Lost in the depression that most fans felt after Thursday's loss, one somewhat large story went unnoticed: the emergence of Torrey Smith. As I've said before, Smith is from my hometown, so I've always liked him. But yesterday he really broke out and became a legit target, and all-around player. These stats aren't exactly overwhelming, but they're better than they appear:
Certainly not amazing, but consider that this kid was actually a third stringer - or lower - in fall practice. And he was very solid and consistent throughout the game; it's not like he had one big play, and then virtually disappeared (cough*DHB*cough - just kidding; the only reason the Terps were even close was DHB).
Not to mention he's now a special teams warrior. After four solid returns (averaging 25 yards a return), he followed it up with a huge punt block (well, deflection). Then, after the deflection, his only emotion seemed to be anger at himself for not fully blocking it. Yes please, I'll take a few more years of this.
He's really been one of the more impressive Terps in terms of hiis development. Hopefully he can continue and blossom into a reliable receiver across from DHB, something we've lacked for a long time. Sure, Oquendo has his moments, but is on and off. Having a kid like Smith out there keeping double-teams off Hey-Bey will be a big boon for the Terps down the stretch.