| | NORMAN, Okla. -- When he first enrolled at the University of
Oklahoma in 1994, Jay Smith figured to be long gone by now, making
his way in the working world.
Instead, six football seasons later, Smith is still a member of
the Oklahoma Sooners, a reserve offensive lineman who hopes --
finally -- to end a season by playing in a bowl game.
"I'm the only player left on this team who's actually been to a
bowl," Smith said. "I haven't played in a bowl, but I've been to
a bowl, so I'm trying to let these guys know what it's like, trying
to tell them what it's like so that they can make it to a bowl
game.
"I want to go out on a winning note, too."
Smith, from Arlington, Texas, signed with the Sooners in the
spring of 1994. Oklahoma had gone 9-3 and won a bowl game the year
before that, and he expected to keep on winning and keep on making
postseason trips.
But in 1994, as he sat out as a redshirt, the Sooners struggled
after a 3-1 start and wound up 6-5 during the regular season. They
did go to a bowl game, the Copper Bowl in Tucson, Ariz., but got
whipped 31-6 by Brigham Young in Gary Gibbs' final game as head
coach.
In 1995, under coach Howard Schnellenberger, the Sooners went
5-5-1. Smith, slowed by an elbow injury, saw only limited playing
time. Schnellenberger was forced out and replaced by John Blake.
Smith was healthy in 1996 and started nine games, six at right
tackle and three at left tackle. But Oklahoma won only three games.
He was expected to continue as a starter in 1997, but early that
year he tore an Achilles tendon. He hoped to make it back sometime
during the season, but those hopes were dashed when he tore the
tendon again. Oklahoma went 4-8.
Last season, Blake's third and final year in charge, Smith
played in all 11 games and started three of them. But the Sooners
continued to struggle, going through five quarterbacks and
finishing 5-6.
Instead of deciding to leave well enough alone and move on,
Smith opted to seek a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA. He
cited the fact he essentially had missed two years due to injury -- 1995 and 1997 -- and he was granted the extra year.
"We've had a lot of coaching changes and a lot of ups and
downs, but I made that commitment and that's why I'm here," he
said. "This year I came back for a sixth season because I want to
try and help turn this thing around."
Although the Sooners have been picked to finish fifth in the
South Division of the Big 12, Smith said he believes new coach Bob
Stoops is the right man for the job. Smith has been impressed by a
rigorous offseason program and Stoops' no-excuses way of doing
things.
"Coach Stoops has a better strategy than all the last three
coaches I've seen to try to turn this program around," Smith said.
Schnellenberger, he said, was a disciplinarian but didn't stress
the importance of mental preparation. Blake, Smith said, was "a
player's coach" who tended not to get worked up about players
being late for meetings or workouts.
"This year, we are not going to be outcoached," he said.
"We're going to cut down on the mistakes. There's more discipline,
there's more direction and we understand what's expected of us."
Smith is hoping that's a recipe for success. Finally.
| |
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