FB | Hard-hitting Smith stars for defense

By: Mike Janela

Posted: 10/21/05

Anthony Smith could've spent his college career as an Ohio State Buckeye, roaming the secondary in his home state with stickers on his helmet and a hometown just three hours away.

OSU head coach Jim Tressel offered Smith a football scholarship after his junior year of high school in Hubbard, Ohio, in an attempt to lock down an in-state talent.

If it hadn't been for Smith's dad, Homer, Syracuse's starting free safety would have most likely spent the last four seasons in Columbus, Ohio, instead of Central New York.

"I didn't allow him to commit to OSU before his senior year," Homer Smith, Anthony's biological great uncle and adoptive father, said. "He'd have to commit before his senior year, but I knew there were better schools than OSU. So, they withdrew his scholarship offer and that was a-OK with me and it became OK with Anthony."

The decision has been OK with the Orange, too, which has enjoyed Smith as a defensive flare on a team that has otherwise played rather dimly in his time at SU. The Orange visits Heinz Field to play Pittsburgh on Saturday at noon.

Since starting his 2002 freshman season on special teams, Smith now sits third all time in tackles by a defensive back in Orange history. He also ties for first in most blocked kicks in a game, season and career.

But maybe most importantly, he's offered stability in the secondary for three seasons while question marks popped up at positions all around him.

"Back then he was a little skinny kid," cornerback and classmate Steve Gregory said. "He obviously bulked up. Since the day he got here, though, he's always presented himself as a playmaker."

Though the term has grown cliché, playmaker sums up what Smith offers in the defensive backfield.

Known for his hard hitting, the consensus says Smith lays the most vicious tackles of all the Orange. He rated his brutal first-quarter sack of Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel on Saturday as a 10.5 on a scale of one to 10.

When Smith's time at Syracuse ends, those who remember him will laud his hitting ability as well as his tremendous ballhawk talents - evidenced by five career blocked kicks and 12 career interceptions, two of which came Saturday against Rutgers.

"I've been playing a long time," Smith said. "Just being able to perform in front of fans and just make exciting plays and get the 'oohs' and 'ahhs;' it's the excitement of the game I like."

Smith began playing football a few weeks shy of his sixth birthday, despite local league rules that players be at least 6 years old before playing. A special exemption was made for Smith since he would turn 6 during the season.

Growing up, Smith played not only football, but baseball, basketball and track. With two of his four adopted brothers - Donny and Matthew - only months apart in age, Smith had constant backyard competition and permanent teammates as the years passed.

Living on a property more than 5 acres large, the Smith boys found plenty of time to hone their skills once their actual games came to an end.

"There have been times when in high school they played Liberty (an opposing school)," Homer Smith said, "and there was a dispute in the game and the Liberty kids played the Hubbard kids in the backyard to settle the dispute. It was the place where the neighborhood kids came to play football from forever."

It's surprising opposing players chose to play Smith extracurricularly, considering he totaled 12 interceptions, 3,262 rushing yards and 55 touchdowns in his junior and senior years of high school.

Smith liked the backyard scrums, but it's always been the games against nonfamilial opponents he enjoyed most.

"It was mad competition," Smith said. "It was a lot of fun, but I have more fun playing against people I don't know - (you) get to embarrass them instead."

The embarrassment that Smith doled out helped land interest from Ohio State, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Syracuse when his high school days came to an end.

Ohio State offered too early. Pitt didn't impress much and Smith just didn't like Notre Dame. That left WVU and SU left to battle for Smith's services, a fight that the Mountaineers had won until the last round.

In fact, a number of recruiting Web sites at the time said Smith was all but assured to wear the blue and yellow.

"I was up there almost every week," Smith said. "I loved their coaches, but Syracuse was more of a powerhouse coming into this. I had the same opportunity at both schools, but I decided to come to Syracuse."

In the meantime, Ohio State has won a national championship and West Virginia has appeared in three straight bowl games.

Syracuse must win out this season to avoid making Smith's senior class the first since 1974 to not have one winning season at SU.

Chances are likely Smith won't be able to avoid that losing fate, but don't mistake him for a lack of effort.

"That's what I plan on doing," Smith said earlier this season about SU winning out. "That's why I came here, the winning tradition. I don't want to be the first class to break the chain."