AMES, Iowa -- He began the season as a serious contender for
the Heisman Trophy. He was fast, elusive and had a strong arm --
everything you'd want in a quarterback.
So whatever happened to Brad Smith anyway?
Smith is having his poorest year at Missouri and his team is
faring even worse. Missouri coach Gary Pinkel has been criticized
for turning Smith into a dropback passer, robbing him of the
creativity that made him such a threat. It's almost as if he has
dropped out of sight.
But not to the surging Iowa State Cyclones (6-4, 4-3 Big 12),
who finish the regular season against visiting Missouri on
Saturday. A win would give the Cyclones the Big 12 North title.
"He looks the same," Iowa State linebacker Erik Anderson said.
"He hasn't had type of season that he wants, but just watching him
on film, he's the real deal. He'll make you miss. He'll make you
look stupid."
So far, most teams have contained Smith. After two straight
1,000-yard rushing seasons, he has run for only 452. In last week's
31-14 loss to Kansas, the Tigers' fifth straight, Smith was sacked
six times and had minus 41 yards rushing.
On the plus side, Smith has thrown 17 touchdown passes, one
short of the school record. But his 51.6 completion percentage is
the second lowest among the Big 12 leaders and he ranks 12th in
passing efficiency.
"I think what everybody expects Brad to do is have these huge,
huge games," Pinkel said. "I think the expectation level was so
high that I don't know if he ever had a chance to meet what the
expectation level was. I think he's done a lot of good things, a
lot of positive things."
So does Iowa State coach Dan McCarney. Smith burned Iowa State
for 303 total yards, including 195 rushing, in a 45-7 victory last
year. As a freshman in 2002, Smith had 318 yards in a showdown with
Seneca Wallace that ended with Iowa State winning 42-35.
"He's every bit as dangerous, he's every bit as talented,"
said McCarney, whose team has won four straight. "Maybe
offensively they've not made quite as many big plays, but I'm not
any less nervous about playing Brad Smith than I was the last two
years."
Still, neither Smith nor anyone else has been able to get
Missouri (4-6, 2-5) out of its funk. The five-game losing streak is
the longest since 1995 for the Tigers, the preseason favorites to
win the Big 12 North.
They've blown halftime leads of 17 and 21 points, then did just
the opposite against Kansas, falling behind 28-0 before mounting a
mild rally.
"Nobody could tell me at the beginning of the season that this
was gonna happen to us," Missouri tailback Damien Nash said. "Now
it's happened, it's just crazy."