Durham says "Jonathan Smith was Tech's best player"

[GT Ace]

Durham says "Jonathan Smith was Tech\'s best player"

"down the stretch". In Wes' column (page) in the latest issue of the Rambling Wreck he mentions "Six players to watch in '03";
1)Jonathan Smith:After battling injuries & figuring out his role within this offense, Smith was Tech's best player down the stretch. Gailey & O'B found a way to get him the ball in several fashions & he was effective with it.
2)Reuben Houston: He was a force in the GT secondary. When u think back to big plays & big hits on D, Houston had his share of them. Houston came in vs Fresno & had a couple of pass breakups & a forced fumble.
3)LeKeldrick Bridges:After waiting for Bridges to piece together a full game for Tech it happened in San Jose. The burner got loose & became Tech's best deep threat. If he's consistent next fall, he could be the next big burner for the passing game.
4)Keyaron Fox:Every time you see him he is making plays on defense.Fox is set for a big Sr yr & could be a MARQUEE player in the ACC.
5&6)Greg Gathers & Tony Hollings:Certainly can't forget these 2. Both are expected to return at full speed next Fall, but are unlikely to go through much contact work in the Spring. Hollings was soely missed after his injury. Gathers condition has improved.

 

[JoltinJacket]

Re: Durham says "Jonathan Smith was Tech\'s best player"

Originally posted by GT Ace:
2)Reuben Houston: He was a force in the GT secondary. When u think back to big plays & big hits on D, Houston had his share of them. Houston came in vs Fresno & had a couple of pass breakups & a forced fumble.

<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">The play I'll always remember is Reuben's Don Beebe-esque strip of the Carolina tight end at the goal line. Without it, Tech goes down 20-14 in the game and who knows what happens after that. He will a force for us in the next 3 years. (Wasn't he the one that forced the fumble downfield late against NC State too?)

 

[GTTerrific]

Re: Durham says "Jonathan Smith was Tech\'s best player"

JJ, yeah he forced a fumble in NCST game. They were always so big.

He's special athlete. Remember watching him in practice when he arrived at gt. He grew quickly into that defensive mind set. At cb he gives us physical dimension we really need. Saw him take some serious licks with contact in practice when he arrived early on. He's dishing it out now. I give him and the coaching staff a lot of credit for him being such a defensive player quickly when he was an offensive guy in HS.

One of my favorits! Want to see our defense punishing.

He's one of the guys on our team I'd like to see running back kickoffs. To me he and Davis would be awesome return guys.

 

[gtfan1147]

Re: Durham says "Jonathan Smith was Tech\'s best player"

JJ, I think it was Houston who caused both fumbles. I remember that he strpped Carolina's TE and Jeremy Muyres recovered it. I can't remembered if he stripped T.A. Mclendon or not. For some reason, I thought it was Cory Collins. I 'll check the tape.

 

[gtfan1147]

Re: Durham says "Jonathan Smith was Tech\'s best player"

Sorry, couldn't find the tape.

 

[GTTerrific]

Re: Durham says "Jonathan Smith was Tech\'s best player"

This thread has me thinking. Ut ohhhhhhh Trouble huh?

In our D system they like to play the nickel back a lot. Wonder who will be the guy there with what seems obvious with Rub taking over at corner? That might be an interesting battle in the spring.

Battles are a good thing!

 

[GT Adamni]

Re: Durham says "Jonathan Smith was Tech\'s best player"

Cory Collins caused the fumble of TA McClendon in the NC State game. I think Houston recovered it, maybe, but I'm not positive about that.

I am looking forward to seeing Houston as one of our starting corners next year. In general, I don't think there will be a dropoff in our secondary next year despite losing 3 starters. I think there may actually be an upgrade. There is an upgrade in talent at least, although we do lose a lot of experience. Butler and Landry have a lot more speed and athletecism than the safties we started this year. Hester had a lot of experience, but Houston has the capability of being a star. Hopefully it will pan out that way.