Kevin Smith
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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Kevin Smith (Born December 17, 1986, in Miami, FL) plays running back for the University of Central Florida Knights in the NCAA college football tournament. Smith has had a very successful junior year with UCF as his name has been mentioned as one of the darkhorse to win the most coveted award in college football, the Heisman trophy. Smith, also vying for the Doak Walker Award, is one of the national leaders in terms of scoring and rushing. Smith, who has carried the ball 310 times (most rushes by a college back in state history) had said that he will be returning in a Knight jersey next season for his final year of playing eligibility. [1] Smith is also on the verge of becoming the state's first 2,000-yard rusher which will put him in the same company with all-time college greats Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen, LaDainian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson, Ricky Williams and Mike Rozier.
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Personal Life
Kevin, son of Mario and Pam Smith, is a liberal studies major at UCF.
High School
Smith was a three-year letterwinner at Southridge High School in Miami. Playing under coach Rodney Hunter, Smith registered 1,125 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior. During his senior season, the academic honor roll student also spent time playing defense, recording four interceptions and 53 tackles to go along with a couple of touchdowns from a punt return and fumble recovery. He ended his high school career as a two-year all-Dade County selection both as a running back and a free safety.
College
2005
Although Smith started his collegiate career on a losing note against South Carolina, he nevertheless made an impressive debut as a true freshman after leading the Knights in rushing with 13 carries for 47 yards in a reserve role. He scored his first touchdown two games later in a win against Marshall when he once again led UCF with 18 carries for 60 yards. He followed that game with a breakout performance against Louisiana-Lafayette where he established several true freshman records after rushing for 110 yards on 25 carries. His total rush-yards output made him the first true freshman to rush for 100+ yards since 1992 and also became the 6th true freshman tailback in school history to do the feat. In a win against Memphis the following week, Smith established career highs in carries (31) and rush yards (164, also the 6th-best rushing performance ever by a UCF true freshman), making him also the first UCF true freshman to record back-to-back 100 yard games since 1992. Smith ended his rookie year with a bang after establishing a new career-high and Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl record with his 202 rush yards (29 carries and three scores) against Nevada in the postseason game. He also registered a bowl record for the longest rush with his 78-yard touchdown.
He finished his first year as the nation's second-leading true freshman rusher while in the process setting a UCF school record for most rushing yards by a true freshman and placing himself as no.3 in single season yards in school history with his 1,178 rush yards on 249 carries (2nd-highest amount in single-season history at UCF).
2006
Smith established some personal bests during his sophomore year where he started all nine of the games he played (missed one on coach's decision and sat out two due to injury). He recorded his first 100-yard game three games into the season and tallied his season high (166 yards) the following week. He matched his career high of three rushing TDs in a loss to Houston where he also tied his career high in rushing attempts with 31 and posted career-highs in receptions (4) and receiving yards (36). His season was however cut short after sustaining a shoulder injury in a game against Memphis which forced him to sit out UCF's last two games. Despite that, Smith was still named second-team All-Conference USA performer by the league's head coaches and third-team member by the league's media. His feats include registering three of the Top 20 single-game rushing performances in UCF history, averaging a conference-best 103.8 rush yards per game, racked up sixth-best 934 yards rushing in C-USA, and averaging a C-USA 2nd best 126 rushing ypg in conference games. His two-season total of 2,112 rushing yards also was the most by a sophomore in school history.
2007
After earning a couple of preseason accolades which includes first team All-Conference USA honors and being named into the 2007 Doak Walker Award Watch List, Smith got off to a hot start against N.C. State as he burned the Wolfpack defense with 217 rush yards (2nd-highest in the nation during the opening weekend of 2007) on a career-high 35 carries, highlighted by an 80-yard run to the endzone (longest rush in UCF history). That career performance also earned Smith a C-USA Offensive Player of the Week award. The following week, Smith made it a back-to-back 100-yard and multiple TD game after rushing for 149 yards (most against the Longhorns since 2005) and two touchdowns against Texas. Smith also ran for 124 yards and a career-high-tying three scores against Memphis and 223 yards and three TDs against Louisiana-Lafayette the following week. His 200+ yards effort against ULL was his third, overtaking the school record by Marquette Smith's 2 while his 4th straight 100+ yard game equalled M. Smith's for consecutive 100-yard games which he would break later on. Kevin Smith also recorded a new personal best with four TDs against Tulsa, three of which came from runs and the other coming from his first ever receiving touchdown (15 yards).
But Smith was not done yet as he played a record-breaking game against Southern Miss. He placed himself as UCF's all-time leading rusher after tallying 175 yards on the ground for a grand total of 3,372, on a school record 43 carries and two touchdowns (broke UCF single season marks for rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns scored in a single season). The game, which earned him his second C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors for the season, also marked his 16th 100-rushing yard game. Smith also broke his own school-record for the longest TD after running an 87-yard score against Marshall. He also notched a single-game school record of 320 rushing yards (3rd highest in the FBS for 2007) in a win over UAB.
Highlights
| Kevin Smith runs 80-yards into the endzone on first play from scrimmage in UCF's season opener against N.C. State. |
Achievements
- The State of Florida's and UCF's All-time Rushing Leader (FBS)
- 2007 Heisman Trophy Candidate
- 2007 Doak Walker Award Candidate
- 2007 All-America Candidate
- 2007 Conference USA Player of the Year Candidate
- Regarded in multiple online publications as a "Mid-Season" All-American
- 2nd Team SportsIllustrated.com
- 3rd Team Phil Steele's
- Two-Time C-USA Player of the Week (2007)
- UCF's All-Time Rushing Leader
