Film room: What does QB Carter Smith give the Wisconsin Badgers?
Breaking down the tape from Wisconsin Badgers true freshman quarterback Carter Smith's debut against Washington.
With 7:08 on the clock in the first quarter, the Wisconsin football team’s true freshman quarterback, Carter Smith, was thrust into his first career action against the No. 23 Washington Huskies.
Several hours later, he walked off the field victorious, surrounded by jubilant fans and his own teammates as the Badgers pulled off the upset for their first Big Ten win of the season.
In between, we got our first-ever in-game look at the gunslinger from Fort Myers, Florida. And just like the game itself, it was a whirlwind. Smith provided an undeniable spark and displayed considerable promise, but he also had plenty of areas to improve upon.
Below, BadgerNotes.com dives into the film to break down everything we saw from Smith’s debut in the Cardinal and White:
Run, Carter, Run
Smith’s legs have always been his calling card. And from the moment he stepped into the huddle, Wisconsin made it abundantly clear how they planned to use him. This was his first play from scrimmage:
This appears to be a read option, and Smith reads it well. The Washington edge defender (#5) follows the running back Gideon Ituka, and Smith keeps it himself for a gain of nine. And with the offensive line sliding to the right, there’s plenty of room for him to run.
The read option was predictably a staple of the offense once Smith entered the game. Below is another example of the gunslinger keeping the ball on an option, but watch how he finishes the run:
Smith isn’t looking to slide or run out of bounds. He’s staying on his feet until someone changes that, absorbing multiple blows from linebackers in the process. In that sense, you can tell by how he plays that he has little qualm with taking hits at the second level.
In fact, I’d say sustaining contact — if he’s making a play in the process — seems to fire him up:
This kind of demeanor is exactly what you want out of a true freshman, specifically one at a position as critical as quarterback. Smith’s legs and physicality helped set the tone in this one, and his animated reactions to big plays can only help ignite this offense.
This is also a good time to point out that, although he did fumble as a result of a sack, he did a good job of securing the rock as a ball carrier through the wet, windy conditions.
After the game, I wrote that Smith doesn’t run like a quarterback. We’ve seen a little bit of that with the physicality he’s brought to the end of his runs, but you can see it in his vision and his ability to change direction as well: