Towson's Smith has overcome early jitters

Towson quarterback Kenvin Smith has flourished in the new short-passing offense. So far this season, Penn has seen its two opponents start an inexperienced quarterback. In fact, five of the 10 teams the Quakers face this year will be ushering in a collegiate novice at one of the most important positions on the field. Yet when Towson travels to Franklin Field on Saturday, they will be able to call on junior Kevin Smith for the 22nd time in his college career. "My first goal when I got to Towson was to play right away," Smith said. "Luckily I was able to play from the third game on." Smith's play in the first few games almost ended the Tigers' experiment of starting a true freshman. His inauspicious debut against Dayton included two interceptions and only six completions. "We really limited our offense the first few games," Towson offensive coordinator Jay Robinson said. "We tried to simplify things for him." A strong finish to the season allowed Robinson to open up the offense the following year. Last season Smith passed for over 300 yards four times, including a school-record 471 yards against Marist. Yet Smith still had trouble with his accuracy, completing only 52 percent of his passes and throwing 13 interceptions. "This year I have to have a better touchdown-to-interception ratio," Smith said. "Last season I tried to force things too much." Part of Smith's problems arose from playing outside of his game. Smith stands only 5'11'', and his arm strength does not match previous Towson quarterbacks. Smith has difficulty throwing the deep ball that has burned the Quakers so often in the past. "He has real good timing and he sees the field well," Robinson said. "We just don't throw as deep now, Kevin's not that type of quarterback." It appears this season the Tigers have finally adapted their offense to suit Smith's style. There is a heavier emphasis on the running game, as running back Jason Corle has already picked up 489 yards in four games. The team is also featuring a more diverse passing game that differs from the downfield passing attack of recent years. "I'm starting to hit more short passes out of the backfield," Smith said. "As coach (Gordy) Combs said, 'If you keep moving forward, you'll eventually hit the end zone'." The emphasis on the short passes has been evident in Smith's statistics after four games. While his average of 194 yards per game is nearly 60 yards fewer than last year, he is completing over 60 percent of his passes. Smith had also cut down on his interceptions until Columbia picked him off three times last weekend in a 16-6 Towson loss. Towson is facing most of the Ivy League opponents for the first time after moving into the Patriot League. While the move to the Patriot League has been a major step for the Towson program, Smith believes his team, which returns 17 starters, should have loftier goals. "Some people think we should just be happy to be in the Patriot League," Smith said. "But we want to win seven or eight games and the league title. They are high goals, but they are easier to put in realistic terms after playing with this group of people for 2 1/2 years." While the Penn game has no Patriot League implications for Towson, Smith is looking forward to the first ever game between the two schools. However, Robinson is afraid of facing the Penn defense. "I'm just hoping to keep [Smith] alive," Robinson said. "We just need to give him the chance to throw." If Towson is to win on Saturday, then Smith's improved mobility and reliance on the short passing game will need to be emphasized. For the first time this year, Penn will have to worry about facing a veteran quarterback, and Smith is ready to show the Quakers some of the lessons he has learned from the past.

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