SMU + Padron = Two Major Comebacks

[MrMustang1965]

from The Keller Citizen:

Maybe it was an infamous dropped snap that eventually led to Kyle Padron producing one of the better moments in SMU football annals.

In the 2007 Class 5A Region I semifinals against Abilene, Carroll drove down deep into Abilene territory and was preparing for a chip shot 27-yard field goal in the final seconds. However, Padron mishandled on the snap from behind center, the field goal never happened and the Dragons lost, 22-21.

Padron needed a tough skin to endure the ridicule that followed.

"With all of those people making fun of me, I didn’t want to be remembered as the guy that fumbled the football," Padron said. "Everything happens for a reason. It made me a tougher person and gave me a reason to work harder."

The fight was worth fighting for Padron. Two years later, SMU’s true-freshman quarterback delivered a magical performance. He threw for a single-game school record 460 yards and two touchdowns as the Mustangs routed Nevada, 45-10, in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve. Padron was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. His performance had, and still has, national pundits raving.

Of course, SMU and Carroll fans know Padron’s story. When starter Bo Levi Mitchell was lost to injury on Oct. 24 in Houston, the 18-year-old was rushed on to the field without a college snap to his name. He started off with a little dump-off pass just to help him get over the jitters.

The Cougars were on their way to a 38-15 victory. Little did anyone know SMU was on its way to vanquishing 21 seasons of football futility and producing the greatest one-year turnaround from 2008 (1-11) to 2009 (8-5).

Before this year, SMU had enjoyed only two non-losing seasons since it returned to the death penalty in 1989. The Mustangs went 6-5 in 1997 and 6-6 in 2006. Other than that, Mustang football was a mess.

Padron heard about the nightmares of past seasons. But hope seemed to be restored when June Jones arrived in 2008. Padron owes Jones so much. His was the only Division I school to offer Padron a scholarship. Padron felt the love and immediately committed.

The Mustangs showed their faith by honoring their scholarship offer even after Padron broke his right middle finger in the middle of the 2008 season.

There was a good reason for that. Jones and quarterbacks coach Danny Morrison knew that the reputation for Carroll quarterback success has something to it. The intense training that goes back to seventh grade provides an extraordinary foundation. Carroll trades on quality quarterbacks who throw hundreds of thousands of footballs and go through hundreds of film sessions.

Jones’ run-and-shoot attack is structured differently than the Carroll spread, but the principles of reading secondary coverage philosophies and taking advantage of holes in the defense remain.

"They’re not the same thing, but I think I had more of an advantage than a quarterback who was coming in from a Wing T or I formation," Padron said. "It’s complicated, because you can run four different plays out of one set.

"I still don’t know the entire playbook, and it’s a great challenge. The crazy thing is we ran about 15 or 16 different plays against Nevada."

Padron’s comfort appeared to show on a two-yard touchdown pass to Cole Beasley. Padron was going to run to the end zone but when the safety drew close, Padron flipped the ball to Beasley for the score.

For the year, Padron threw for 1,922 yards and 10 touchdowns and gave SMU something that rarely has been seen – momentum in the offseason.

While the Mustangs are between semesters, the aspiring business major will work on a designed weight training program and will continue to hone his skills. There are no guarantees that he will be the starter in 2010. Jones is never one to reveal anything definite.

But for now, Padron has shown what it means to rebound from a dropped ball. It’s not what happens when adversity strikes. It’s how the person responds to it that makes the difference.

Safe to say, Padron has responded brilliantly.

http://www.kellercitizen.com/103/story/14823.html