AU FOOTBALL: Smith’s skill set vital to offense

Editor’s note: This is the second in an eight-part series highlighting eight Auburn starters who don’t exactly generate many headlines, but make irreplaceable contributions in a game that goes beyond “the stars.”

If anything, former tailback Ben Tate was one of Auburn’s more honest players over the past few seasons.

Prompted about players, or coaches, he didn’t think deserved praise, Tate often pleaded the fifth or let his Cheshire cat grin tell you how he truly felt.

That never happened last season whenever Eric Smith’s name popped up.

Tate might have been a little biased, considering that Smith was one of his better friends on the team, but it was clear that he respected all the little things Smith did as an H-back.

“He’s a team player. He lays it on the line,” Tate said. “Some people don’t realize or actually get to see what he does for us.

“I appreciate him and I let him know it because he does a heck of a job of blocking.”

Football is loaded with stats galore, but there isn’t a truly fair way to quantify what a player like Smith brings to the offense.

What makes Smith even more valuable, though, is that he does quantify his worth by catching passes on third downs, plowing through the line on that all-important third-and-1 or taking a few carries at tailback whenever the starter needs a spell.

Smith simply is Auburn’s Mr. Everything.

His resume
Smith arrived at Auburn for Tommy Tuberville’s final season and immediately drew comparisons to former downhill runner Rudi Johnson.

It was lofty praise. And it was a projection offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn didn’t exactly agree with when he took over as offensive coordinator in 2009.

Malzahn saw a player that wasn’t going to contend with Tate and Onterio McCalebb for the traditional tailback role. He saw a player that fit in perfectly with his versatile H-Back position, especially for blocking situations.

Smith’s biggest hurdle of adversity toward embracing that role was self-inflicted. He was arrested in early August for misdemeanor disorderly conduct. He was later charged with Class A assault, another misdemeanor, and was ultimately suspended for one game.

Smith was also ruled ineligible for the Outback Bowl because of academic concerns.

Between those two incidents, though, Smith was arguably one of Auburn’s most valuable offensive players. He rushed for nearly 100 yards and a touchdown and also caught 18 passes for 226 yards — the majority of which seemingly came on crucial, third-and-longs.

Smith should be eligible when practice opens next week and the door should be open for him to assume full-time duties at H-back.

Why he’s important
Malzahn’s offense thrives on versatility and there’s no position that demands it more than H-back.

Mario Fannin, who has played more than four positions in his football career, seemed to fit the H-back mold perfectly. But, as Fannin would often admit, he wasn’t the best blocker.

That’s where Smith’s importance reigned strongest in 2009. Though by no means the runner or playmaker that Fannin is, Smith brought value on passing downs that didn’t require the H-back to go out for passes, running plays where Tate broke out to the side or, simply, the basic
running plays between the tackles.

“We move him around,” Malzahn said. “He allows us to put him in a lot of different positions and gives us a lot of flexibility.“

Who’s behind him?
It’s always tough to define what players are playing in what specific spots in Malzahn’s amorphous offense, but there are clearly fewer options at H-back this season than there were in 2009.

Gone, for the time being, is Fannin, who will get his first real crack at taking over the everyday tailback job. Gone is Dontae Aycock, whom many projected as a prototypical H-back, but is now trying to walk on at South Florida. And gone are lesser-knowns John Douglas and Jason
King, both of whom were arrested for respective DUIs last December.

That left Smith, Philip Lutzenkirchen and redshirt freshman Robert Cooper as Auburn’s H-backs this past spring. Cooper, a former quarterback, is still trying to gain weight and appears to be a work in progress. Lutzenkirchen will certainly see the field in 2010, but it could very well be in a role similar to Tommy Trott’s in 2009. Lutzenkirchen is versatile, has been receiving extra tutelage and, as of spring practice, was training to prepare for H-back duties, but his danger as a traditional tight end might be tough to overlook.

That leaves Smith to resume the role he performed so well in 2009.

“He’s a smart, smart player,” Malzahn said. “He understands football, he understands concepts. He’s tough. He’s one of our all-around guys that can give us a lot of flexibility.”

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