Smith relishes opportunities
By MIKE CONNOLLY
Sports Writer
For five years, Justin Smith rode the Irish bench. He practiced hard. He studied the opposing offenses. And he waited.
But as he sat on the bench, he didn't lose his intensity. He didn't lose his focus. He became more excited about finally getting his chance to play.
"It was like a dam with a bunch of water building behind it," the fifth-year senior said.
Saturday, that dam burst and all the water came crashing down on the Mountaineers.
With almost eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, Smith intercepted Mountaineer quarterback Brad Lewis at the Notre Dame 12-yard line and returned it 33 yards. After the return Smith jumped up into the air screaming and celebrating with this teammates. As he ran off the field he tossed the ball high into the air.
Some might say his celebration was excessive and warranted a penalty flag, but for Smith, it was just five years of practice and excitement spilling out into one big play.
"You work hard. You work hard for five years," he said. "I am just glad I had the opportunity to make it."
Smith almost passed up the opportunity to play one more season at Notre Dame and enter the work force. He graduated in 2001 with a degree in computer engineering. He had several job offers. He was ready to join the real world.
"There was a lot of thought [of leaving Notre Dame and accepting a job offer]," he said. "From a working standpoint and a student standpoint, you're tired of being broke. My whole class had graduated. One of my best friends, Jabari Holloway, had graduated. It was time to move on. My time at Notre Dame was kinda over."
But he just couldn't pass up one last chance at Notre Dame football glory. He couldn't pass up one last chance to let that dam burst.
"How many opportunities do you get to play at the University of Notre Dame in front of 80,000 [people] every week?" he said. "I had a love for football and my teammates who were still here. I still wanted to play football."
So he requested — and was granted — a fifth-year of eligibility.
He returned to the Irish this year to ride the bench again — just hoping for an opportunity.
When injuries devastated the Irish secondary, he finally got his opportunity. Ron Israel, Gerome Sapp and Glenn Earl were all injured to some extent Saturday, and as a result, Smith finally got his chance and made the big play when it mattered most.
With Sapp and Earl feeling a little healthier this week, Smith may not see the field as much, but he is still ready if the Irish need him.
"The way things go now, I will still be in a relief role," Smith said. "But you never know what is going to happen out there. When bullets start flying, you have to be ready to go."
While Smith gets his first taste of college football glory on the field this year, he is also getting a chance to enjoy life off the field a little more. As an undergraduate majoring in computer engineering, he spent nearly all of his time in the lab, in class or on the practice field. Sleep was a luxury he almost never enjoyed.
"Me and Jabari would sleep in the engineering lab ... if we got to sleep," Smith said. "Then we'd go straight to workouts in the morning, straight from there to class and then to practice. It was literally all-nighters."
With his degree in hand, Smith is taking a lighter course load. Rather than intense computer classes with labs requiring hours of work, he takes sign language classes, diversity classes and assists a professor with research. And he is reintroducing himself to his pillow.
"I am a lot more relaxed," Smith said. "I can sleep at night now."
Saturday may be the high point of Smith's career. With the Irish secondary getting healthier, Smith might take his place back on the bench. But if the Irish need him, he's ready to make some more plays.
"It's kind of over," Smith said. "It's time to look forward to another week."
This week, Smith will be waiting on the sidelines again, building his excitement, anticipating another opportunity and preparing to let the water crash down on another opponent.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, October 16, 2001
