Notebook: SMU wraps up spring game
The SMU football team hit the field inside Gerald J. Ford stadium for the final time this spring to put a bow on their first 15 practices under new head coach Rhett Lashlee.
Defense looks much improved
Coming off of a less than stellar year under defensive coordinator, Jim Leavitt, the Mustangs appear to have taken a big leap forward. New DC Scott Symons has talked all spring about making sure that his unit was more physical than a year ago, and tonight they looked like they were up to the task. Ar’mani Johnson continued his strong spring showing, making a pair of nice PBU’s on passes from Tanner Mordecai and Preston Stone. Ben Furgal, Nelson Paul and Jimmy Phillips all made nice open-field tackles on running back pair, Brandon Epton and TJ McDaniel. Junior Aho had a stellar showing, finding himself in the backfield on numerous occasions. Although the quarterbacks were wearing red non-contact jerseys, Aho was credited with 3.5 “sacks” on the evening. Bryan Massey picked off Josh Stupin during the red zone portion of the practice. Stone Eby also recovered a Kameron Allen fumble in the latter half of practice. Jahari Rogers had one of the hardest hits of the entire spring, laying out Hudson Shrum, who had just caught a screen pass.
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Receiving corps leads the way
SMU’s wide receivers capped off their stellar spring performance with a night of great catches. Senior Rashee Rice lead the way, hauling in a 40-yard touchdown grab from Preston Stone, mossing Bryce McMorris in the process. SMU NFL alumni, James Proche and Xavier Jones, took over play calling duties for a drive, dialing up a touchdown pass for their former teammate Austin Upshaw. Brandon Epton scampered for a 25-yard touchdown run at the end of practice, spinning out of a pair of tackles to complete the highlight-reel score.
Other Notes
The special teams unit looked impressive in their short time on the field this evening, with sophomore Brendan Hall, going 5-for-5 on his field goal attempts. Isaiah Nwokobia and Keke Burns made a pair of nice tackles for loss, on running back Tyler Lavine during the beginning of practice. Zane Minors shined during his time on the field, capping his day with a 25-yard touchdown run against the second team defense. Ben Redding finished off an impressive spring campaign, hauling in five catches for 50 yards throughout the course of practice.
