Realistic or not, serious or half-joking, Smith has set the bar high for himself — and he's going to keep it there as he prepares for No. 14 South Carolina on Saturday (TV: ESPN2, 7:15 p.m.) and another chance to make the kind of impact that has generally eluded him so far this season.
"Everybody sets higher standards than what everyone else's expectations are," Smith said. "Of course, I want to do better. Of course I want to make big plays.
"I mean, a sack on every down would satisfy me. But I haven't gotten to that point yet, and I have to continue to get better on the run and pass."
Obviously, the dream of getting to the quarterback on every snap is never going to be realized for Smith, but he's now gone seven games into his sophomore season, without even one full sack to his credit. Last week against Alabama he didn't make a tackle, the second outing this year where he left that column blank on the stats sheet.
"The biggest thing is learning to execute within the framework of the defense," defensive line coach Lance Thompson said. "If you're supposed to be in the C-gap, be in the C-gap. If you make the tackle, great. If you don't make the tackle, that's fine — as long as you're in your gap and somebody's got it. What's frustrating with Jacques is he tries to make plays and see things sometimes where, hey, it will come to you. Just be in your gap, do your job, play your responsibility.
No comments:
Post a Comment