Kate DMN 6-8, football novice gives SMU Mustangs a kick-be:

[ponyscott]

At 6-8, football novice gives SMU Mustangs a kick-blocking threat

08:19 PM CDT on Monday, October 12, 2009
By KATE HAIROPOULOS / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]
UNIVERSITY PARK – For the first couple of games of SMU's season, defensive end Margus Hunt grew frustrated with spending too much time on the sidelines, towering over the other Mustangs with his 6-8, 267-pound, gladiator-like frame, watching.

But the 22-year-old newcomer to football has figured out how to make an impact, as colossal as he is.

Hunt, an international-level shot put and discus thrower from Estonia, is SMU's now not-so-secret weapon as a kick blocker.

"It's a one-shot thing," Hunt said. "If you get it, it's a game-changing thing. It gets the team going."

Hunt blocked three kicks in SMU's last two games, including a conversion against TCU and two field-goal attempts in the first half Saturday in the Mustangs' win over East Carolina. Teammate Bryan McCann scooped up the second block against the Pirates and returned it 63 yards for a touchdown.

"He's as tall as a friggin' tree when he stands up," said Taylor Thompson, Hunt's counterpart at defensive end who blocked a conversion in a win at UAB last month. "He's going to block some kicks."

Hunt said he lines up in the middle of the kick defense unit, tantalizingly close to the ball.

"Since I'm right over the ball," Hunt said, "it's right in front of my eyes. As soon as the ball starts to move, I'm going."

He said he's learned how to turn his shoulders to knife through blocks. Then he powers low and raises up.

On the second block of the ECU game, the kick was so low it actually bounced off his helmet, Hunt said after watching special teams tape Monday morning.

"We have two pretty good players inside in Margus Hunt and Taylor Thompson," coach June Jones said. "We get a lot of good push from Marquis [Frazier]. Those two guys are big and tall, and they have a lot of range. They [opponents] have to get the ball up."

Hunt never played football until this spring when he tried out after it was clear SMU would not be reinstating a men's track team. He had been already enrolled since fall 2007, training under women's track coach Dave Wollman, a guru in international throwing circles.

Hunt said he believes he is the only Estonian playing NCAAfootball. Michael Roos, a tackle for the Tennessee Titans, is believed to be the first Estonian to play in the NFL, though he moved to the U.S. at a young age.

Hunt still trains as a thrower and does power-lifting workouts in the weight room to hone his strength and explosiveness.

Hunt said he's still learning the intricacies of football but growing more comfortable. He's only a freshman in terms of eligibility.

"I'm just glad to be a part of this team," he said. "I wouldn't say I fell in love, but I'm enjoying playing football. A lot."

[PonyTales]

Great post. This guy is going to get better and better and is going to make a very positive impact on a lot of games. At the moment, his biggest impact is on special teams, but you already can see the signs that he's learning to make an impact on defense, too. At the TCU game, he shoved their tackle (Newhouse) straight backward into the backfield and got those long arms stretched out wide, and missed knocking down the pass by a couple of inches. His blocks against ECU were awesome, but every week, it seems like this guy is on the cusp of making a significant impact on defense, too.