Originally Posted by
dawg80
The pressure SHOULD be on Smith to step up and actually deliver this season. And, do that from game one. I say "SHOULD" because if the HC tells ya, just do the best you can but no way will you lose your starter's role...well then...there is no pressure to perform. Let me hasten to add, I don't know if that is really the case or not. Maybe Holtz keeps his thoughts away from the players, just coaching and encouraging them to get better, but in his mind, Holtz actually has some benchmarks he expects players to reach or....
Honestly, we have not yet seen such a situation here under Holtz. There has not been a case when we had a QB who SHOULD be performing at a high level, who didn't. After the first year, 2013, which was a cluster-eff, we have seen Sokol, Driskel, and Higgins all step up. Then last year we had a youngster at QB, who didn't stink it up, just left a LOT to be desired. As DW points out, that can be explained, with the whole youth thingy. Kind of.
If you watch CFB....and I bet you all do! you have seen true freshmen come in at QB and light it up! So...in today's reality, with high schools employing sophisticated passing offenses, kids are often ready to step in at the college level. At least, leaning on the youth thingy comes across as a lame excuse. You know it could be...just maybe....Smith is really not that good. It's possible. But, we'll see.
FOR THE RECORD....I am officially giving Smith thru the LSU game to "show me." I am on his bandwagon for now. I think he will show great improvement...he did look pretty good in the Frisco Bowl, which was his last performance. I expect to see our D kicking butt, and our QB doing a great job leading us to TDs.
I also expect to be 2-0 heading into that LSU game (Super Bowl....whatever Roman numeral you wish) and for us to have an opportunity to win that game. I don't think it's fair to EXPECT the Dawgs to win, as if there is no other possibility. With whatever faults they may have, LSU is still an SEC program stacked with NFL-caliber talent. And, it is a home game for them, which adds a minimum of 10 pts advantage to their ledger. The Dawgs will win, or not, in BR based on how many plays they are able to make that night.