Today's Srimmage

[Pegasus]

SMUMUSTANGS.COM has story and stats on today's srimmage. VERY small crowd today.

[fbdad]

Congratulations to Coach Bennett, his staff and the players on providing an entertaining afternoon. I've been attending spring scrimmages for the past four years and this was by far the best.Offense looked great with Bartel playing smooth and relaxed and Wallis looking good in his backup slot.Bartel didn't miss many passes. Some good ones were dropped.Rushbrook finally gets his day. It's long over due.Defense especially the DB's looked and performed much better than last year. We seem to be strong at most positions two deep with some strong backup in the third string.I'd be concerned about the D-line. They looked weak at times especially on goal line stands.There's strong competition for fall starting slots and it shows through the efforts of the players.Those of you that missed the scrimmage missed a good time. Don't miss next weeks game. The team needs your support!!!!

[Mustangs35SMU]

You know Ill be there lol
For those of you who dont know I went into the hosiptal last week and I gotta wear this damn IV thing for 2 damn weeks so kinda sucks! so Ill be up there! IV and all1 argness Thank the Lord Im in the Club Level!

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The Red And Blue Is Back! Let the Pony Pride Ride On The Hilltop!

[This message has been edited by Mustangs35SMU (edited 04-06-2003).]

[Mickey]

How was the kicking game? I bet there were more blocked FG's. How were the corners? OL? DL?

[fbdad]

Kicking game weak..two kicks blocked not that they would have been good kicks anyway.Defense putting extreme pressure on the kicker.OL looked good,we've got some beef on the O-line.They were easily protecting the QB's therefore big passing game.Read my comment above on D-line although some especially Clay Glockzin,DE,(2 sacks) played excellent games.

[Horseshoe]

By my count, Chris McMurtray was 4-for-11, with three (SMUMustangs.com said two) attempts blocked or deflected. To be fair, one of his missed kicks came on a bad snap or a bobbled hold. His backup, someone named Aiden McDonnell, went 1-for-3, I think.

The defensive line had its ups and downs. First and foremost, Allan Adami left the field with a sprained ankle. He was down for quite a while, and had to be helped off. He looked like he was walking off very tentatively, and after the scrimmage had his shoe off and the ankle taped - hopefully swelling will be minimal.

Other than Adami's injury, Clay Glockzin looked good, with two sacks and frequent appearances in the offensive backfield. Darrin Johnson looked pretty good - he showed pretty good strength and leverage at the line. He also got those long arms up -- he didn't knock any passes down, but he altered at least a couple, including one when the QB (Wallis, I think) was about to throw and tucked it and ran, instead. Johnson also showed pretty good mobility for a DT. I still think he wouldn't be quick enough to come off the corner as a rushing defensive end, but for an interior guy, he has a great frame and better than average quickness. Maybe DT is the spot for him after all. Hard to get a read on Don Ieremia-Stansbury, since he was lined up against the much bigger Sterling Harris and frequently had double-team blocking by a TE or by Derron Brown at FB. Backup DE Justin Rogers showed great pursuit, often racing sideline to sideline to stay after a scrambling QB or RB.

For all the fireworks Richard Bartel and his receivers put up, the offensive line is still a concern. Glockzin is much stronger, and his performance was encouraging, but does that mean the interior of the offensive line is a question mark? I think Glockzin was rotatin with Adami, and then playing in his spot after Adami got hurt, which means Glockzin was getting his burst between Harris and Hargis, or Hargis and Steve Reindl? That's two seniors a junior (Hargis) who's listed now at 300 pounds (and looks good carrying that much weight on his frame). That is an area that needs to be solidified, and in a hurry. Kieschnick held his own on the other side against Darrin Johnson, which was impressive considering how big and strong Johnson is. Kieschnick will be fine. Left tackle remains a concern. Melvin Williams blew right past Eric Neal on speed rushes, and crossed up Martin Guidry with stunts when he looped back inside behind the DT. I think Guidry will be fine there in a year or two, but remember, much of his high school experience was on the defensive line, so he's still new to the position. (He also played OL in high school, but like many players, he might have had the strength and size to overwhelm guys on raw power). Guidry did look like he had good footwork, and he kept his center of gravity low with a lot of bend in his knees that kept his backside down, creating a very stable base. At the moment, Neal is the starter there, but look for both of them to get a lot of time next week and in two-a-days. The coaches might have to scheme their plays so a TE (Ryan Kennedy gets bigger every day) stays over there to help, in order to keep Bartel alive through the season.

Hard to get a read on the running game. There was more passing than running, and considering last year's offense was heavily reliant on the run, the defense clearly knew what running plays were coming out of what formations. Keylon Kincade and Johnnie Fitzgerald each ran very hard (Fitzgerald even picked up about 10 yards on one play after running out of his shoe), but neither broke a very long run. One pleasant surprise was backup FB Matt Young. At 200 pounds (listed), he looks like he's twice the size he was last year when he showed up. He ran extremely hard, never getting brought down on the first hit. He also showed soft hands, and after catching a swing pass, ran over three or four defenders for a pickup of about 20 yards before getting dragged down just short of the goal line. Reserve RB Keith Williams also ran very hard, including one play on which he blasted through a would-be tackle by DE Rogers.

Linebackers looked very good - it will be very surprising if the starting threesome isn't D.D. Johnson and Brian Bischoff on the outside, and D.D. Lee in the middle. Each made numerous tackles. Bischoff, in particular, looked very comfortable, reading a reverse handoff and swallowing Matt Rushbrook for about a 10-yard loss. Backups Jamar Bey and Cole Horton -- both tall (6-5) guys -- got around the corners and got their hands up. They didn't get sacks or knock down passes, but they should, given more opportunities. Both look much stronger than when they arrived last year.

Speaking of Rushbrook, he solidified himself as a receiver. He caught the first play from scrimmage on a long pass over his outside shoulder for a gain of 45 or so, and later caught one that was almost 50 yards (an amazing throw from Bartel, considering he fired it off his back foot while backing up and still hit Rushbrook right on the money), only to see that catch wiped out by offensive pass interference. Jay Taylor also showed considerable promise: he used his big body to shield defenders from passes, and he stretched out for two catches that looked to be out of his reach. He also looked more physical (stronger) fighting his way off the line of scrimmage than he has in the last two years. However, on one pass to the end zone, after Jamey Harper swung and missed at a knock-down attempt, Taylor did drop the ball when it hit him in the hands at the goal line. Cedric Vinson had a couple of very good catches, but also dropped a pair of what appeared to be catchable balls. Daniel Francis showed great separation and good hands, other than one drop.

The secondary was the victim of the aerial show. Jonas Rutledge was pleasantly unnoticable, meaning he wasn't getting beaten on pass routes. Rolando Humphrey held his own, giving up a couple of pass completions and drawing the offensive pass interference flag against Rushbrook. Anthony Barnett has some learning to do on defense. He's a great athlete, and everyone says he'll be fine over there, but he did get beaten a few times Saturday. I only noticed Robert Gilmore on the field a couple of plays, and the ball didn't go his way. (Did anyone see more of him?)

The star of the day was Bartel. SMUMustangs.com is saying 19-31 passes for 304 yards, and at least four passes were dropped. His arm is visibly stronger than last year, and his release is as quick, if not even quicker. I only saw him really miss a receiver once, and that one didn't miss by much (and might have been slightly intentional, since he threw into triple coverage - perhaps not the best pass selection, but at least he didn't get picked off.) His passes were strong and accurate, hitting his receivers on the numbers more often than not. Wallis looked good as the backup -- his mechanics looked a lot better than last year. No evidence of the three-quarters throwing motion he had last year. He came straight over the top with his passes and his arm looked a little stronger. Ashton Nixon looked serviceable in limited time.

[Jim Rome]

Thanks for all the information, Horseshoe, from those of us who couldn't make it to Dallas.

[Nacho]

Bartel clearly is the MAN. The offense is now his for the next 3 years. He will be a first round NFL pick, possibly a top 5. His progress from last spring is nothing short of astounding.

The current WR corps concerns me. Comet will help. Jay Taylor needs to be a starter. Comet, Taylor and Rushbrook would be a nice set of starting WRs.

I hope Wolcott is ready.

If Adami's injury is serious the 2 freshmen DTs are going to be called on early. Get ready guys.

The secondary was getting beat all over the place. Was it Bartel or was it poor coverage?

[Corso]

Not so fast, my friend!

Bartel looked great, that's true. He might get drafted. But let's watch him scorch some defenses in games before we go annointing him as a first rounder, let alone a top-5 guy. But even with that dose of reality, I agree with you - he looked terrific Saturday. He looked a little like Luke McCown two years ago (and did ya'll know that McCown has thrown for more yards than any returning QB in America? Neither did I.)

Anyway, I think Bartel's success was partly his own doing and partly nice work by the receivers and partly poor coverage. The combination of the tree made Bartel look pretty darn good. But you also have to remember that the secondary was thin. Rutledge didn't play the whole game. Gilmore was out there after missing a ton of time with that knee injury. Barnett is a running back who's starting to learn how to play defense. And when the defensive line isn't generating a very consistent pass rush, it's much easier for the QB to pick apart a secondary.

[Nacho]

If Josh McCown can get drafted in the 3rd round(?) the Bartel is surely a first rounder. Make all the excuses you want but Bartel is going to be great. Why do so many have such a hard time seeing what is so clearly obvious?

[PerunaPunch]

...Possibly because it doesn't count until he does in actual games. Also, in order to go in the first round, he's going to have to torch the TTech secondary and the OSU secondary and the Boise State secondary...

...Not just beat a highly suspect Mustang defensive backfield.

Hey, I'm as ready as anyone to jump on board! But let's hold off on the 'Bartel for Heisman' signs until after he wins a half dozen games for us this fall.

[Corso]

Not so fast, my friend! I didn't say he can't do it - I just think it's a little early. He's got phenomenal potential, and believe me, I hope you're right. I hope he throws 12 touchdowns a game, forces SMU into the national rankings and a bowl and wins the Heisman before going #1 overall. (Of course, Josh McC runs better than Bartel - a little....) I agree with you that he'll be a draftable player. I'm just suggesting we see Bartel do it in games first, THEN make the predictions.

[In Tate We Trust]

Will Wallis have a chance to compete for the starting job, or have the coaches already said Bartel is the undisputed starter? (As much as I root for Wallis, Bartel looked awesome Saturday and should be the leader. I just hope Tate gets a chance to compete in August.)

[Nacho]

Bartel doesn't have to put up unbelievable numbers to get drafted in the first round. McCown got drafted on the basis of his d-1aa numbers against d-1aa schools (it certainly wasn't his numbers at SMU), his size, strenght and mobility.

At this very moment Bartel is a better QB than McCown. He could beat out McCown for the starting QB spot at SMU now. He is bigger than Mcown and has at least as strong an arm if not stronger. He is more accurate and thinks better on his feet. First round. No doubt about it. Heisman? We'll talk in a couple of years. A lot will depend on the recievers.

[Mustang70]

Clay Glozkin had a good scrimmage on Saturday. He has gotten bigger and stronger since his arrival at SMU. Clay played DE with the Second Team Defensive unit and he was competitng against the #2 Offensive line. Clay never lined up at DT and he did not go against the first team O-Line. Adami was replaced with number 83 in Blue I think. Bartel threw for over 300 yards behind the #1 O-line guys and he was not pressured very much all day.

The H-Train (Harris and Hargis) had a great scrimmage both in the running game and pass protection. Sterling Harris is 6'6" and 310 and Townsend Hargis is 6'4" and 300. There is plenty of beef on the right side! Center Steve Reindel twisted his knee slightly about 2/3 through the day and was replaced by his backup.

Clay did get two QB sacks against the younger O-Line guys from his left DE spot. Clay is a great kid and he is having a good spring. Both the O-line and D-Line are much improved and they are having some spirited competition while banging heads.

Go Mustangs! Beat the TT out of Texas Tech!