Saturday (4/1/17) observations/notes
Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2017 12:27 amThe Mustangs had another open practice Saturday, much of which was conducted in a scrimmage format. Head coach Chad Morris said beforehand that a lot of young players hoping for their chance would get ample work, and that was not just coachspeak. He also promised a lot of situational football, and that's what was delivered. The offense and defense would trot out to the field to start a new drive, when Morris could be heard through the public address system announcing down and distance, or "the offense is down by two and there's 90 seconds left — need a field goal to win."
• I'm always hesitant to say someone was "the best player out there" for a number of reasons:
1. A couple of great plays doesn't mean the overall performance was great.
2. Fans and media alike have no idea what is asked of each player, so the coaches could see huge improvement in a performance that the rest of us don't acknowledge.
3. The responsibilities of players at different positions are so different, it's a bit ridiculous to say that an offensive tackle had a better or worse day than a linebacker or a wide receiver.
That being said, however, it would have been impossible to watch Saturday's scrimmage and not come away impressed with S Elijah McQueen, who made play after play as he continued to show he is making progress learning the SMU system. Two of the best plays of the day were turned in by McQueen. On one, he raced up from his safety spot to cover a receiver and a short crossing route. McQueen crouched down as he approached, almost hiding as he approached, and then stepped around him and made an interception that he returned for an easy touchdown. Moments later, while in one-on-one coverage with WR Kevin Thomas, McQueen stayed with Thomas down the left sideline, turned back to look for the ball and while backpedaling, exploded off the ground to make an interception in front of the leaping Thomas. It's hard to blame QB Ben Hicks for the throw — Thomas is four inches taller than McQueen, has long arms and also is a good leaper. it was just a fantastic play by McQueen.
• Remember when he signed with SMU, there were some saying Ryan Becker might one day grow into a tall, mobile offensive tackle? Whether that still could happen one day is unknown, but during his first year on the Hilltop, he showed enough at tight end to get some playing time as a true freshman. Saturday, he even got some reps split out wide. Yes, maybe it was Morris living up to his pledge to get a lot of work for younger players and toying with different player combinations, but it wasn't just a throwaway move by the coaches. Becker had a few passes thrown his way, one of which he caught and took the distance after he split two defensive backs over the middle.
• One of the players who looks most different physically is DE DeLontae Scott, who the roster says now carries 253 pounds on his 6-foot-5 frame. Scott has been getting reps this spring with the first team, and has been impressive enough that he and DE Justin Lawler have been able to flip sides more.
• It looks like QB Rafe Peavey and WR Trey Quinn have developed some chemistry and timing, surely going back to their time together on the 2016 scout team after they transferred from Arkansas and LSU, respectively. Several times, when pressure forced Peavey to scramble and get rid of the ball, it was Quinn who ended up on the receiving end. On one such play, Peavey rolled to his right to get away from pressure and threaded a pass between two defensive backs to Quinn in the back corner of the end zone. Peavey did have a few passes knocked down at the line of scrimmage, and not by 6-6 Mason Gentry and 6-7 Hunter Thedford.
• Just like last week, when either Hicks or Peavey was running the offense, QB D.J. Gillins stood 10 or 15 yards back and mimicked everything — catching the snap, taking his drop, scanning the defense and then "throwing" a pass.
• The running game had a different look, in large part because RBs Xavier Jones, Braeden West and Aphonso Thomas sat out in yellow jerseys. Ke'Mon Freeman dressed, but the majority of the carries went to Merek Pierce, a 5-10, 185-pound walk-on from John Paul II in Frisco, who runs low to the ground and with some power. He kept his legs moving, even after first contact, and was able to run effectively between the tackles.
• P Alex Melvin showed that he has learned the backward-end-over-end flop punt that Jamie Sackville used during his first season at SMU.
• I'm always hesitant to say someone was "the best player out there" for a number of reasons:
1. A couple of great plays doesn't mean the overall performance was great.
2. Fans and media alike have no idea what is asked of each player, so the coaches could see huge improvement in a performance that the rest of us don't acknowledge.
3. The responsibilities of players at different positions are so different, it's a bit ridiculous to say that an offensive tackle had a better or worse day than a linebacker or a wide receiver.
That being said, however, it would have been impossible to watch Saturday's scrimmage and not come away impressed with S Elijah McQueen, who made play after play as he continued to show he is making progress learning the SMU system. Two of the best plays of the day were turned in by McQueen. On one, he raced up from his safety spot to cover a receiver and a short crossing route. McQueen crouched down as he approached, almost hiding as he approached, and then stepped around him and made an interception that he returned for an easy touchdown. Moments later, while in one-on-one coverage with WR Kevin Thomas, McQueen stayed with Thomas down the left sideline, turned back to look for the ball and while backpedaling, exploded off the ground to make an interception in front of the leaping Thomas. It's hard to blame QB Ben Hicks for the throw — Thomas is four inches taller than McQueen, has long arms and also is a good leaper. it was just a fantastic play by McQueen.
• Remember when he signed with SMU, there were some saying Ryan Becker might one day grow into a tall, mobile offensive tackle? Whether that still could happen one day is unknown, but during his first year on the Hilltop, he showed enough at tight end to get some playing time as a true freshman. Saturday, he even got some reps split out wide. Yes, maybe it was Morris living up to his pledge to get a lot of work for younger players and toying with different player combinations, but it wasn't just a throwaway move by the coaches. Becker had a few passes thrown his way, one of which he caught and took the distance after he split two defensive backs over the middle.
• One of the players who looks most different physically is DE DeLontae Scott, who the roster says now carries 253 pounds on his 6-foot-5 frame. Scott has been getting reps this spring with the first team, and has been impressive enough that he and DE Justin Lawler have been able to flip sides more.
• It looks like QB Rafe Peavey and WR Trey Quinn have developed some chemistry and timing, surely going back to their time together on the 2016 scout team after they transferred from Arkansas and LSU, respectively. Several times, when pressure forced Peavey to scramble and get rid of the ball, it was Quinn who ended up on the receiving end. On one such play, Peavey rolled to his right to get away from pressure and threaded a pass between two defensive backs to Quinn in the back corner of the end zone. Peavey did have a few passes knocked down at the line of scrimmage, and not by 6-6 Mason Gentry and 6-7 Hunter Thedford.
• Just like last week, when either Hicks or Peavey was running the offense, QB D.J. Gillins stood 10 or 15 yards back and mimicked everything — catching the snap, taking his drop, scanning the defense and then "throwing" a pass.
• The running game had a different look, in large part because RBs Xavier Jones, Braeden West and Aphonso Thomas sat out in yellow jerseys. Ke'Mon Freeman dressed, but the majority of the carries went to Merek Pierce, a 5-10, 185-pound walk-on from John Paul II in Frisco, who runs low to the ground and with some power. He kept his legs moving, even after first contact, and was able to run effectively between the tackles.
• P Alex Melvin showed that he has learned the backward-end-over-end flop punt that Jamie Sackville used during his first season at SMU.