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Part of the process
QB, position coach confident improved mechanics will lead to increased production


In the season-opening 31-23 victory over Stephen F. Austin, the SMU football team showed significant improvement over 2008 in several areas. The defense registered six takeaways and five interceptions, with Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week Rock Dennis snagging two of the picks and recovering a fumble, and transfer Shawnbrey McNeal had a sizzling 158 rushing yards and a score in his SMU debut.

But sophomore quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell didn’t have his best day as a Mustang. After passing for 2,865 yards in his freshman season — the fifth-highest single-season passing yardage total in SMU history — Mitchell was erratic Saturday night, completing 23-of-45 passes (51.1 percent) for 202 yards and a touchdown. But he also threw a pair of costly interceptions that led to SFA touchdowns, and missed some open receivers.

“It was just one of those days when we didn’t execute,” Mitchell said after Tuesday’s practice. “It was a bad game to have a bad day. We came out on our home turf in front of all of those fans, and we had plenty of chances to hit guys with big plays and just didn’t do it. Whether it was a missed pass or a dropped catch, we’ve got to execute better than that, and we will.”

Pressed for specific reasons, Mitchell acknowledged that he was among the Mustangs who got sick Saturday, but refused to use that as an excuse, calling the flu something he had to play through.

“I started to get sick during the game,” he said. “It’s just going around — going around a lot of teams, a lot of colleges, and it finally got around to us and took a couple of guys out of the game: (Derrius Bell), Bryce Lunday. There’s two things that are going around, really: that flu, like the Swine Flu, and really bad sinus infections — that’s what I got, and what Bryan McCann had. It’s not too bad. We just have to play through it as much as we can.”

Instead, he cited sloppy mechanics for his sometimes-errant throws.

After watching the film of the game, Mitchell said “I dropped my arm a couple of times and the ball sort of slipped out of my hand, so it sailed on me. So that’s one thing I’m going to do better, just pull it over the top and drive through it better. That’s really all it was: I was tossing it up more when I should have been driving the ball better.”

Quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison agreed Mitchell’s assessment of his arm angle when delivering the ball, but also said that Mitchell’s footwork cost him some accuracy, as well.

“It was that (Mitchell dropping his arm) and footwork, as well,” Morrison said. “Mechanically, he’s working on a lot of things. He threw so well during training camp, so nobody was more frustrated than he was that he didn’t do some of the things he knows he can do.”

Morrison added that ironing out the kinks in his throwing motion is part of the learning curve through which all quarterbacks go as they mature.

“It’s part of the process of growing as a quarterback,” Morrison said. “They have to learn what to do, and learn to correct things faster — during the game instead of when watching film.”

At one point, backup quarterback Braden Smith warmed up on the sideline, but Morrison said that was not an indication that head coach June Jones was considering a switch at quarterback.

“Braden has a package of plays that are really his package,” Morrison said. “He has to be ready if we want to go to that package of plays, but not now, we weren’t getting ready to make a change.”

Mitchell also dismissed the notion that his accessories — he wore a long sleeve on his throwing arm and plays with a glove on his right (throwing) hand — affected his accuracy.

“I started wearing the sleeve over my elbow … at the beginning of camp, it hurt like hell, and the sleeve helped a lot,” he said. “But now, I just use it to kind of prevent it. It was just some pain in the elbow, but it’s good now.

“I’m used to the glove — I like it better. It’s gotten to where I can throw the ball easier and still get that tight spiral.”

Morrison said he has no reason to worry about Mitchell, other than to coach him through a difficult period Morrison said all of his quarterbacks have endured.

“There’s no panic there,” he said. “As you grow, you’re going to have your struggles, but when it comes, you’re going to climb and climb and climb, so much so that even when you grow to the point that you’re hitting 65 percent of your passes, you’re going to think ‘I know I can hit 70 percent or 72 percent.’

“Bo has to go through those phases as he grows developmentally, and he will. Running this offense, in its simplest form, is about making good decisions and then making good throws, but there’s a lot of complex things that go on in that.”

Morrison said that part of the mechanical correction, in addition to getting his arm higher when throwing the ball, is getting his feet aligned correctly when delivering the ball.

“There were a few times when he got a little cemented in his feet while he was watching things going on around him, so he really didn’t have his feet balanced underneath him,” Morrison said, “and when you want to throw one way, you want to get your feet lined up in that direction, but he’d have his feet off by six, seven, eight degrees. That puts a lot of extra torque on your body when throwing the ball.”

Morrison said that after Mitchell’s largely productive freshman season last year, it’s premature to suggest his mechanical struggles will continue for long. Instead, he pointed out that some of the most productive quarterbacks he had while coaching at the University of Hawaii endured similar pitfalls in their development.

“I saw Timmy Chang go through this, I saw Nick Rolovich go through this, I saw Colt (Brennan) go through this,” Morrison said. “These are things that will get better for Bo.”

Lot of insight there. Thanks.
Didn't know Bo was sick the other night. Hope he works out the glitches quickly.

Beat the Blazers!

good article i wanted to hear what he had to say. blm did look bad when i saw him with his helmet off on the sideline, regardless if he doesnt turn it around we need the braden package.

Nice article and interview...thanks for that!

Nice to hear Bo man up and admit he played bad and and didn't make excuses and has to get better and I like the fact that he says he will.

I don't know about the Braden Smith package. I like the little I've seen from him in practice, but without knowing what's in that package, I'd say it's jumping the gun to say we "need" that package. Bo put up good numbers (at least in yards and touchdowns) last year, and I can't see any reason he can't repeat that kind of performance.

Nice to see Bo and Coach M both confident these things can be worked through.

Go SMU!

Thanks for the timely quotes and insight today and helps explains some things that were apparent out there....that darn flu is hitting them all harder than they may care to admit i'll bet.

You have to admire a kid for hanging in there and handling both the good AND the bad that comes with the QB position and having to hear all the qb names from June Jones past mentioned in almost every discussion. He is obviously well-regarded by the coaches to be left in the game when ill and maybe having an off night like so many other guys. That is why it still surprises me when they have him run the option where he is going to take those huge hits like he did on the touchdown. All it takes is one and then where will we be?

I am hopeful that Bo is going to turn it around in a big way this weekend. His performance last week was awful for the most part and I am not surprised to hear Braden was warming up.

Good to hear Bo owned up for the poor play and I think is really going to make it a point to show us what he's all about, and that will only mean good things for the team.

The fact that Bo Levi "owned up" didn't surprise me at all. In countless interviews, he is quick to share credit with his receivers and offensive line and coaches, and when things don't go so well, he readily accepts the blame if his performance is not up to his (or his coaches') standards. Like every athlete, he'll have some days that are better than others, but in any case, he strikes me as a very stand-up guy who acknowledges when he can do something better.

Thanks, PP. In our filming we received plenty of reports of illness. I didn't want to put it out there until it was reported elsewhere.... but the Mustangs were most definitely not 100% health-wise.

flu and a bad elbow...the elbow comment is troublesome in this pass happy offense

Bo wears the sleeve on his non throwing hand.

PonyPride can you look at Bo's right hand, is it large, short fingers with a glove would make it more difficult to grip the football.

it has been stated that June Jones has very small hands for a guy who played qb.