It was a lofty request, but these days the expectations surrounding DeVonta Smith are limitless.
Before Alabama’s game on Saturday, Smith got a text from former teammate and current Denver Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy calling for him to record 300 yards and three touchdowns against LSU.
The Alabama receiver nearly delivered.
Smith recorded the fourth 200-yard game of his career, pulling in eight receptions for 231 yards and three touchdowns during the Tide’s 55-17 victory in Baton Rouge, La. Although, as far as the senior is concerned, that’s just another day at the office.
“It was all right,” Smith said. “There was some stuff that I felt I left out there or we left out there that I wish I could have done different.”
It’s hard to imagine what that would be.
LSU did just about everything possible to stop the star receiver Saturday night. The Tigers doubled Smith and routinely called on five-star cornerback Derek Stingley cover him. None of it worked.
“He had some challenges out there today because they were trying to take him out of the game,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “He still performed well.”
The highlight of Smith’s night came on his third touchdown when he out jumped Stingley while coming down with a one-handed grab in the back of the end zone. Plays like that from players like Smith at this point in the season would generally be described as “Heisman moments” — that is if receivers actually won the award.
Michigan’s Desmond Howard is the last receiver to win the Heisman Trophy, claiming the honor in 1991. Nine of the last 10 recipients of the award have been quarterbacks, including the last four winners.
Still, Smith is making quite the case for himself this season.
Through nine games this season, the senior leads the nation with 1,305 yards and 15 touchdowns while ranking second with 80 receptions.
Heading into Saturday’s game, the FanDuel Sportsbook listed Smith at 40-1 to win the Heisman, the best odds of any non-quarterback, but still a far way off from Florida’s Kyle Trask (20-27) or even his own Alabama teammate Mac Jones (3-2).
Following his performance Smith acknowledged the nature of the award, stating that quarterbacks naturally had more opportunities to put up numbers. It doesn’t really bother the receiver, who says he has his eyes on different hardware anyway.
“Ultimately, I’m here to win a championship,” Smith said. “If I’m in the Heisman race, I’m in it. I’m not too really focused on it. I’m ultimately here just to win a championship. That’s the reason I came back.”
Saban isn’t one for campaigning either. However, the head coach was asked if his star receiver was the best player in the nation following the game. Saban admitted that he isn’t necessarily in a position to make such a claim since he hasn’t had the opportunity to watch every player this season. However, even he has a hard time denying that Smith is special.
“I love Smitty,” Saban said. “I think he’s an outstanding player for our team. He’s probably done as much this year for our team as any player we’ve ever had. He’s a great leader on the team. So it’s not fair to compare him to somebody else that you didn’t even see. But I don’t think there are many players in the country who have done more for their team than Smitty’s done for our team.”
