Unleash Donovan Smith against the Cyclones

I’m not telling you anything new when I say this UH offense has been bad. In fact, they have been downright horrible in three out of 4 games. You can’t point the finger at one person or group because they have all struggled, including the offensive staff. This is not the worst talent UH has had in the last 30 years, but they are producing like it.

Plenty has to change. Most importantly, everyone has to play to their level, and everyone must do their job.

Here is what I want to see first and foremost: Donovan Smith with some swagger and playing with an air of confidence. Everyone on this team speaks about how great a guy Donovan is and a great leader. They are looking at him to lead the way.

Everyone knows the talent is there – the talent we saw against Texas Tech, WVU and Texas last year. The moxy against Baylor. But he hasn’t been the same player ever since that drubbing at Kansas State. In the last eight games, he has eight touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

UH doesn’t need him to light the world on fire and be a superstar every game. He needs to be more consistent with the simple plays, step up, and make some big throws when the opportunity arises.

Smith and right tackle Jake Wiley // © 2024 by Mario Puente

Against Cincinnati, Donovan went 13/16 throwing the ball, including 10/13 inside of 10 yards. Those ten completions combined to go 21 yards. That’s unacceptable.

To back defenses off the line of scrimmage and the underneath throws, the Cougars must be more effective in the middle distance passing game (10-19 yards). Donovan has thrown 95 passes this year, but only nine have been to the middle distance (he’s 4/9 for 116 yards with two INTs).

Now, this isn’t just on Donovan. The OC Kevin Barbay and the offensive line have plenty of blame, too. The more pressure Smith gets, the harder it is to push the ball downfield. It’s obvious he’s rattled back in the pocket, the game moving too fast. The line has to block better, and what the team practices and what they call on game day must be smarter, too.

I love, love, love the short passing game because it can be a killer, but its true effectiveness relies on being able to get the ball downfield and be a threat. If that isn’t happening then the defenses has nothing to fear, and everyone can play a couple of steps up. It comes down to the old saying, “You gotta keep them honest.”

Beyond swagger and the passing game, the staff needs to continue to call more scripted runs for Donovan. I really liked that the offensive staff have started calling his number: he’s a big guy who can move and they put it to use very effectively.

One thing I would really like to see next is when UH is showing an option run, I want to see Donovan pull it and run it himself. He does a good job of selling the option, now it is time to fully use it. There have been a few times where he could pull it and pick up big chunks of yards. In this case, he would pick up 31 yards and 6 points:

But overall, I don’t care if he get 3 yards or 30. If UH comes out and is creative, putting Donovan in a better position to succeed early, Iowa State won’t know what to do. I want the defense to know that there is an extra threat, and they must respect it. Nothing slows down defenders like making them think.
 


 
 

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