Geno Smith-Not Just Another College Quarterback!
Who is Geno Smith? After this year’s Orange Bowl, what other question was there? Sure, there had been chatter during the season!! We all knew he had swagger…but seriously….who is this kid? He can’t be just another prototypical new-wave quarterback (ala Cam Newton and Aaron Rodgers)? Maybe he’s the one who’ll break the mold as he gets drafted; stand as the bridge between the past and present QBs. If nothing else, this kid’s already got history!!
Eugene “Geno” Smith grew up so close to Sun Life Stadium (the old Joe Robbie-Pro Player-Dolphin Stadium) that he and some of his teammates (also from Miramar/Miami) planned to walk home after this year’s Orange Bowl. This wasn’t his first trip to the stadium though! At the age of 11, Geno played Little League in the original Orange Bowl stadium. It only makes sense that with his return home, his coach from Miramar High School would be in the stands as the West Virginia Mountaineers won in their first Orange Bowl appearance! A stellar player in high school, Geno had earned such accolades as Sun Sentinel Florida Class 6A Player of the Year. He was also rated the number one player in Broward County according to both the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun Sentinel, and finished his high school career as the third-best passer in Broward County history. …but he was only getting started!
As he moved on to WVU, it didn’t take him long to emerge to the starting QB position! After finishing his freshman season with an 81.1 quarterback rating, he started his sophomore year leading the Big East in passing yards and passing efficiency (after two games) and ended having become Big East Offensive Player of the Week twice (four times by junior year). Smith attributes his junior year performance to his new WVU head coach, Dana Holgorsen. With the new pass-based offensive system, he saw his passing numbers improve drastically. This might fare well for him as he moves into his senior year and subsequent draft opportunities arise. Given the recent controversy over the effectiveness of NFL quarterbacks’ passing vs. rushing games, having a superior passing game may help him transition into a franchise QB in the NFL. Given his mobility and agility (clearly he has a great arm, and isn’t confined to the pocket), though, it’s possible it doesn’t matter.
For now, I’m sure he’s happy to settle for West Virginia’s 70-33 win over the Clemson Tigers at the 2012 Orange Bowl. Smith tied three individual bowl records: most touchdown passes (six), most touchdowns overall (seven) and total points (42). His 401 yards passing broke Tom Brady’s Orange Bowl record of 396 (set in 2000). Smith, who was the game’s MVP, also became the Big East’s single season passing leader with 4,379 yards….and all this with NO interceptions!! As the Mountaineers leave the Big East and move into the Big 12 (pending lawsuits), Geno Smith may have some challenges as they play amongst more competitive teams, but I doubt he’ll have any trouble at all. Geno seems to have all the moves!
