Wednesday, August 27, 2008
By Brice Cherry
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Playmaker.
It’s one of the highest compliments one can grant a football player. In the vernacular of the gridiron, a playmaker is that unique individual who, no matter where he is on the field, can somehow find a way to make something special happen.
Alphonso Smith is that guy for Wake Forest. He’s a playmaking savant, and he doesn’t even need the ball in his hands to do it.
“He’s just a good ballplayer all around,” Baylor junior quarterback Blake Szymanski said. “He has a knack for reacting and making plays.”
Smith’s roots as a playmaker run deep. Long before he was an all-ACC cornerback for the Demon Deacons, Smith starred on youth-league teams in his native Florida. At Pahokee High School, he established himself as a one-man highlight film, quarterbacking his team to the Class 2B state championship as a senior.
Smith dropped the quarterback gig when he reached Wake Forest, but he never dropped the mentality.
“I played offense my whole life,” he said. “I played defense too, but I never played a full season of defense only until I got to Wake Forest. So I still kind of think like an offensive player sometimes. When we create a turnover, I’m always looking to take it back for a score.”
Baylor coach Art Briles said Smith’s offensive background is evident on film.
“He’s a very intelligent player, a high school quarterback, so he understands both sides of the ball,” Briles said. “He’s a guy we’re certainly aware of on the football field.”
One of Smith’s nicknames is “Prime,” and he is not one to shy away from the prime-time spotlight. On the first play of the 2007 season, Smith pounced on a pass from Boston College’s Matt Ryan, returning it 21 yards for a touchdown.
“That’s a nice way to start a season,” Smith said. “You really want to set the tone. You’re just so ready to go. It’s fun to go against someone different than your teammates, who you’ve seen all camp. So to get a pick on the first play like that was fun.”
Smith’s opening-play pick was the start — literally — of something big for the cornerback. He tied for the national lead in interceptions with eight, and his four forced fumbles and 18 defended passes topped the ACC. In all, Smith was single-handedly responsible for forcing 12 turnovers, best in the country.
“As a defensive player, your job is to create turnovers, one way or the other,” he said. “The way we do that at Wake Forest, our motto, is to just have 11 guys flying around out there. I think the more you fly around and the faster you play, the more fun you have, and the more likely you are to create fun things, like turnovers.”
Smith returned three of his eight interceptions for scores last year, including a jaw-dropping 100-yard runback against Maryland that propelled the Demon Deacons from a 24-3 deficit to an eventual 31-24 overtime win.
“That was kind of a bittersweet play, actually,” Smith said. “It was fun, but man was I tired after running those 100 yards.”
Needless to say, Baylor’s quarterbacks have watched their share of film of Smith and are fully aware of his many gifts and talents. But that doesn’t mean they won’t challenge him or will avoid throwing in his direction.
“You have to be aware, but you can’t be extra careful because you don’t want to play scared,” freshman QB Robert Griffin said. “You don’t want to say, ‘Oh, I don’t want to throw his way because he’ll take it to the house.’ You’ve got to play with confidence, too. You’re an athlete in college and so is he, and you’re both here for a reason. So you’ve got to trust yourself.”
Baylor has struggled with turnovers in recent years, which seemingly would only stimulate a ball-hawk like Smith all the more.
But the Wake Forest star said he’s not counting on the Bears to give him anything.
“I don’t think I’ll get that lucky, and get another pick to start off the season,” Smith said. “Those things happen only once in a blue moon. . . . We don’t really know what to expect from Baylor. Sometimes you’re more familiar with an opponent, but Baylor’s bringing in a new coaching staff, so everything’s going to be different. I’ve got to go out there and play like my hair is on fire, just like always.”
bcherry@wacotrib.com
757-5714
Commenting is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. M-F, except on Tuesday when it's open until 9 p.m.
Post a comment
*HTML not allowed in comments. Your e-mail address is required.