Observations from the first practice

[DallasDiehard]

Coach Bennett and his staff held their first practice yesterday. My thoughts:

• It was really cold, and got colder throughout practice. Good things those guys were running.
• Bartel has a cannon of an arm. And it looked like he's improved his mechanics. Last year he threw from a low release point, sort of a three-quarters position. Yesterday, he was throwing over the top, taking full advantage of his height. Very encouraging sign.
• Kelan Luker looked great. He looked like he's lost a bunch of weight, looks very athletic now. He also made every throw - hard out patterns on the sideline, soft "touch" passes, very accurate deep balls. Threw with a strong wind at his back (I saw only a couple that got caught up in the wind and sailed on him) and also delivered the ball with pace and accuracy when going IN to the strong wind. He sure looked like he isn't going to give up the job without a fight. He's never been in the physical condition he's in now. Everyone who doubted he's worked hard in the offseason is wrong.
• Tate Wallis threw the ball well, although he was the only QB wearing long sleeves.
• Ashton Nixon looks like a new player. Last year, he was a wide-eyes kid with long skinny arms. He now has GUNS hanging from his shoulders. He's got to be twice as strong as he was last year.
• The players are being held accountable for everything this year. In the past, a dropped pass or getting caught out of position would have resulted in a coach basically telling the kid to get it right next time. Yesterday, a dropped pass drew the ire of three assistant coaches. And when Ashton Nixon floated a pass (into the wind) that was picked off by Brent Briggs, Nixon was doing "up/downs" - a maniacal exercise that consists of a push-up, after which the player leaps to his feet, then back down for another push-up, then up to his feet, and so on. Great to see players being held accountable from Day One.
• Looked like every player out there was paying close attention - a lot more than in recent years. When the teams ran skeleton scrimmage drills, the defense acted like every play held the conference championship. A blown whistle (stopping a play when an open receiver couldn't be found) made the entire defense -- including everyone on the sideline -- jump up like we'd just knocked off Florida State.
• WR Trey Griffin looked impressive. There were some last year (including me) who thought he was nothing more than a track star in a helmet and pads. Yesterday, he ran crisp routes, went over Jonas Rutledge to pull in one pass, and caught several passes in traffic.
• Johnnie Freeman ran past several defenders but misread deep passes.
• ShanDerrick Charles showed nice hands coming out of the backfield.
• The linemen, particularly the offensive linemen, looked like they're in very good shape. They looked quicker than in years past, and ran hard through the conditioning runs at the end of practice.
• While a lot of guys looked like they've lost weight, Vic Viloria looked like he's added even more strength. He looks incredibly thick, and was flying all over the place. It looked like his added muscle has not hampered his quickness at all.
• Lute Croy, who someone on this board said has lost a lot of weight, looks a lot lighter, and quicker than he's been ever since he arrived at SMU.
• Comet looked like he's in mid-season form. He ran very sharp routes, and repeatedly juked his way past defenders and racing into open space. He looks like he's taking his senior season very seriously!
• Matt Rushbrook, who already was very strong for his size, looks like he's lived in the weightroom. His arms look like his legs looked when he got to SMU.
• Cody Cardwell looked like he's greatly improved his quickness and acceleration. He won't run away from the fastest DBs, but his acceleration will allow him to separate for a second or two to create space and make catches.
• Jay Taylor, who drew some complaints in practice last year for running inaccurate routes or quitting on balls that were beyond his reach, looked like a new man. He stretched and dove for several balls, making several catches he wouldn't have made last year. Very nice to see - he could have a big year.
• BJ Williams looked very fast and comfortable in the new schemes, and was praised by defensive assistant coaches.

There also were several walk-ons out there - I'll try to get some information on them soon.

[91Stang]

Any report on the kickers?

[HorsePower]

Good stuff, Diehard! Thanks for the report. Much more, of course, than what we get from the Morning News.

[PonyTales]

No kidding. Check out what they gave us:

"SMU's Bennett gets involved as spring drills begin

UNIVERSITY PARK – Spring football practice started Thursday, and coach Phil Bennett led the way, actively giving out instruction throughout the nearly three-hour session. Bennett, who was hired in December, said he was happy to finally get a look at the players on the field.
– Rick Alonzo "

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Thanks for the insight, Belo. For the record, Rick Alonzo was out there for the whole practice. Give him more space in the paper - he does good work and SMU is still the only team in Dallas.

[sam]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by 91Stang:
<B>Any report on the kickers?</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

We don't know anything about the kickers,done of them have kicked,seems like they can't find a holder for the kicker and the punters except #96 are horrible.

[Guest]

Jeez, that's encouraging.

Any way we can mile another year of eligibility for McDearman? Always thought he got screwed when they never threw him the ball after his freshman year, but he was more valuable than most of us thought, the way he was so consistent as a holder. Holders are like offensive linemen - you never notice they're there until they screw up.

[ponyman]

dear diehard--as a member of the california long distance alum, the only decent info i get on spring ball is from ponyfans. please keep up the good work on giving the inside scoop. GO PONIES!

[DallasDiehard]

Thanks for the words, ponyman. I'll do what I can. Of course, this damn job keeps getting in the way of being at practice every day, but I'll try to get back out there this week. I'm no reporter, but I have fun trying.

[No Cal Pony]

Thanks from another alum out west. Sounds good to start. Let's hope Bennett can keep the kids motivated and FOCUSED.

Go Ponies!

[DallasDiehard]

From what I've seen, motivation and focus will NOT be a problem with Coach Bennett and his staff.

[No Quarter]

Dallas Diehard,

Appreciated your input, would still like to have information on walk-ons.