Tuesday (7/16/13) optional workout notes

[PonyPride]

Ponies are on the field for conditioning work before seven-on-seven drills. New addition today: the players are shoving weighted sleds up and down the field - looks really unpleaseant.

• Running on the side while working back from injuries: LBs Kevin Pope (thigh), Rishaad Wimbley (hamstring) and Brandon Henderson, as well as CB Chris Parks (ankle).

• Conditioning done, P Mike Loftus is now launching some punts (off snaps from DE Zach Wood). Taking turns fielding punts: CB Kenneth Acker, WR Deion Sanders, WR Cedric Lancaster and CB J'Marcus Rhodes. One punt went 64 yards...

• "Bandit" (11-on-11) time: first play was an out route from QB Garrett Gilbert to WR Jeremy Johnson ... and picked off by S Jay Scott. Not a bad throw at all by Gilbert - just a great play by Scott, who looped around behind Johnson to the sideline and snatched the ball away.

• Gilbert very sharp on rest of first drive, completing six straight passes including 25-yard touchdown pass to Johnson.

• Among those watching from the sideline: CB Jeremy Gray, who is recovering from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered during spring drills. Now about three months removed from surgery, Gray said he is still getting treatment every day and has not yet decided whether he will seek a medical redshirt after the 2013 season.

•├é┬áSky is getting dark and rain just started coming down hard ... not sure how long this will last.

• Considering the suddenly-soaked conditions, WR Nate Halverson just made a fantastic diving catch of a pass from QB Garrett Krstich.

• Downpour is officially on. Thunder, lightning and VERY heavy rain. Every player - including two women's soccer players who were running on the side - just raced back up the tunnel. Workout over.

• A couple of weight room records fell Tuesday morning. Ben Gottschalk broke the mark for offensive linemen in the power clean (in which a barbell is hoisted from the ground to the front of the shoulders) with a lift of 341 pounds; Taylor Lasecki bench pressed 450 pounds, breaking by 10 pounds the previous mark held by former G Kelly Turner.

[Mustangsabu]

Love it. We are going to kill Tech.

[Junior]

Love it. We are going to kill Tech.

unless it rains...in which case we may run up the tunnel...

[Ikus]

Achilles tendon injuries can linger for a long time. I have a cousin who tore his in high school and hasn't been the same for 40+ years. Hope Jeremy Gray gets all the way back to 100% good health.

[ojaipony]

The more I think about this team the more I think our ultimate achilles heal will be the middle of our defense. Offensively, I think we have the potential to be really good. You see how big our OL could be? 6'5" and 300+ lbs at every position except center, who just broke the all time SMU bench press record of 450 pounds . . . along with Shead, that's a lot of beef!

On the other side, I like Rambo and Wright but I'm concerned about the other ILB and our DEs look very weak unless Minor comes on all of a sudden as a true freshmen (and what happens if Wright and Rambo go down? I have no idea who our backup NT and MLB is). And our defensive backfield was very vulnerable over the middle last year.

I'm the biggest sunshiner there is, but I see teams like aTm and Tech rolling over us on defense. I hope I'm very wrong.

[Ikus]

I'm not as worried about the DEs. Wood is supposed to have legit talent, and Barnes and McCleneghen showed promise (and in the spring for McCleneghen). Wright will be the heart of the line.

[ojaipony]

I'm not as worried about the DEs. Wood is supposed to have legit talent, and Barnes and McCleneghen showed promise (and in the spring for McCleneghen). Wright will be the heart of the line.

I don't see it, but I hope I'm wrong on Wood. I like McCleneghen's size. Need speed and nastiness at that position. Have high hopes for Minor.

[PonyPlayer4]

I'm not as worried about the DEs. Wood is supposed to have legit talent, and Barnes and McCleneghen showed promise (and in the spring for McCleneghen). Wright will be the heart of the line.

I don't see it, but I hope I'm wrong on Wood. I like McCleneghen's size. Need speed and nastiness at that position. Have high hopes for Minor.

You just don't see it on Wood because you are bitter Halloway is on the OL and you were so very wrong about him.

[ojaipony]

I'm not as worried about the DEs. Wood is supposed to have legit talent, and Barnes and McCleneghen showed promise (and in the spring for McCleneghen). Wright will be the heart of the line.

I don't see it, but I hope I'm wrong on Wood. I like McCleneghen's size. Need speed and nastiness at that position. Have high hopes for Minor.

You just don't see it on Wood because you are bitter Halloway is on the OL and you were so very wrong about him.

Yeah, you're probably right. Although I think I am still right about Holloway and the coaches are wrong.

[Alaric]

Thanks for the report PP. Really tough for Jeremy Gray after having to greyshirt...hoping he gets back to near normal. I drove through that rain, probably the hardest "cloudburst" I've ever seen. Hillcrest started flooding right next to SMU, bad lightning and then the heavy stuff was over in 2-3 minutes. There would have been flash floods everywhere had that kept up for long, especially after the slow soaking rains we've had for the past 4 days.

[SMU21TCU10]

I'm not as worried about the DEs. Wood is supposed to have legit talent, and Barnes and McCleneghen showed promise (and in the spring for McCleneghen). Wright will be the heart of the line.

Are McCleneghen and Wood both walk-ons?

[Alaric]

I'm not as worried about the DEs. Wood is supposed to have legit talent, and Barnes and McCleneghen showed promise (and in the spring for McCleneghen). Wright will be the heart of the line.

Are McCleneghen and Wood both walk-ons?

Wood is a scholarship player

[Stallion]

Barnes also was an invited walkon. Not too many top defenses are relying on 2 walkons at DE. They have nice size though especially for walkons

[JasonB]

Our defense linemen are occupiers. They aren't supposed to beat people, they are supposed to free up linebackers. It requires a combo of size, strength and athleticism to make two offensive linemen worry about you so they can't peel off on LBs.

They don't have to be huge, but they should be around 270. I like the height on all of them, and it will be interesting to see what they way in as. Barnes and McCleneghen certainly have the frame to be the right size, but not sure if they have the athleticism to force the doubleteam. Wood I am an not sure if he will get big enough. He was highly rated, and the athleticism is there, just not sure about the size for the 3-4. Smith has the frame to do it, and Nabushosi has the frame and the athleticism. Thee is probably going to be quite a rotation at DE in order to keep the undersized guys fresh enough to demand the double teams.

Individually I would be concerned, but with the amount of depth I think we will be okay. Hollie and Minor will come in and add depth and compete immediately as well.

At Tackle between Wright, Reed, and Riley-Ayers I think we are fine.

[SMU 86]

Our defense linemen are occupiers. They aren't supposed to beat people, they are supposed to free up linebackers. It requires a combo of size, strength and athleticism to make two offensive linemen worry about you so they can't peel off on LBs.

They don't have to be huge, but they should be around 270. I like the height on all of them, and it will be interesting to see what they way in as. Barnes and McCleneghen certainly have the frame to be the right size, but not sure if they have the athleticism to force the doubleteam. Wood I am an not sure if he will get big enough. He was highly rated, and the athleticism is there, just not sure about the size for the 3-4. Smith has the frame to do it, and Nabushosi has the frame and the athleticism. Thee is probably going to be quite a rotation at DE in order to keep the undersized guys fresh enough to demand the double teams.

Individually I would be concerned, but with the amount of depth I think we will be okay. Hollie and Minor will come in and add depth and compete immediately as well.

At Tackle between Wright, Reed, and Riley-Ayers I think we are fine.

Actually the defense lineman need to be able to at least a slight push and not get pushed back. NT is a key position Reed was injured and has not seen the field. Lot of unknowns at NT behind Wright. A 3-4 DE needs to be at 280. When people talk about size generally that is a ht and wt combo and not just ht. A low center of gravity is good anywhere on the 3-4 front line. The 6-5 guys need more weight so they can get more leverage. 6-7 270 is kind of thin going against a 320 pound lineman. 6-2 280 gives a lower center of gravity and the player would be thicker which is better when they take on a 320 pound offensive lineman. The defensive line will be test in the first game for sure.