[SamuelMcF]

LOL at the idea EJ Smith is a bell cow. The guy who has played in only 14 of the 32 games he's been on campus for? Who is in his fourth year and has had more than five carries in a game three times and only once has had more than 11 carries? Who is in his fourth year and is sitting at an almost irrelevant 565 career yards from scrimmage? Who the only time we've ever tried to make him RB1 fumbled more than practically any RB in history (think about how impressive it is to play less than two games in a season (knocked out late in the third quarter of the second game) and finish 12th in the nation among RBs in fumbles for the entire season)?

I think Smith has skills. I hope he has his best year this year. It's not a high bar to clear. But in no way can his health history, fumble history, high school usage, body, skill set, mentality, confidence level - a single thing - make him a bell cow. There's no world in which we just feed Smith like we would have with Austin Jones or Cameron Scarlett or certainly Christian McCaffrey or Bryce Love. He is what he always was, a talented and if healthy dynamic change of pace/third down/receiving-centric kind of option. I bet he can do some things this year, if he stays healthy and can take care of the ball, both big questions. But no, he's not a bell cow.

I remember your very prescient analysis of EJ Smith as a recruit: he's basically Connor Wedington (who, by the way, should've been a similar change of pace/receiving back) with a way more famous dad.

[SamuelMcF]

LOL at the idea EJ Smith is a bell cow. The guy who has played in only 14 of the 32 games he's been on campus for? Who is in his fourth year and has had more than five carries in a game three times and only once has had more than 11 carries? Who is in his fourth year and is sitting at an almost irrelevant 565 career yards from scrimmage? Who the only time we've ever tried to make him RB1 fumbled more than practically any RB in history (think about how impressive it is to play less than two games in a season (knocked out late in the third quarter of the second game) and finish 12th in the nation among RBs in fumbles for the entire season)?

I think Smith has skills. I hope he has his best year this year. It's not a high bar to clear. But in no way can his health history, fumble history, high school usage, body, skill set, mentality, confidence level - a single thing - make him a bell cow. There's no world in which we just feed Smith like we would have with Austin Jones or Cameron Scarlett or certainly Christian McCaffrey or Bryce Love. He is what he always was, a talented and if healthy dynamic change of pace/third down/receiving-centric kind of option. I bet he can do some things this year, if he stays healthy and can take care of the ball, both big questions. But no, he's not a bell cow.

I remember your very prescient analysis of EJ Smith as a recruit: he's basically Connor Wedington (who, by the way, should've been a similar change of pace/receiving back) with a way more famous dad.