Scrimmage observations

[HorsePower]

From my seat in the rain, here's what I saw.

- We all held our collective breath when Kelan Luker went down after getting hit by a pass rusher, the defensive player's chest crashing straight into the top of Luker's head. Bennett has been quoted as saying Luker will be OK, thank goodness, although he was seen after the game wearing a cervical collar. Presumably that was merely a precautionary move.

- Luker, Richard Bartel and Tate Wallis each had several chances running the offense. Luker, statistically, was by far the most effective. Bartel still looks the best — he's extremely tall and showed the arm strength that got him drafted by the Reds. Wallis seemed easily the most comfortable and effective when the play called for the quarterback to run, or if the play broke down and he had to run on his own decision. On runs toward the sideline, Wallis seemed the most adept at spotting a gap in the pursuing defense, and turning the ball upfield for positive yardage. Bartel also showed much better mobility than I expected.

- The offensive line looked good and bad. At offensive tackle, we are set, barring injury. Judson Davis and Sterling Harris -- yes, Sterling Harris -- looked great. Each showed the ability to power into his man on inside running plays and drive the guy back 5, 8, 10 yards. Each also showed the ability on sweeps to turn to the inside and seal off his man to allow the running back to get around him and turn upfield. On running plays, they were overwhelming. And of pass plays, they were strong as well. Sterling still isn't as quick as some of us would like, but considering where he's been the last couple of years quickness-wise, he looked fast - like a Jonathan Ogden, Chris Samuels, Orlando Pace. Not that he's as good as they are. I'm just saying his footwork and fitness level are by far the best they've been since he got to SMU. Judson looked just as comfortable pass-blocking as he did blocking for the run. He is the anchor to the offensive line.
The interior of the offensive line is a concern. Brad Kieschnick looked terrific at left guard. He needs to add another 20 pounds, perhaps, but he looked extremely strong for a player so young (he's going to be a redshirt freshman in the fall) and seemed willing to stand his ground with anyone. Thornton Chandler, at right guard, also looked pretty good (although he did seem to be limping after a few plays - anyone know what's bothering him?) Steve Reindl was somewhat invisible at center. Which is not a good thing. When the defensive line got into the backfield, the pressure often came up the middle of the line, between the center and one of the guards. He has to be able to read the defensive assignments and call out assignments to his linemates accordingly. Not sure if that's where the weak link lies, but that's what it looked like.
Offensive line depth is a concern. On the second team, Townsend Hargis was extremely solid. Tommy Miller, at times, threw his man aside like he wasn't there. But he appeared inconsistent - he'd overpower his man on one play, then disappear for a few plays. That needs to change. Eric Neal looked OK, but still needs to be stronger, as does Scott Dale.

- The running game looked .... tentative. ShanDerrick Charles and Keylon Kincade showed decent bursts of speed, but neither broke away from the defense. Kris Briggs looked good at fullback, taking on all blocks and exploding through a few of them. Diminutive Keith Williams did a workmanlike job in the final minutes, working with a backup offensive line and getting repeatedly pounded by the defense.

- The receivers looked better than average. Chris Cunningham had one slip through his hands at the beginning of the scrimmage (before the rain started) and another at the end. In the meantime, he caught four passes for 113 yards, including one long "out" pattern on which he adjusted to an underthrown ball, came back to make the catch and raced downfield before being caught from behind by Jonas Rutledge. Jay Taylor looked like the receiver we all expected when he signed last year, taking full advantage of his size to fight off smaller DBs and make receptions.

- Defensively, Jonas Rutledge was the star again, picking off a Luker pass and running it back 97 yards. He's not the fastest guy on the team, but just like last year as the team's best kick returner, he showed the inate ability to make the other team miss, eluding seven (by my count) would-be tacklers. Kevin Garrett had one interception, which he shouldn't have tried to run out of the end zone, and had another apparent interception nullified when he was ruled to have stepped out of bounds while making the catch. From the stands, it looked like he had plenty of room to make the catch and get one or both feet down - a lack of concentration on KG's part. As far as the rest of the secondary, Rico Harris and Alvin Nnabuife were stellar in run support; Rico nearly planted Kincade (I think - might have been ShanDerrick) with one hit at the line of scrimmage. Billy Jack Williams, normally a linebacker, played some plays in what looked like the "Rover" position that Nebraska (and Kansas State) use - basically an extra safety crowding the line of scrimmage to add to the run support. He was flying from the opening play to the last, making several solo tackles and assisting on many more.

- The inside linebackers, particularly Vic Viloria and D.D. Johnson (1 fumble recovery), were exceptional. They were able to run free to the ball and make plays all day. The outside linebackers were not bad, but not nearly as impressive as their interior counterparts.

- The defensive line looked good. The three primary defensive tackles -- Lute Croy, Warrie Birdwell and Allan Adami, more than held their own. They repeatedly occupied blockers to allow the linebackers running lanes to make plays, and they also were somewhat effective collapsing the pocket. Adami, in particular, found himself in the offensive backfield on more than one occasion, and also recovered a fumble.
The defendive ends were led by Melvin Williams, who was all over the place. He had a pair of sacks and recovered a fumble, and seemed to have taken up residence in the offensive backfield. He had the three-headed QB of Luker/Bartel/Wallis running for its collective life for much of the scrimmage. A really pleasant surprise on the other end of the line was Clay Glockzin, the College Station native who will be a sophomore in the fall. Once thought to have seen the end of his playing days because of injury, Glockzin was in on numerous tackles, fought off the blocks of much bigger players and held his own against the run and the pass. He might not be big enough to start yet, but he clearly has worked extremely hard to come back from the injuries he's had (was it a shoulder?) and looked really good.

- Special teams: Chris MacMurtray was sensational. 6-for-6 on the afternoon, drilling both field-goal attempts and all four extra points. When's the last time one of our kickers had a line like that?

[GrapevineMustang]

If he keeps getting bigger and stronger, Melvin Williams is going to be a star. He looked awesome Saturday.

[PK]

Nicely done HorsePower....thanks for the report!!

[HorsePower]

PK - Gracias.

[PonyTales]

• Chris McMurtray is a stud. It's going to be nice to win a game because of the kicking game, rather than losing and saying, "if we could just find someone who could kick a damn field goal!"
• John Hampton was nearly invisible. Does this mean the tight end isn't important in Coach Bennett's offense (he did sign that Kennedy kid from Beeville)? Or was it just one of those days when the QBs didn't get him the ball?
• Did anyone else notice that Chris Cunningham wasn't buried with those uesless three-yard slant routes over the middle that Cavan had him running.
• If he was two inches taller and 15-20 pounds heavier, Melvin Williams would be All-WAC. Quickest DE we've had in a long time. He's quicker than Karon Riley and Luke Johnson.
• Can Johnnie Freeman catch?
• A lot's been written about Ashton Nixon's potential now that he's moved to WR - did he play?
• Vic Viloria is amazing. He looks like a runaway dumptruck with no brakes. He'll be first-team All-WAC, WAC Defensive Player of the Year and has earned his spot on the Butkus Award Watch list, or whatever that's called.
• Keylon Kincade looked great. Last year there was a fear that he was going to pout over losing his starting job to ShanD. Maybe he did, but he looked Saturday like he was in better shape than last year, looked a step quicker and looked like he ran stronger when trying to break tackles. I think he deserves the starting job. ShanD would make one hell of a backup.
• QB play did nothing to impress me. Luker was the most accurate, but is slower than Sterling Harris. Dan Marino wouldn't work in this offense, because even if he has the greatest arm around, the QB has to be able to move. Bartel has a canon of an arm, and decent wheels, but looked like he struggled reading the defense and got happy feet when pressured. That should pas with experience. Tate Wallis is a feel-good story - because nobody knows who he is, and it would be kind of interesting if the kid from Ennis took the starting QB job away from the better-known Luker and Bartel - but he isn't ready. Seems like a smart kid, and has better speed than the other two. But I'm not sure he can throw it into the secondary even if you give him TWO throws. I'm guessing Bartel can throw farther left-handed, and with more zip on the ball. I'm waiting for Hodges and the new commitment (Meeks) to get to Dallas. Or maybe Harper, the option QB from Atlanta.
• This is Jonas Rutledge's world - the rest of us are just living in it. How gifted is this kid? Picks off a Luker floater and zig-zags 97 yards for the score, making everyone but the refs and Coach Bennett miss on an attempted tackle. He doesn't have KG speed, but you can not tackle Jonas. He needs to play offense, too. Can he throw the thing? How good would Jonas look as an option QB?
• Anyone know if Marcus Walker played? Or if he's going to? Didn't see him out there at all, and that's a little scary. We need another defensive tackle, especially one with size. Croy, Birdwell and Adami are good soldiers, but they're going to get tired, or maybe hurt. Walker needs to be there, and be ready.
• Speaking of Adami.... remember a few years ago when we all made fun of Coach Cavan for signing Adami and Clay Glockzin? They were two skinny, we said, and a lot of people - myself included - said the only reason Adami got a scholarship is because his brother played so well here. Well serve me up a big plate of crow. Adami is a beast. And Glockzin looked really good as a second-team DE. Congratulations to both of them for working so hard and becoming good players.
• Who would have thought that D.D. Johnson would be the best player in his family? When he signed, we all talked about his brother, Sterling Harris. D.D. kicked some tail Saturday, just as he has since he got here.
• Rico Harris has arrived. He will be a star. Between him and D.D. Lee, we need to start recruiting more players from Waxahachie. There's something in the water down there.

[Grider]

Not to nitpick PT, but Harris and Lee are from Nacogdoches, in East Texas, Bennett's stomping grounds.

[PonyTales]

My mistake - I meant Nacogdoches.
Thanks

[PonyGirl]

You're right, PonyTales, Adami and Glockzin played great. If we can get Markus Pratt back, the defensive line will be OK.

[jettison]

Pony Tales... as for the tight end situation, Hampton is actually nursing a wrist injury. He spent much of last week running plays (to learn the new offense) but not allowed to block or catch passes.

Haven't heard any updates this week or how long it will take to heal, but don't let last weekend's scrimmage dictate your perception of how the tight ends will be used. He was invisible because he only played a couple series. I think a team doctor pulled him out as a precaution.