Wednesday (4/3/13) practice report

[PonyPride]

Both the offense and defense were inside Ford Stadium for Wednesday's session, which was conducted in a light but steady rain, which at times made footing a little uncertain.

• Considering the slippery and somewhat soggy conditions, the receivers did a really nice job catching passes, although a few fastballs from close range did slip through some receivers' hands. Among those who made several nice grabs were WRs Kyle Guinyard and Keenan Holman. Early catch of the day was turned in by CB-turned-WR Rodney Hubert during passing (no defense) drills, when he went deep on a post pattern to pull in a 45-yard strike from QB Austin Kent ... with one hand. Later on in the session, Holman ran a quick out route, and when QB Garrett Krstich's pass was low and outside, Holman reached down and speared the top half of the wet ball, kept his balance and turned upfield.

• LB Jonathan Yenga was an interested observer after twisting a knee Tuesday. He said (Tuesday) that he expects to be back by next week.

• New OL coach Wes Suan continues to tinker with combinations, a practice that likely will continue throughout the spring and perhaps into preseason workouts in August. OT Seaver Myers got most of the first-team reps at right tackle, while fellow redshirt freshman-to-be Chauncey Briggs backed up Ben Gottschalk on the left side.

• There has been talk about the defensive line getting smaller in 2013, and with the graduation of DEs Margus Hunt (6-8, 280-ish) and Kevin Grenier (6-5, 280), that's undeniable. What is getting less attention is the fact that the linebackers are visibly bigger. For all of the plays made over the last four years by Ja'Gared Davis, Taylor Reed and Cameron Rogers, they aren't the biggest linebackers in the world. The jump is particularly visible outside, where the Mustangs will roll out guys like Stephon Sanders and Rob Seals (each of whom is listed at 6-3 and 230) and backups Lincoln Richard (6-3, 215) and Jarvis Pruitt (6-3, 220). All four of those guys look bigger than their listed sizes and they bring exceptional speed and athleticism.

• He's putting in the work: RB Ronnell Sims said last week that the key to earning more playing time will be his ability to learn the Mustangs' blocking schemes and show an ability to slow down defenders. In SMU practices, the running backs and offensive line spend a lot of time working together, with players standing in as mock defenders while resting between their reps on offense, so watching Sims, who is listed at 5-8 and 185, "block" OL Sam Rice, who is listed at 6-4, 290, didn't look like much of a fair fight. Obviously, Rice wasn't plowing into Sims at top speed, but the laws of physics dictate that Rice should have flicked Sims aside like a crumb, and Sims not only threw himself in front of Rice but didn't give ground too rapidly.

• LB Derek Longoria is trying to increase his role, and his performance in Wednesday's pass coverage drills can't hurt. On one play, he dropped straight back and leaped up to intercept a high pass from scout team "QB" Troy Castle (remember, Longoria still wears braces on his arms to protect two surgically repaired wrists). Two plays later, while shadowing "WR" Hayden Greenbauer, Longoria slipped, got back up and jumped high enough to reach over Greenbauer's shoulder to knock away the pass while making little or no contact.

• The defensive line spent significant time working with the foam dummies (representing offensive linemen) to sharpen their pass rushing skills, with DL coach Bert Hill explaining a move and then having each lineman imitate it. With no stopwatch in sight, players who seemed to replicate the moves quickly and hit the foam dummies with such force that they regularly created a lot of space included DE Zach Wood, NT Nick Reed, DE Elie Nabushosi and DE Cameron Smith. Wood and Reed, in particular, seemed able to generate a lot of power with their punch with a relatively short, compact windup.

• Rodney Hubert is enjoying his move from CB to outside WR, a transition he said was first mentioned by WRs coach Jason Phillips.

"He talked to me a little about playing receiver," Hubert said. "I thought about it and told him I was interested, and he said to go talk to Coach Jones. (Phillips) said he liked my athletic ability and the fact that I'm long (in the arms).

"Plus, he recruited down there (Hubert is from Brenham, Texas, about 75 miles northwest of Houston) when he was at the University of Houston, and he said he knows there's a lot of good talent down there."

Hubert said that his experience on defense - he played only defense in high school, although he took an occasional turn at receiver during Brenham's spring drills - should help him on offense.

"I feel like I can really attack the ball, because that's what I do on defense," Hubert said. "I'm a little taller (Hubert stands 5-11) than some corners, but most of them don't have arms as long as mine, so if I attack the ball, I have a chance to go up and get it."

Hubert said he is getting additional tutoring from fellow wideouts Der'Rikk Thompson and Stephen Nelson, who have helped him catch up with the offensive playbook.

"I still make some mental mistakes, but I'm starting to wrap my head around it," he said. "(Thompson and Nelson) have helped me a lot, answering my questions."

While he learns his new position, Hubert said he has no desire to completely shed his defensive background.

"I'm a receiver now, but I still want to keep that defensive mentality, like 'I'll go get you,'" he said. "As I get more experience, I think I'll be able to dominate some DBs because I know what to look for.

[ojaipony]

Thanks, Pride!

Was there practice on Thursday/Friday? Is camp over now?