Smith a good fit for O-line

Smith has a mean streak on the football field. To put it nicely, Smith is aggressive. Some call him nasty.

"I've heard that," Smith said Tuesday. "I just play to the whistle. That's it. Just play hard and try to beat my guy as bad as possible."

Same way he has always played.

Smith says he has had a tough-guy reputation for a while. Sort of like a bully. It started when he was a youngster and carried over to Highlands (Ky.) High School, which won three straight state titles (1998-2000) with Smith on the line.

"I was a little kid, yeah, I was always aggressive and played really hard and all that," he said. "I guess that nastiness, if you want to say, I guess I got that reputation in high school.

"Coaches I guess would always consider me tough, a little rough around the edges, whatever you want to say."

Go ahead. Say it. Smith doesn't care.

He is a good fit for this Vols' line. It has an attitude. Push people around. Knock them down. Make room for the backs.

Smith likes his cohorts on the line.

"We enjoy playing with each other," he said. "It's just fun. Every game's fun."

Next up: the Vols (3-0) play host to Auburn (4-0) Saturday in Neyland Stadium in a game matching top-10 teams.

Probably a good time to bring an attitude.

Auburn whipped the Vols' offensive line last year. The Tigers held the Vols to 4 rushing yards on 16 carries.

Smith, a sophomore, didn't play in that game — he was redshirted last year --- but he was there. He didn't like what he saw. Might make him snarl to think about.

"It was definitely disappointing because I was down there and everything," he said. "We came back at the end but we basically got beat the whole game, and for me, I don't want to allow that to happen.

"I'm playing this year and I don't want to leave the game with (four) yards, whatever we had last year. Hopefully that will be totally different."

Smith has been called a throwback. Too bad they don't wear leather helmets any more. Too bad they wear facemasks.

He was born to be an offensive lineman, born to play in the trenches. It's a good place to have an attitude.

"I think it helps," he said. "The O-line is one of those positions you've got to be a little tough to play. You're not going to get much glory. You're going to be hitting people 320 pounds the entire game. You know, it's a position you've got to enjoy getting a bloody nose."