SMU spring football: SMU's Red-Blue Wrap

Scrimmage Ends Spring Season for Mustangs

CUSA Fans SMU Correspondent Rick Atkinson brings you an update on the 2007 SMU Mustangs football team.

DALLAS – On a beautiful spring day, the SMU faithful got a glimpse of fall, as the Mustangs ended spring football practice with the annual Red-Blue scrimmage at Ford Stadium.

Officially, the offense topped the defense, 38-7, in Saturday’s finale, but the score meant little. Instead, head coach Phil Bennett and his staff used the opportunity to get a look at the Ponies under semi game-like conditions, with some precaution taken to avoid injuries. Play calling and formations on both sides of the ball were basic, and there was no tackling of quarterbacks.

“Today was not completely realistic,” said senior defensive tackle Charlie Berry, who had one “sack” on the day. “It’s as realistic as we get in the spring.”

Two 15-minute quarters were played with official clock operation, and the final two quarters used a continuously-running clock. Overall, the Mustangs went at it for about two hours.

Mustang fans enjoyed the day under perfect conditions.

Afterward, players and coaches lingered on the field to visit with fans and media.

“I think overall we had a great spring,” said starting quarterback Justin Willis. “Every practice we had was intense.”

“We hit a lot this week,” said head coach Phil Bennett. “Monday and Tuesday we were very physical. I think we’re OK, but we’re not quite where I want us to be. I think we’re capable of getting there.”

SMU Football Spring Highlights

• Zach Zimmerman, sophomore receiver from Flower Mound, Tex. , had two 40-plus-yard touchdown catches. “I felt pretty good out there, working with the first team,” said the 6-1, 165-pound Zimmerman. “I’m not a real big guy, but I’ve been able to just run good routes,” he said. “That makes all the difference in the world.”
• Redshirt freshman linebacker Anthony Sowe and sophomore defensive end Adrian Dizer had two sacks each.
• Corner Brandon Jones, safety David Haynes and defensive end Kyle Griffin each had interceptions. Jones nearly had a second when he stepped in front of D.J. Emerson on a short out-route, but couldn’t hang on. Haynes’ tipped pick included a nice, 20-yard return.
• Linebacker Reggie Carrington’s 50-yard fumble return was the only score for the defense, although the unit did have seven sacks, three interceptions and three other fumble recoveries.
• Junior punter Thomas Morstead boomed the ball deep all day, averaging 47.4 yards on five attempts, with a long of 53. Morstead also booted a 27-yard field goal.

Quarterback Justin Willis drops back as Kyle Griffin (91) applies pressure.

‘Both Winners’

Willis completed 15 of 33 passes for 158 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception. No. 2 Corey Slater was 7 of 18 for 77 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

“They’re both improved and I think they’re both winners,” Bennett said of his top two quarterbacks. “We were mixing and matching. They couldn’t really get in a groove.”

James Mapps led all rushers with 69 yards on six carries. DeMyron Martin carried seven times for 35 yards and one touchdown. Cedric Dorsey had 32 yards on seven tries.

Three successive plays in first quarter showed Martin at his most dominating. First, after catching a short pass in the flat, he rumbled for 17 yards down to the 12-yard line. Next, he burst up the middle for four yards, before bulling in for a touchdown from eight yards out on the next play.

“I think right now we definitely have three really good backs,” Bennett said, referring to Martin, Mapps and Dorsey. “There are a lot of teams that would like to have them.”

Playmaker Emmanuel Sanders had six catches for 34 yards and a touchdown Saturday.

Sanders said, though his knee is still swollen from surgery, he’s running well and feels about 80% effective. “I can’t imagine when I get to 100,” he said. Sanders said he plans to push his weight to 185 pounds this summer, up from 170.

No. 3 quarterback Zach Rhodes also worked at receiver and said he enjoyed it.

“Mostly, just because it shows that the coaches have faith in me,” said Rhodes . “They just want to get me on the field and hopefully make some plays.”

Poynter Impressed

Starting offensive left tackle Ben Poynter called spring practice “productive,” and said he’s impressed by the defensive line’s progress.

Bryce Hudman, R, defends againt a pass intended for Zach Rhodes (10).

“We were kind of mowin’ ‘em over at first,” he said. “After that second or third week in the spring, they started coming into their own and battling with us,” he said.

“I think we have a solid ‘two-deep’ on the defensive line,” Bennett said. “I don’t think we have a solid ‘two-deep’ in the secondary. I think our first secondary is pretty good,” he said, praising corner Jones and safety Rock Dennis.

Other secondary starters Saturday included safety Bryce Hudman and corner Bryan McCann. McCann just missed a pick on a well-played, deep sideline route Saturday.

The starting defensive line included ends Griffin and Patrick Handy, with Berry and Chris Parham at tackle. Handy picked up a sack, as well as true freshman tackle Ryan Leonard.

Three seniors started at linebacker, with Carrington in the middle, and Wilton McCray and Tony Hawkins on the outside. Hawkins had a fumble recovery.

Senior Zack Sledge fields a punt at Saturday's Red-Blue scrimmage.

Personnel/Injury update

• WR Devin Lowery aggravated a hamstring injury Saturday. “When we first came out here, it felt good,” he said. “When we were warming up, I tried to plant on a post, and it started tweaking then. I probably should have stopped right then, but I tried to play on.”
• RS freshman WR Morgan Hudnall took a vicious hit after a nice catch on a deep ball over the middle, and was helped off the field. After the scrimmage, his father said Hudnall was still a bit groggy.
• RS freshman quarterback Zach Rhodes may have more shoulder problems. He said he’ll have an MRI Tuesday to check for a possible torn labrum, (shoulder socket cartilage.)
• Justin Willis said his hand should be fully recovered by June or July. Willis said the injury still affects him, noting some of his short passes Saturday were low.
• Bennett said injured return man Jessie Henderson will be ready by fall. “That’s been a long deal,” Bennett said of Henderson ’s foot injury in last season’s Marshall game.
• Bennett said he also expects Columbus Givens back after his recovery from serious illness. Bennett said Givens is still anemic and will withdraw from school next week. He must complete six hours of summer school to be eligible this fall.

Question of the day:

What music would you like to hear during pre-game warm-ups for Texas Tech?

(Match responses to players; answers below.)

1. “Mike [Utzman] does a good job with that. I’ll just let him do his thing with that.”

2. “I like Young Jeezy. I like country music too, but country music won’t get you pumped up.”

3. “I’m a rocker, I guess. AC/DC, Metallica, all that stuff. Anything that’s upbeat and pretty loud is good with me.”

4. “I like a lot of old school stuff like Al Green and the Isley Brothers. But, it doesn’t really matter to me.”

5. “I don’t know. We’ll see what’s out. There might be a new song by the time the season starts. We’ll see.”

6. “I like rock and roll. I try not to get too distracted by the music that’s going on. But I do like it loud, whatever it is.”

A. Charlie Berry

B. Devin Lowery

C. Cedric Dorsey

D. DeMyron Martin

E. Emmanuel Sanders

F. Ben Poynter

(Answers: 1B, 2E, 3F, 4C, 5D, 6A)

Notable quotes:

• Bennett said he told the players this, concerning leisure activities now that spring practice is over: “If your position on this team is important to you, you make good choices.”
• Bryan McCann, on facing Texas Tech: “They’re just another team with players just like we are. The name doesn’t mean anything.”
• Justin Willis on his on-field communication with Emmanuel Sanders: “It’s awesome – like the back our hand, basically. We know what each other is gonna do.”

See you next time, folks!