True Freshmen

by **Nacho** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 2:07 pm

Interesing article in SI about impact of true freshmen around the country. None are QBs. I guess we will be trailblazers. One is an OT--6'5" 330. Why aren't we playing a true freshman on the o-line?

Does anybody know of a true freshman starting in d-1 at QB?

by **Nacho** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 2:18 pm

I'll sort of rephrase one of the questions. If we are having so much trouble at center per JB then why isn't Mitch Enright's name being bandied about as a replacement?

by **BUS** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 2:23 pm

That is a lot more - TO THE POINT.

I still do not like the idea of Willis taking off his re-shirt.

by **Hoop Fan** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 2:32 pm

no kidding. I cant believe our line cant play better. I know their are some great athletes coming at these guys, but can we get some guys to hang in and at least get a piece of their guy and slow em down a little? The Tulane game was a joke. I'm quite sure a bunch of determined average high school lineman could block as well as we did that day.

by **Ponymon** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 3:11 pm

Nacho wrote:I'll sort of rephrase one of the questions. If we are having so much trouble at center per JB then why isn't Mitch Enright's name being bandied about as a replacement?

Nacho, Enright is being redshirted, which means that he will be used in the second to the last game of the season!

by **Stallion** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:46 pm

Offensive Lineman rarely play as freshman-although I bet Enright is mentally ready. Allison has the size but isn't he young for his class-i know they were hoping for some natural physical maturity from him-hopefully he may help next year or the next.

by **Charleston Pony** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 7:35 am

I know our OL is constantly being bashed but one thing you can't deny is that Bennett is at least recruiting some numbers into that group. It's no different than any other position in that we aren't stealing guys who have offers from BCS schools. Boren's leaving and Turner's injury left this group a little thin this year. Same thing on the DL with Desmond Jones and now Ieremia-Stansbury gone, but from where I sit Bennett has at least done a better job than his predecessor in developing some numbers in the trenches. With virtually everyone on both lines returning next year, it has to get better, right? It seems as if last years haul of "big uglies" may turn out to be Bennett's best group yet.

by **ALEX LIFESON** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 8:24 am

We had everyone back THIS year, are we better?

by **Charleston Pony** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:06 pm

Actua;lly, we lost Neal, Hargis, Boren and Turner from last year's group. I might be missing someone. Granted, those guys didn't play that much, but it's all about having depth in the trenches. I'm not claiming our guys are great athletes. I'm just saying Bennett is at least starting to fill a 2 deep with big guys and we will soon have plenty of guys who have been in the program 3-4-5 yrs. It may not make them better athletes, but they will be bigger and stronger and there will be more of them. Although it's hard to see from the results on the field, I do think things are improving...ever so slightly.

Until this program starts winning and we actually start attracting more of our fair weather fans, it's going to be tough to upgrade the caliber of recruits that sign with SMU. My point is simply that Bennett has done a better job than Cavan did at bringing in big guys. It remains to be seen how many stick it out for 5 yrs and whether they eventually contribute to turning this thing around.

by **Stallion** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:14 pm

what he hell does that mean-Bennett is building numbers. Everybody gets 85 scholarships. Yeah Cavan did not recruit enough lineman but really does a coach get credit for building numbers? The fact is SMU has about 3 OLM who were somewhat highly recruited-one of them is redshirting. Otherwise, there is VERY VERY little quality. I'm waiting for a coach that can build quality depth.

by **Charleston Pony** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:25 pm

Hey, I seem to recall Cavan having to play 250 lb true FR on the OL and if I'm not mistaken, more than one of those guys suffered career ending injuries as a result. I don't know whether the Enrights, Allisons and Nighs of the world are going to develop into quality OL and help turn this thing around...but at least Bennett realizes (or appears to) that we have enough 5-11, 170 lb guys on the roster.

I think we can ALL agree we'd like to have higher caliber athletes, but I don't see them lining up hoping to come to SMU right now.

by **Pony-Up** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:30 pm

Stallion: If you were head coach how would you get a quality OLM, say with offers from UTEP, Baylor, and Houston, to come to SMU instead?

by **SoCal_Pony** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 3:16 pm

Charleston Pony wrote:but it's all about having depth in the trenches. I'm not claiming our guys are great athletes. I'm just saying Bennett is at least starting to fill a 2 deep with big guys and we will soon have plenty of guys who have been in the program 3-4-5 yrs.

CP, this is what Nacho posted earlier this week regarding our OL:
Fr--7
So--4
Jr--5
Sr--1

PB has been here for 4 years...I do not know how you can look at those numbers and say it is a strength...to me it is just the opposite...PB has not developed the depth everyone knows is critical.

One final comment...those 11 Fr and Soph as a group were not highly sought after by other schools....

by **Charleston Pony** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 3:46 pm

it's pretty obvious to most who follow SMU football that we've signed very few linemen who had BCS school options. That being the case it's critical that we at least put guys on the field who have been in the program 3-4-5 yrs and have physically matured so that they are going to be the best they are going to be.

I've been pointing to next year as the year we finally have mostly 3+ yr guys in the 2 deep, but I'm concerned when guys like Boren throw in the towel and guys like Desmond Jones don't cut it academically. Given the fact that we obviously don't have guys who were highly recruited, it's important that we aren't running a bunch of RS FR out there.

We are probably always going to have more FR and SO on the roster than upperclass guys...or at least I hope that's the case (always hope for some walk-ons). The fact is that some guys are going to suffer injuries that end their careers and others are not going to stick for whatever reason (Boren being this year's case in point).

This thread started out as a discussion of true frosh and my point is that unless we have REAL quality guys coming in who are clearly superior talents, I'd rather see a 2-deep on both OL and DL dominated by JRs and SRs.

by **PonyPride** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 5:38 pm

Stallion wrote:what he hell does that mean-Bennett is building numbers....

I would think that speaks to the importance of depth, especially on both lines. The fact that we made it through last year playing 7 or 8 offensive linemen all year was a miracle. At such a brutal, combative position, the odds of a team getting through a season basically unscathed on the offensive line are minimal, at best (just ask Bryan Turner, Darrin Johnson, Caleb Peveto, Ben Poynter and any other offensive lineman who has missed some or all playing time this year).

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