Smith makes big plays without making noise

UCF receiver Tre’Quan Smith became the poster child Saturday for coaches’ popular mantra, “No Block, No Rock.”

He recorded three blocks during Otis Anderson’s critical 65-yard rushing touchdown, helping the No. 15 Knights roll to a 49-24 win over UConn. Smith’s final block cleared an open angle for Anderson to sprint into the end zone.

On paper, Smith’s day featured one 41-yard touchdown reception, but the team credited him for at least two. Coaches named him the team’s offensive player of the week.

“The block that he made on Otis’ long touchdown run was amazing,” UCF coach Scott Frost said. “…That’s the kind of sacrifice and unselfishness that he’s all about and he’s doing things for the team even when he’s not making catches. We’re really lucky to have him.”

Selfless play usually fails to produce the gaudy individual statistics that wrangle national attention and awards. Smith’s name was left off the Biletnikoff semifinalist list this week, even though he is the leading scorer for the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense with 11 touchdowns and ranks No. 29 nationally in receiving yards. The 10 semifinalists include two receivers from the American Athletic Conference — SMU’s Trey Quinn and Memphis’ Anthony Miller.

Smith isn’t a late-bloomer, either. He has led UCF in receiving yards for three consecutive seasons, dating back to his redshirt freshman year in 2015 when he was named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year.

But going from experiencing a winless season to an undefeated one, Smith said individual recognition is the least of his concerns.

“I try not to think about myself because it’s not a ‘you’ game. It’s a team game and a team sport and our coaches are always telling us that if you don’t block, you don’t get the rock,” Smith said. “So I don’t think about myself, honestly. I think about the team. If I have the choice of not catching any passes and no touchdowns and winning the conference, I’d chose winning the conference any day of the week.”

UCF is two steps closer toward reaching its goal as it prepares to travel to Temple, the reigning conference champion, this weekend in Philadelphia. The Knights suffered a 26-25 homecoming heartbreaker to the Owls last season and will look to avenge the loss. Temple needs just one additional victory to become bowl eligible after a rebuilding season under first year coach Geoff Collins.

“He’s definitely underrated. I watch him every game day and I’m just so impressed by how he plays,” UCF offensive lineman Aaron Evans said of Smith. “He emulates what a football player should be and he’s just as excited to block for someone to catch a pass as he is to catch a pass. You cannot have a better player honestly. He’s definitely inspired me to play harder.”

“He’s a great humble player and he works hard. Everything that he does, I try to mimic,” UCF freshman receiver Gabe Davis said. “Just watching him, for him to make as many plays as he does, and for him to not even talk about it, that just shows what kind of person he is. That’s more important to me than what he does on the field because that shows a lot.”