Smith looks to punctuate up-and-down year with Alamo victory

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Posted 4:55AM on Monday, December 26, 2005

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) Le Kevin Smith doesn't want the defining play of his career at Nebraska to be the one that cost the Cornhuskers a victory. That's why the senior defensive tackle from Macon, Ga., is so eager to face 20th-ranked Michigan in the Alamo Bowl on Wednesday. Smith has made a team-leading 33 consecutive starts and has recorded a career-high five sacks among his 37 tackles, but one moment of absent-mindedness has dogged him since midseason. Unbeaten Texas Tech was driving deep in Nebraska territory with the Huskers clinging to a 31-27 lead Oct. 8 when Smith intercepted Cody Hodges near the goal line with 1:11 left. Instead of falling down to secure possession, and likely the victory, for Nebraska, Smith decided to run the ball back. But Bryan Kegans pried the ball loose, and Danny Amendola recovered for Texas Tech at the Nebraska 18. On fourth-and-2 from the 10, Hodges threw to Joel Filani for the winning touchdown with 12 seconds left. Oh, how Smith wishes he had just taken a knee. ``That was a big burden,'' Smith said. That play marked what undoubtedly was Smith's worst week since he arrived at Nebraska from Stratford Academy in Macon in 2001. The day before the Texas Tech game, Smith was cited for third-degree assault after being accused of squeezing the neck of a campus parking cadet. The confrontation occurred after Smith was ticketed for parking illegally near Memorial Stadium. ``That weekend I had a lot of stuff go wrong, so it was something that held me down for a couple of games and took me a while to shake,'' Smith said of the ill-fated play. Smith said teammates and the coaching staff, particularly defensive line coach John Blake, provided support. ``He came and talked to me in my room spiritually about how things should be going in my life, and it helped me out a lot,'' Smith said. ``I was really hard on myself after that game, but it was something that was needed. It was more of a reality check. ``I feel that I am a leader, and leaders should not make mistakes like that. They should always be aware of what to do in all situations.'' In San Antonio, Smith will play a major role in Nebraska's defensive game plan against Michigan. The Huskers, two-touchdown underdogs, say they must pressure Chad Henne if they have any chance to win. Henne has completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 2,256 yards, and he has thrown 20 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. A Nebraska defense that leads the nation with 46 sacks and 115 tackles for losses will be going against a quarterback who is not known to be effective when on the run. ``We know that we can be a dominant pass rush, because we have been a dominant pass rush against pretty much every team that we have played,'' Smith said. ``That is what we are going to try to do come out, get a pass rush and get a lot of pressure to make them run, trying to force them to pass all day.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)