Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith was well aware of the number 181 as he prepared to play in the 2007 Liberty Bowl. Smith was 181 yards shy of the NCAA single-season rushing record of 2,628 yards set by Barry Sanders at Oklahoma State in 1988. Smith fell 62 yards short, but set another record with 450 rushing attempts, topping the single-season mark of 405 carries by Marcus Allen of Southern California in 1981. Smith's 180 points scored in 2007 rank fourth on the NCAA list. The school's all-time leading rusher after just three seasons, Smith proved to be durable and a true workhorse for the Knights during his junior year. He was a model of consistency, scoring at least once in 12 of the 14 games in which he appeared. He registered 13 100-yard rushing performances, including five games of at least 200 yards and a career-high 320 yards vs. Alabama-Birmingham. Smith lettered three times in football at Southridge High School. He was a two-time All-Dade County selection as both a running back and free safety, recording 53 tackles with four interceptions during his senior season. He scored a touchdown on both a punt return and fumble recovery. As a junior, he rushed for 1,125 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was also a member of the school's Academic Honor Roll. Smith was not heavily recruited coming out of high school, choosing Central Florida over Akron in 2005. He went on to earn Freshman All-Conference USA honors, as he set the school freshman rushing record with 1,178 yards and nine touchdowns on 249 carries (4.7-yard average). His 1,178 yards rank fourth on the school's overall season rushing list. He also had eight receptions for 44 yards (5.5-yard average), as he produced five 100-yard efforts on the ground. As a sophomore, Smith earned second-team All-Conference USA honors, despite missing three games. He was suspended vs. South Florida for a violation of team curfew and sat out the final two contests vs. Tulane and Alabama-Birmingham with a right shoulder injury. He finished with 206 attempts for 934 yards (4.5-yard average) and seven touchdowns, adding 158 yards on 23 catches (6.9 avg). Smith was a consensus All-American and All-Conference USA first-team choice. The league's co-Offensive Player of the Year -- along with East Carolina's Chris Johnson and Tulane's Matthew Forte' -- produced record-breaking seasons, with Johnson winning the NCAA all-purpose yardage title, and Smith and Forte' were two of college football's three 2,000-yard rushers in 2007. Yet, all three were slighted by the voters for the Doak Walker Award (nation's top running back). Few could argue that Smith's final season at Central Florida was anything short of outstanding. He scored 29 times on 450 carries for 2,567 yards (5.7-yard average). He hauled in 24 passes for 242 yards (10.1 avg) and a score, recorded two solo tackles and amassed 2,809 all-purpose yards, an average of 200.64 yards per game. Smith started 34 of 36 games at Central Florida, establishing new career records with 905 carries for 4,864 yards (5.37-yard average) and 45 touchdowns. His 4,864 yards rank second in Conference USA history. He caught 55 passes for 444 yards (8.1 avg) and a score, as he totaled 276 points. He posted four solo tackles and amassed 5,123 all-purpose yards, an average of 142.31 yards per game.

positives

Has the frame to carry at least another 10 pounds of bulk with no loss in quickness...While he lacks ideal strength to move the pile, he has good stop-and-go agility to elude...Has superb pick-and-slide skills, showing shifty lateral moves and very good feet to break free for big yardage into the second level...Compensates for a lack of lower-body power with very good flexibility, showing the quick-twitch movement and burst to accelerate past defenders in the open field...His loose hips allow him to adjust and redirect to cutback lanes without having to throttle down much...Tough and competitive athlete who will play with pain...Has a decent team attitude and, except for one incident -- was suspended one game in 2006 for a curfew violation -- has been compliant to the wishes of the coaching staff...Runs with good leverage and balance, keeping his feet when turning the corner, as he shows the ability to bounce off tackles...Has the second gear and in-line acceleration to make the first tackler miss...Gets most of his yardage in the open field thanks to his burst through the hole...His suddenness out of his stance helps him get an advantage and you can see on film how his lateral quickness helps him duck in-and-out of the crowd working in-line (not the type to move the pile)...Will run into spots at times, but generally shows good anticipation skills to find the openings...Uses and sets up his blocks well, showing the balance to pick his way around a crowd...Can push the ball some after contact, but is best when he eludes rather than trying to overpower...Very elusive in space and if he locates a crease, he can take the ball the distance...His burst is evident when reaching the corner and he can immediately accelerate out of his cuts...Even with his speed, he can be deceptive on the perimeter, where he gets a lot of carries and had success outrunning the defender in space...It is very rare to see him gather before making the cut and his shifty feet will usually cause defenders to miss trying to tackle him in the short area...Covers the ball well on contact and has enough upper-body strength and ball security that fumbles won't be an issue...Runs crisp short-area routes, but is best used on screens and dump-offs (needs to look the ball in better on long routes)...Has that natural feel for the rushing lanes and does a good job of picking up his feet to side-step trash...Shows great effort to finish his runs and while he might not have great bulk, he has become an adequate cut blocker, taking good angles to stalk second level defenders.

compares to

JUSTIN FARGAS-Oakland...Like Fargas, Smith is very effective when he runs at a low pad level. He has excellent pick-and-slide agility and builds his acceleration nicely. He is used mostly on controlled routes, but is efficient as an underneath receiver. He needs to add bulk to his frame, but with his pitter-patter running style, he has good avoidance skills to escape trash running inside. He might run into spots at times, but shows good patience following blocks. Put him with a formidable offensive line and his bulk issues won't be much of a factor.

negatives

Has decent muscle tone, but lacks ideal frame thickness, especially in the lower body (looks more like a cornerback than running back)...Has had a high amount of carries and while he showed good durability, he needs to have his work load reduced in order to be more effective...Needs to show better vision running through the rush lanes (will run into spots, evident by the fact that he was tackled for losses 41 times and stopped for no gain at the line of scrimmage 48 times in 2007)...When he gets to tall in his pads, defenders have better success pushing him back, as he does not have the lower-body strength to push the pile...Needs to become more creative and adjust quicker to threats when on the move...Runs hard when he keeps his pads down, but is not the type to punish defenders...Shows good acceleration out of his cuts, but is more of a pick-and-slide type than one that can simply explode through the creases...Has decent willingness as a blocker, but is not a contact seeker...Used mostly on slants and screens as a receiver, as he struggles to adjust to the long throws with his back to the quarterback.

2006: Sat out the Tulane (11/18) and Alabama-Birmingham (11/25) games and missed the fourth quarter of the Memphis game (11/11) after he suffered a right shoulder contusion on the final play of the third quarter vs. the Tigers. 2007: Twisted his ankle in the third quarter vs. North Carolina State (9/01)...Suffered a neck stinger vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (9/29)...

Campus: 4.49 in the 40-yard dash

34-inch vertical jump

Bench pressed 225 pounds 20 times

32 1/4-inch arm length

9 3/4-inch hands. Combine: 4.53 in the 40-yard dash

32-inch vertical jump

10' broad jump

4.49 20-yard shuttle

6.74 3-cone drill

Chose not to participate in the 225-pound bench press or 60-yard shuttle.

Attended Southridge (Miami, Fla.) High School, playing football for head coach Rodney Hunter

Lettered three times in football

Two-time All-Dade County selection as both a running back and free safety, recording 53 tackles with four interceptions during his senior season

Scored a touchdown on both a punt return and fumble recovery that year

As a junior, he rushed for 1,125 yards and 15 touchdowns

Member of the school's Academic Honor Roll.

Liberal Studies major

Son of Pam and Mario Smith

Born 12/17/86

Resides in Miami, Florida.