A look at the schools that are overlooked by the ESPNs of the world.


Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Fall Previews: SMU

Fall Preview for the Southern Methodist University Mustangs:

QB
#16 Conner Preston 6-0 200 QB SO Gardena, Calif. (Junipero Serra)--No stats in 2011.
#15 Garrett Krstich 6-3 230 QB SO Carlsbad, Calif. (La Costa Canyon)--No stats in 2011.
#12 Stephen Kaiser 6-3 222 QB JR St. Louis, Mo. (Desmet)--1 game played. 0-1 passing.
#?? Garrett Gilbert QB--Transfer from Texas.
#?? Neal Burcham QB Greenbrier, AR Greenbrier 6'3" 175--Incoming freshman.

With a group of quarterbacks that have a combined 0-1 passing in their respective careers, SMU's quarterback battle is wide open. Preston, Krstich, Kaiser and Burchman all look to battle with Texas transfer Garrett Gilbert for the quarterback snaps this fall. Any of the 5 could possibly be the starting quarterback this fall.

RB
#48 Zach Line 6-1 230 RB SR Oxford, Mich. (Oxford)--10 games played, 10 starts. 208 carries for 1224 yards and 17 TD. 15 catches for 139 yards. 3 tackles. 1 forced fumble.
#29 Rishaad Wimbley 6-0 260 RB JR Forney, Texas (Forney)--5 games played, 1 start. 40 carries for 178 yards and 4 TD.
#22 Jared Williams 5-9 195 RB JR Bradenton, Fla. (Southeast)--8 games played, 2 starts. 42 carries for 180 yards and 1 TD. 2 catches for 27 yards.
#28 K.C. Nlemchi 6-1 215 RB SO Katy, Texas (Cinco Ranch)--No stats in 2011.

The SMU offense revolves around senior running back Zach Line who has run for 2907 yards and 34 touchdowns in his college career. As long as he can stay away from the injury issues that plagued the end of his 2011 season, he could set some school record rushing the ball. Backing up Line is a combination of juniors Rishaad Wimbley and Jared Williams who combined for 358 yards and 5 touchdowns in backup duty behind Line. Sophomore KC Nlemchi will have to work hard to find some playing time being so far down the depth chart.

WR
#07 Der'rikk Thompson 5-11 190 WR JR Troup, Texas (Troup)--13 games played, 7 starts. 30 catches for 411 yards and 3 TD. 4 kickoff returns for 18.5 yard average.
#03 Darius Johnson 5-10 175 WR SR Missouri City, Texas (Hightower)--13 games played, 12 starts. 1 carry for 1 yard. 79 catches for 1118 yards and 8 TD. 3 tackles.
#17 Jeremy Johnson 6-0 175 WR SR Tyler, Texas (John Tyler)--10 games played, 1 start. 16 catches for 146 yards and 1 TD. 2 tackles.
#81 Keenan Holman 6-1 185 WR SR Beaumont, Texas (Central)--10 games played, 4 starts. 5 catches for 108 yards and 1 TD.
#01 Arrius Holleman 6-3 200 WR FR? Lubbock, Texas (Monterey)--3 games played. 1 catch for 6 yards. 1 tackle.
#83 Darius Joseph 6-0 200 WR SO Abilene, Texas (Abilene)--1 game played. 1 catch for 10 yards.
#84 Steven McCormack 5-11 175 WR SR Katy, Texas (Dartmouth)--1 game played.
#09 Ryan Walker 6-0 195 WR SR Southlake, Texas (Southlake Carroll)--3 games played.
#06 Stephen Nelson 6-0 185 WR JR Beaverton, Ore. (Beaverton)--No stats in 2011.
#08 Ronnell Sims 5-8 185 WR SO Abilene, Texas (Abilene)--No stats in 2011.
#89 Jordan Airhart 6-2 190 WR SO Prosper, Texas (Prestonwood Christian Academy)--No stats in 2011.
#41 Anthony Buffini 6-0 185 WR FR? Escondido, Calif. (Christian Life Academy)--No stats in 2011.
#88 Josh Caldwell 5-10 175 WR JR Plano, Texas (Wheaton)--No stats in 2011.
#20 Troy Castle 6-0 195 WR SO Gig Harbor, Wash. (Gig Harbor HS)--No stats in 2011.
#04 Gehrig Dieter 6-3 200 WR FR? South Bend, Ind. (Washington)--No stats in 2011.
#13 Kyle Guinyard 5-11 200 WR JR Ennis, Texas (Ennis)--No stats in 2011.
#86 Marcus Holyfield 6-1 195 WR SR Honolulu, Hawaii (Mid-Pacific)--No stats in 2011.
#10 Chayse Joubert 6-0 195 WR JR Duncanville, Texas (Duncanville)--No stats in 2011.
#27 Luke Moffitt 6-2 220 WR SO Corpus Christi, Texas (W. B. Ray)--No stats in 2011.
#38 Cole Nead 6-1 190 WR SO Frisco, Texas (Frisco Centennial HS)--No stats in 2011.
#29 Luke Seeker 5-11 186 WR SO Austin, Texas (St. Michael's Catholic Academy)--No stats in 2011.
#16 Ben Sellers 6-2 215 WR SO Pensacola Beach, Fla. (Pensacola High School)--No stats in 2011.
#85 Bobby Waid 6-4 185 WR SO Katy, Texas (Cinco Ranch HS)--No stats in 2011.
#?? Gehrig Dieter WR South Bend, IN Washington 6'3" 200--Incoming freshman.
#?? Daijuan Stewart WR Baldwin, LA West St Mary School 5'10" 175--Incoming freshman.

The Mustangs have a large number of wide receivers on the roster but senior Darius Johnson is the leader with 78 catches in 2010 and 79 catches in 2011. Johnson is also responsible for 15 career receiving touchdowns in his three years of service. Der'rikk Thompson, Jeremy Johnson, and Keenan Holman combined for 51 catches and 9 touchdowns and will be a very good starting group for the Mustangs this fall. Behind the starting group, Holleman (1 catch) and Joseph (1 catch) are the only players with any catches last fall. It will be a battle royale among the large number of wide receivers trying to earn playing time this fall.

OL
#75 Kris Weeks 6-5 300 LT SO Sachse, Texas (Sachse)--No stats in 2011. Starter at left tackle.
#60 Christian Miller 6-4 270 LG JR Aledo, Texas (Aledo)--No stats in 2011. Left guard.
#52 Taylor Lasecki 6-3 288 C SO Frisco, Texas (Frisco)--No stats in 2011. Starter at center.
#58 Taylor Reich 6-7 315 RT SO San Diego, Calif. (Westview)--No stats in 2011. Starter at right tackle.
#65 Jordan Favreau 6-2 280 RG SR Coppell, Texas (Coppell)--No stats in 2011. Starter at right guard.
#50 Ben Hughes 6-4 280 LT JR Sugar Land, Texas (Austin)--1 game played. Backup left tackle.
#72 Ben Gottschalk 6-5 275 OL JR Sherman Oaks, Calif. (Notre Dame)--13 games played.
#68 Ashton Duhe 6-3 308 C JR Destrehan, La. (Destrehan)--No stats in 2011. Backup center.
#?? Chauncey Briggs OL West Bloomfield, MI West Bloomfield 6'6" 315--Incoming freshman.
#?? Christian Chamagua OL Manvel, TX Manvel 6'6" 290--Incoming freshman.
#?? Seaver Myers OL Friendswood, TX Friendswood 6'6" 290--Incoming freshman.
#?? Sam Rice OL Coppell, TX Coppell 6'4" 285--Incoming freshman.
#?? Chase Walling OL Dallas, TX Lake Highlands 6'6" 270--Incoming freshman.

While big things are expected out of Line for his senior year, everything could come crashing down with none of the 5 starters from 2011 returning for the 2012 season. The line looks to be a very young group with three sophomores, a junior and a senior as the projected starters. Unless this line can mesh immediately and open holes for Line, this could be a very long fall for the Mustangs.

DL
#94 Beau Barnes 6-5 238 DE JR Friendswood, Texas (Friendswood)--7 games played. 5 tackles, 1 for loss. 0.5 sacks.
#96 Cameron Smith 6-2 265 DE JR Austin, Texas (McNeil)--13 games played. 2 tackles.
#54 Darrian Wright 6-2 290 DT JR Dayton, Texas (Dayton)--7 games played. 2 tackles.
#97 Spencer Conley 6-4 250 DE SO Salt Lake City, Utah (Judge Memorial)--No stats in 2011.
#99 Christian Holloway 6-5 260 DE FR? Torrance, Calif. (Bishop Montgomery)--No stats in 2011.
#95 Andew McCleneghen 6-6 255 DE SO Plano, Texas (The Highlands School)--No stats in 2011.
#43 Jarrett Spencer 6-4 265 DE SO Rockwall, Texas (Rockwall)--No stats in 2011.
#47 Zach Wood 6-3 265 DE SO Rowlett, Texas (Rowlett)--No stats in 2011.
#66 Gareth Riley-Ayers 5-11 285 DT SO Atlanta, Ga. (Westminster)--No stats in 2011.
#?? Brian Cramer DE Round Rock, TX Stony Point 6'5" 230--Incoming freshman.
#?? Elie Nabushosi DE Frisco, TX Heritage 6'4" 240--Incoming freshman.
#?? Jarvis Pruitt DE Houston, TX Stratford 6'3" 220--Incoming freshman.
#?? Nick Reed DT Texarkana, TX Pleasant Grove 6'1" 265--Incoming freshman.

The defensive line has many of the same problems that the offensive line have. There are only three returning defensive linemen with any game experience with Beau Barnes, Cameron Smith, and Darrian Wright playing last fall. While they did play last fall, the trio combined for only 9 tackles as a group. There is a reasonably large group of players including 4 true freshmen that will all have a chance to log significant minutes on the Mustang defense this fall. It is conceivable for the freshmen to see a lot of playing time this fall.

LB
#23 Stephon Sanders 6-3 230 SLB JR Mesquite, Texas (Horn)--12 games played, 5 starts. 26 tackles, 5.5 for loss. 3 sacks, 1 interception, 5 pbu, 6 pd.
#30 Randall Joyner 5-10 228 LB SR Carrollton, Texas (Newman Smith)--13 games played, 1 start. 43 tackles, 2.5 for loss. 1 pbu, 1 pd, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble.
#44 Taylor Reed 6-0 240 MLB SR Beaumont, Texas (West Brook)--12 games played, 12 starts. 1 carry for 7 yards. 101 tackles, 9.5 for loss. 4 sacks, 3 pbu, 3 pd, 1 fumble recovery, 1 forced fumble.
#99 Robert Seals 6-3 230 WLB SO Pearland, Texas (Dawson)--No stats in 2011.
#12 Cody Worthen 5-11 210 SLB SR Seabrook, Texas (Portland State)--10 games played. 9 tackles, 0.5 for loss. 0.5 sacks.
#03 Kevin Pope 5-10 225 MLB SR Mt. Enterprise, Texas (Mt. Enterprise)--13 games played. 2 kickoff returns for 14 yard average. 40 tackles, 1 for loss. 1 sack, 1 pbu, 1 pd.
#46 John Bordano 6-2 235 LB JR New Braunfels, Texas (New Braunfels)--1 game played. No stats.
#52 Brandon Henderson 6-2 229 LB SR Abilene, Texas (Cooper)--No stats in 2011.
#48 Craig Jackson 6-0 205 LB JR Newport Beach, Calif. (Sage)--No stats in 2011.
#42 Derek Longoria 6-1 225 LB FR? Brownwood, Texas (Brownwood)--No stats in 2011.
#57 Jordan Miller 6-3 215 LB JR Atlanta, Ga. (Holy Episcopal)--No stats in 2011.
#35 Uchenna Nwabuike 6-1 225 LB JR Missouri City, Texas (Hightower)--9 games played. 8 tackles, 1 for loss. 1 sack.
#59 Lincoln Schick 6-2 220 LB SR Southlake, Texas (Southlake Carroll)--12 games played. 2 tackles.
#45 Jonathan Yenga 6-2 205 LB SO Euless, Texas (Trinity)--No stats in 2011.
#?? Prescott Line LB Oxford, MI Oxford 6'0" 215--Incoming freshman.
#?? Damien Neroes LB Garland, TX Garland 6'1" 215--Incoming freshman.
#?? Lincoln Richard LB Everman, TX Everman 6'3" 215--Incoming freshman.

The Mustangs run a 3-4 defense and have a reasonably experienced group led by senior Taylor Reed who made 101 tackles and 4 sacks last fall. Flanking Reed are Stephon Sanders (26 tackles), Randall Joyner (43 tackles), and Robert Seals who make up what looks to be a decent linebacker corps. Worthen (9 tackles), Pope (40 tackles), Nwabuike (8 tackles), and Schick (2 tackles) all are backups ready to make an impact and make some big defensive plays for the Mustangs this fall.

DB
#24 James Richardson 5-9 180 CB JR Baton Rouge, La. (Central)--11 games played. 26 kickoff returns for 21.3 yard average. 1 tackle.
#21 Kenneth Acker 6-0 195 CB SR Portland, Ore. (Grant)--13 games played, 13 starts. 2 kickoff returns for 12.5 yard average. 63 tackles, 1 for loss. 1 interception, 4 pbu, 5 pd.
#07 Jay Scott 6-1 210 SS SR Houston, Texas (Strake Jesuit)--12 games played, 3 starts. 21 tackles. 1 pbu, 1 pd, 1 fumble recovery.
#20 Ryan Smith 5-11 195 FS SR Houston, Texas (Lamar)--11 games played, 11 starts. 65 tackles, 1 for loss. 4 pbu, 4 pd.
#06 Daniel Roundtree 6-2 195 SS SR Norwalk, California (Cerritos C.C.)--No stats in 2011.
#01 Chris Parks 6-1 185 CB SR Conroe, Texas (Conroe)--13 games played. 1 punt return for -6 yards. 1 defensive touchdown. 9 tackles. 1 fumble recovery.
#04 Jeremy Gray 5-11 195 FS SR Ashburn, Va. (Briar Woods)--11 games played.
#22 Hayden Greenbauer 6-0 210 DB JR San Antonio, Texas (Tom C. Clark)--4 games played. 2 tackles.
#25 Rodney Hubert 5-11 165 DB SO Brenham, Texas (Brenham)--No stats in 2011.
#09 Lazarri Middleton 6-0 195 DB SR Long Beach, Calif. (Nebraska)--No stats in 2011.
#17 Blake Poston 5-9 180 DB SO Dallas, Texas (Highland Park)--No stats in 2011.
#15 Aaron Stafford 5-9 175 DB SO Fort Worth, Texas (Paschal HS)--No stats in 2011.
#10 John Tavarez 5-11 190 DB SO San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (Mater Dei)--No stats in 2011.
#?? A.J. Justice DB Houston, TX Stratford 6'1" 195--Incoming freshman.
#?? Ty Law DB Orlando, FL Lake Highland 5'10" 170--Incoming freshman.
#?? Ajee Montes DB La Puente, CA Bishop Amat 5'11" 180--Incoming freshman.
#?? Shakiel Randolph DB Waco, TX Midway 6'5" 190--Incoming freshman.
#?? Horace Richardson DB Everman, TX Everman 6'0" 175--Incoming freshman.

The Mustang secondary has some experience but lost a lot from 2011's secondary. Ryan Smith is the leader after making an impressive 65 tackles as a junior. Smith is entering his third year as a starter and should make even more tackles this fall. Flanking Smith are James Richardson (1 tackle), Acker (63 tackles), and Jay Scott (21 tackles). Nebraska transfer Lazarri Middleton will be fighting Richardson for the cornerback spot and Daniel Roundtree should fight Scott for the safety spot. Outside of Smith and Acker, there are spots that must be filled and could not be determined till the week opening day for the Mustangs.

K
#42 Chase Hover 6-2 195 K SR Dallas, Texas (Blinn College)--11 games played. 8-10 field goal attempts. Long of 34 yards. 38-40 extra point attempts. 1 kickoff.
#34 Cody Rademacher 5-10 180 K JR Austin, Texas (Air Force)--No stats in 2011.

Senior Chase Hover was good in 2011 making 8 of his 10 field goal attempts last fall for the Mustangs. His leg strength is a question as evidenced by his long in 2011 being only 34 yards. The Mustangs must depend on the progression of Hover this fall with a green offensive line that may not be able to get that extra couple of yards that an experienced line got SMU in 2011.

P
#99 Mike Loftus 6-1 200 P/K JR Anaheim, Calif. (Servite)--13 games played. 0-1 field goal attempts. 62 kickoffs with 13 touchbacks. 2 tackles.
#31 Matt Medcalf 6-3 205 P R-FR Ada, Okla. (Ada)--No stats in 2011.

The punting duties look to be in question with the season less than 2 months away. Junior Mike Loftus is a kicker and punter but looks to use his strong leg for the punting game this fall. Redshirt freshman Matt Medcalf redshirted in 2011 but will push Loftus for punting responsibilities this fall.

ATH
#?? Colin Lagasse ATH Austin, TX Lake Travis 5'11" 190--Incoming freshman.


With an inexperienced offensive line and quarterback, things could drop a notch for the Mustangs this fall. The saving grace for the offense are the immense talents of running back Zach Line and wide receiver Darius Johnson who will vie for 1st-team all conference duties this fall. 2011 saw the Mustangs go 8-5 with wins over TCU, UCF, and Pitt while only having one bad blemish (a loss to a down Navy squad). 2012 brings a tough start to the season with a trip to Baylor and home games versus Texas A&M and TCU with a slight reprieve versus FCS Stephen F. Austin. With Houston, Tulsa, and Southern Miss coming to visit SMU, the only scary road trip is a game versus UCF. 8 wins is possible in a slightly down Conference USA but with the out of conference schedule so difficult, 7-5 may be the best the Mustangs can hope for this fall.

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