What We Saw: Smith Pushes Gaffney Past Boiling Springs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>BOILING SPRINGS | The last 10 yards <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1254122' first='Jamarcus' last='Smith']</strong> gained ended the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>His other 278 kept Gaffney in it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Forced into a change of position, trying to weather a furious Boiling Springs defense, Smith did a little bit of everything in the Indians 28-22 overtime victory over Boiling Springs. He had 288 all-purpose yards, a staggering number that doesn't begin to tell the story of everything he did for Gaffney.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Indians' 282 passing yards? Smith receptions accounted for 119 of those on five catches, including a 99-yarder that tied the game in the first quarter. That wasn't Smith's only 99-yard play of the night. He corralled a kickoff inside the 1 and raced up the home sideline for a touchdown to answer a Boiling Springs score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"On the catch, I felt like I could beat him," Smith said. "My quarterback trusted me, my coaches trusted me, they drew up a play, and we just had to execute. That's what we did. On the return, there were two of us back there. We kind of both caught it, but I took it and I waited for my blocks to set up."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The stat of the night for Smith, though, was the least eye-popping. Inserted at QB after <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='284134' first='Jayvon' last='Gilmore']</strong> was ejected from the contest, and with Gaffney already missing starting RB<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='473029' first='Jaiden' last='McDowell']</strong>, Smith made the best of the situation. He didn't complete a pass. He rushed for 70 yards on seven carries. The rest of the Indians combined for negative eight. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And, when the Indians forced a turnover on Boiling Springs' first overtime possession, Gaffney found themselves Smith's yards-per-carry average away from a win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He cashed in on first down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith said the move to QB was something he was glad to do to help the team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"It's a lot of pressure," he said. "I used to play quarterback, but I haven't done that in a long time. I'm thankful my teammates put their trust in me. Encouraging words on the sideline really helped me. I just kept my composure, and we went and won the football game."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gaffney's defense did plenty, too. The Indians held Boiling Springs to just 152 total offensive yards, including just 40 on the ground.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='605522' first='Andrew' last='Ruppe'] </strong>notched nine solo tackles, <strong>Josh Corry</strong> had two sacks and <strong>Imari Foster-Boyd</strong> added another, and<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='615213' first='Jayden' last='Sims']</strong> had an interception for Gaffney.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Boiling Springs' defense kept the Bulldogs in it. They were typically stingy on the ground, and gave up only a pair of big plays, Smith's long touchdown and a 64-yard catch-and-run from <strong>Shane Davidson</strong>, who slipped a tackle near the line of scrimmage before racing away. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036731' first='Dennis' last='Glenn Jr']</strong> and <strong>Bobby McBeth</strong> kept up near-constant pressure on Gilmore, and while they didn't record a sack, the pressure paid off as <strong>Ryshaun Morgan</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1708292' first='Kuron' last='Nesbitt'] </strong>both had long interception returns, with Nesbitt's setting up a score by<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1254206' first='Javen' last='Chhim']</strong>. Morgan had a receiving TD to put the Bulldogs on the board first, and<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1360379' first='Kyle' last='Patterson'] </strong>added a TD catch. Patterson also punted well for Boiling Springs, killing two punts inside the 1 and another at the 11, while averaging 41 yards on eight kicks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->