing time easily. Assuming Guidry holds the other guard spot, it sounds like experience prevails, but I think we can safely assume all the RS frosh will see plenty of snaps (Peveto, Boren and Poynter seem to be the guys everyone is talking about).

I thought that Turner played last year because they were trying to save the bigger freshman OLs (Peveto, Boren, etc.) for a year by letting them redshirt, so they could be bigger and stronger and better when they played. Turner played hard, and was more impressive than I thought last year.

I wonder about the RB position if Munlin can't go. I would assume the hope was that we'd run 60-70% of the time against Tech, but if we have to throw 60-70% of the offensive plays, just hope we don't see a repeat of last year. If that happens, I hope these guys are tougher mentally than most SMU fans, who would immediately think: "here we go again". Maybe in Munlin's absence, Richuel Massey would get a chance to show he's every bit the talent we all hoped when he signed with SMU?

I think Cedrick Dorsey is the primary backup. But if Munlin can't go, I'd expect Massey and Dorsey both will carry the ball. They're faster than Derron Brown, and rumor has it the coaches want to redshirt DeMyron Martin and Jessie Henderson.

The Berry comment doesn't surprise me, either. This is another guy who earned playing time as a true frosh and played inside as an undersized DT. If he can get healthy/stay healthy, could be another Adami in waiting?

Maybe I haven't had enough coffee, but I didn't see a Berry comment. What are you talking about?

[MrMustang1965]

Bangs, TX is west of Stephenville, on the fringes of west Texas. Lots of good players out there! The Bangs Dragons (class 2-A, District 3) have gone to the playoffs the past two years (2002 - Div.1 final game; 2003 - Div. II final game).

Bangs was blanked by Garrison in the championship game, 27-0.

According to Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine, two key losses from last year's team are: Jacoby Jones (Baylor) and Bobby Evers (Texas Tech).

Other teams in Bangs' district are the Jim Ned Indians, Ballinger Bearcats, Early Longhorns, San Saba Armadillos and Coleman Bluecats.

[PerunaPunch]

My guess with the OL (and that's all it is, a guess. I haven't talked to anyone) is that at least for the time being they're going with experience over stats (size, speed, strength). I don't think that Turner is the listed 6'1 either, but he's brutally strong and got plenty of experience last year. Since the OL is so young, maybe the thought of starting three "rookies" (Urbanus, Boren, Peveto haven't played in a college game yet) was too risky for Coach V. That's a potential for a lot of chaos in a unit that has to work together to be effective.

Being the "starter" is only semantics anyway. I'm sure we'll be seeing all those guys rotating in and out.

[Corso]

Of course we'll see all of them. It's not like we have a dozen OLs with experience, waiting out a numbers game. Those who can play, will play.

Didn't Urbanus play some last year? Admittedly, he sat a lot behind Sterling Harris, but I thought he had at least a little experience. Maybe I'm wrong .... (Not so fast, my friends!)

One person who doesn't get the credit he deserves, especially with the offensive line, is Chuck Faucette. Urbanus and Darrin Johnson were not what you call strong (for linemen) when they arrived. Now they're a hell of a lot stronger. Urbanus is close to cracking 400 in the bench. Boren and Turner already are there, I think. Peveto isn't far away. Kieschnick isn't far away. Coach Faucette has made these into some seriously strong dudes, and remember: Kieschnick's a junior, and the rest are sophomores and freshmen. When we have a big, strong, veteran OL leading the way to a bunch of wins, Coach Faucette will deserve a bunch of the credit. He's making them bigger and uglier.

[JasonB]

Who is backing up at Center now? Poynter?

Interesting, I wonder if the injuries at the guard position caused Bennett to move Turner over, and he spent the last two weeks beating Peveto out for the starting spot. I don't think we are worried about experience - everyone is young. Turner does not have a significant advantage there. I would guess that if Turner is starting he either flat out beat Peveto for the job, or maybe Peveto is nicked up?

[PerunaPunch]

No, that's the weird thing. The 2-deep has Turner backing up Kieschnick at center as well. So if #62 gets dinged up, Turner slides over to center and Peveto takes over at LG...

Peveto's health is fine, although I hear he's pretty steamed. From what Adami & Co. said in the PonyFans season preview, nobody worked harder than Peveto in the offseason.

Turner DID play a lot last year, so I'd contend that he has a lot more collegiate game experience. In fact he started quite a few games last year, which is why I proposed the experience theory. Otherwise, the move just doesn't add up. After Kieschnick it'd be a toss up between Johnson and Turner as who was the next most experienced OL. Last year the coaches talked about how good Bryan Turner's high school coaching was, and how pleased they were that we was ready to play immediately. He has good technique and can step in at any time at center or guard.

The coaches have said over and over again that they were going to put the best 11 on the field, and that they would freely juggle things around to accomplish that. What I can't figure is how that "best 11" doesn't include Caleb Peveto... Unless Coach V sees a hole in his technique or something else that we're not seeing.

[Otto]

.... Being the "starter" is only semantics anyway. I'm sure we'll be seeing all those guys rotating in and out.

My only response is to go back to this quote from your earlier statement. You can bet the ranch all will get a bunch of playing time. They need to quit worrying about who gets introduced in the starting lineup and concentrate on keeping Phillips alive and allowing Munlin to find room to run. If they do that, the rest will take care of itself.

[PerunaPunch]

You are correct, sir. I stand rebuked.

[SWC2010]

Hey PerunaPunch, where are you seeing the actual Depth Chart?

[Stallion]

So many people on this board seem to give so much credit to recruits(Chase and Peveto come immediately to mind) who haven't earned a thing-they haven't proven it on the field, they wern't highly recruited, they weren't highly thought of out of high school and they essentially went without other Division 1A opportunities. And yet everybody seems surprised if they aren't starting? They may very well be nice players but first let's let them earn it before they are enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

[SMUguy]

You're right - they haven't shown anything. But their size and strength is visible even to the layman like all of us. I don't know whether they should be starting, and neither does anyone else on this board. All I can say is I like big, strong linemen, and they are both of those. Like PerunaPunch said, starting will be relatively unimportant, because all of them will play a lot. In fact, I bet that before the year's out, Johnson, Turner, Kieschnick, Guidry, Urbanus, Peveto, Boren and maybe even Burley or Poynter will start at least one game. The simple fact is that the nature of playing offensive line means a player will endure a considerable pounding, and that depth is required there maybe more than at any other position. If Turner starts, fine - I hope he has a sensational year. But I wish the same for any player who starts. I don't much care who starts and who doesn't. What I do care about is that the players play hard and play well when they're on the field - and that they stay healthy.