Tag: Emmitt Smith

Cooper Kupp is approaching a fantasy record held by Emmitt Smith

Cooper Kupp has been a model of consistency in fantasy football and he’s approaching a record held by Emmitt Smith

If you drafted Cooper Kupp in fantasy football last year, there’s a good chance you won your league. And if you have him in a keeper or dynasty league, you’re probably off to a good start in 2022.

Kupp has been a model of consistency as a receiver, posting 15 straight games with at least 90 yards. He also has at least five catches in 23 consecutive games, too, never getting shut down by an opponent since the start of last season.

From a fantasy perspective, that obviously translates to a lot of points. According to Rich Hribar of Sharp Football, Kupp’s streak of 15-plus PPR (points per reception) points is 19 straight games is second only to Emmitt Smith, who had 20 such games from 1995-1996.

Fantasy stats obviously don’t translate to the actual NFL record book, but Kupp’s stretch since the start of last season is remarkable. He always comes through with double-digit fantasy points for those who have him, making it impossible to ever take him out of the lineup – no matter the matchup.

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Emmitt Smith’s son has huge game as Stanford rolls in opener

Emmitt Smith’s son E.J. had a huge game for Stanford in a romp over Colgate

Sometimes West Coast Bias can work against a player getting proper notice.

A perfect example is what happened in Stanford’s 41-10 victory over Colgate Saturday night. Junior running back E.J. Smith took off on an 87-yard touchdown run on the Cardinal’s first play of the game.

The son of all-time leading NFL rusher Emmitt Smith didn’t stop there. The 6-foot, 210-pounder from Dallas scored another touchdown and finished the romp with 118 yards on 11 carries and 5 receptions for 37 more yards.

He wears the No. 22 for the Cardinal that his dad made famous as a Dallas Cowboy and Arizona, um, Cardinal.

E.J. Smith nearly bettered his first two seasons in Palo Alto in one game. He rushed for 133 yards in 2021 and had 18 receptions for 81 total yards as a freshman and sophomore combined.

E.J’s dad holds the NFL rushing mark with 18,355 yards for Dallas and Arizona.

 

WATCH: Son of Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith breaks off 87-yard TD run for Stanford

E.J. Smith is expected to be one of the top running backs in the nation in 2022; he wasted no time in living up to that billing Saturday. | From @ToddBrock24f7

For a generation of fans, watching No. 22 take a seemingly futile up-the-gut run, bounce it to the outside, and suddenly streak down the field on a long touchdown score became a commonplace sight that helped define the Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s.

History is repeating itself. Only now it’s happening in Palo Alto, California.

E.J. Smith, the 20-year-old son of Cowboys legend and NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith, is beginning his junior year at Stanford. After seeing almost no playing time as a freshman and only sparse backup duty as a sophomore, Smith is finally the starting ball carrier this fall in the Cardinal backfield.

And on the team’s very first offensive play of the 2022 season, Smith bore a striking resemblance to his Hall of Fame father.

Right down to the single raised finger as he crossed the goal line, that 87-yard scoring run is pure Emmitt Smith.

E.J. (Emmitt James IV)- who was born in Dallas and attended the local Jesuit College Prep for high school- finished Stanford’s 41-10 win over Colgate on Saturday with 11 carries, 118 yards, and a pair of touchdowns. He added five receptions for 37 yards, and even logged a 13-yard kick return.

The 6-foot, 210-pounder was named a breakout candidate for this college football season by Pro Football Focus and is on the Doak Walker Award watchlist. Stanford head coach David Shaw has called Smith “the total package” and predicted, “Over the next two years, he’ll be one of the best backs in America.”

Sounds a lot like Dear Old Dad.

He’s off to quite a start so far.

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Is Emmitt Smith the NFL’s GOAT at running back? Here’s what ESPN thinks.

Is Emmitt Smith the GOAT? ESPN gives its take.

One of the more fascinating topics in sports is the discussion that surrounds who the best players were in each respective league, specifically the top athlete otherwise known as the GOAT. As the years pass, the argument for the greatest of all time becomes more and more complex with the introduction of better methodologies for evaluating players as well as the inherent progress that comes with improved sports sciences.

Still, there will always be those who rose above the rest and set the bar high in their respective competition who will forever be cemented in the hallowed halls of the GOATs. For Florida football, there is at least one former Gator who will forever remain in that epic discourse when it comes to the best to ever play in the National Football League.

Running back [autotag]Emmitt Smith[/autotag], who dazzled the Gator Nation on the artificial turf of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium back in the late 1980s, is one UF alumnus who fits that bill. ESPN recently took a look at the best players ever at every offensive position in the NFL, and while the Gator great did not take home the prize, he still received a hearty honorable mention behind some extremely worthy candidates, landing fourth overall in the vote. Here is why.

“Durability. No player was as productive or as durable as Smith,” says NFL insider Dianna Russini. “Eleven straight 1,000-yard seasons.”

The top dog in this competition was understandably Jim Brown, one of the greatest to ever grab the pigskin, who earned 23 of the 50 total votes to take home the GOAT crown. Barry Sanders came in second with 14 votes, Walter Payton garnered six and Smith got three, while Marshall Faulk and Eric Dickerson received two, and LaDainian Tomlinson got one to round out the list of candidates receiving votes.

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Every 1,000-yard rushing season for Florida football dating to 1975

Take a look at the 11 greatest rushing seasons by yardage by Florida Gators running backs in the modern era.

Florida football has earned renown over the years as a quarterback school after Steve Spurrier, who won the first Heisman Trophy for the Gators playing under center, brought the fun-and-gun offense to Gainesville and brought the program to national prominence.

Often overlooked amid all that gunslinging are the running backs, who have been the backbone of many successful seasons for the Orange and Blue.

In fact, before the Head Ball Coach roamed the sidelines of the Swamp, the Gators had been a powerhouse at the offensive back position during the prior decade, bowling over opponents on the legs of memorable names who also made their marks in the NFL, including Hall of Famer [autotag]Emmitt Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Neal Anderson[/autotag].

College Football Reference’s stats go back only to 1956 for Florida, which marks the end point of the search for these names. Below, you can find the 11 Gators who eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in rushing yards as far back as 1975.

Who are the Nebraska recruits that got away?

An impressive list of players that almost attended Nebraska!

Recruiting cycles never end. And Nebraska has had its ups and downs on the trail over the last several years, but what about recruits of Husker past? What about the ones that got away? The big-time players that all most took the field for the Big Red and instead decided to go another way.

We’ve compiled a list of famous players who got away from the Nebraska Cornhusker football program over the years. From NFL greats to MLB all-stars, you’ll see an exciting group. Players, you knew where almost Huskers and even a few you never knew about before today. So strap in and take a scroll and see a list (a partial list anyway) of the big-time recruits who decided to go to a different school for one reason or another. How different would football history be if just one of these names made another choice? This is about to get interesting.

Did Emmitt Smith make CBS Sports’ list of top-10 NFL running back seasons?

It’s nice that CBS Sports gave Emmitt Smith a mention but he deserves better.

Before the University of Florida became a quarterback school under the guidance of Steve Spurrier, the football program was well-regarded for the quality of running backs produced back in the 1980s. Among the names that graced the artificial turf in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium are NFL veterans like [autotag]John L. Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Neal Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Lorenzo Hampton[/autotag] and Cedric Smith, but of course, there is one particular player that stands out from that era.

[autotag]Emmitt Smith[/autotag] is unquestionably the greatest running back to ever wear the beloved Orange and Blue, and arguably one of the greatest Gators of all time. While he was a standout in college, he took things to the next level in the professional ranks providing a pillar for the Dallas Cowboys dynasty of the 90s. For his efforts, he earned a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, among many other accolades.

While few will argue that Smith was among the greatest to ever carry the ball out of the backfield, the question remains as to whether he had one of the top dominant seasons in league history. CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo recently ranked his top 10 greatest running back seasons in NFL history, which was predictably led off with a Barry Sanders entry. However, the pride of Florida football just barely missed the list but did manage to earn himself the lone honorable mention for his 1995 campaign, as DeArdo explains below.

The league’s MVP in 1993, Smith had an even better campaign in 1995. He ran for a league-high 1,773 yards while rushing for a then-NFL record 25 touchdowns. Smith, who also caught 62 passes during the regular season, ran for nearly 300 yards and six touchdowns in the playoffs as the Cowboys won their third Super Bowl of the ’90s.

It feels wrong to omit Smith from the top 10 given his dominance from 1991 to 1995, but he does face some very tough competition on the list. Nonetheless, the Gator Nation knows how special he was both in Gainesville and in the NFL, and the author showed respect by ensuring his name was mentioned. That is what matters.

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Former Dallas Cowboys great Emmitt Smith’s first golf clubs were blades — and they shouldn’t have been

Smith is participating this week in the ClubCorp Classic at Las Colinas Country Club.

Emmitt Smith has few regrets. It’s easy to see why when you look at his resume — three Super Bowl rings, eight Pro Bowl appearances, and a Pro Football Hall of Fame induction are just a few of the highlights on what seems like an endless list of accomplishments.

But the former Dallas Cowboys great does have one thing he’d do over again — pick up the game of golf at an earlier age. Smith is participating this week in the ClubCorp Classic at Las Colinas Country Club, just a few miles from the former Texas Stadium site where he became a legend.

Smith grew up in Pensacola and played football at Escambia High School, where he helped lead his team to two state football championships, rushing for 106 touchdowns and 8,804 yards in the process — the latter a mark that was second all-time when he graduated. He was named USA Today’s national high school football player of the year for 1986.

But while a few others emerged from the Florida panhandle to become PGA Tour stars — Bubba Watson, Boo Weekley and Heath Slocum come to mind — Smith said he simply wasn’t introduced to the game.

“Shoot, I wish I could have took up golf when I was a kid,” Smith said on Friday. “But my folks couldn’t afford no golf balls and no golf clubs, let alone green fees and all that kind of stuff. I mean, I don’t even recall that there was even a golf club back in my hometown that I can think of. I only recall junior golf. It was all about football and baseball back in my hometown, that’s what we all did.”

Smith, who is scheduled to go off at 12:50 p.m. today with Brian Urlacher, Gene Sauers and Billy Andrade, said he finally got acquainted with golf while closing out a stellar collegiate career.

“It was spring ’90, my last year at Florida before I got drafted. I went out and played a round of golf with my teammates … in Gainesville,” he said. “Went out to West End, I’ll never forget it. Out there hitting golf balls and drinking beer and having a good time.”

After he got involved with the game, Smith instantly saw the reason others pursued it, and he became a regular with his new teammates after being selected by the Cowboys with the 17th pick in the 1990 NFL draft.

“I got drafted by the Cowboys, come out here that summer, everybody working out and flying to the golf course up at River Chase,” he said. “We used to play at River Chase all the time. So I just rented clubs and rented clubs and rented clubs, and then that offseason I bought my first set of golf clubs. Bought me a set of Hogan Edges all because they were pretty and they looked good in the bag and I said I’m going to get ’em. Didn’t know what kind of clubs I bought. I bought blades. They were blades.”

Smith admitted he had no business playing those Edges.

“I wasn’t that good. I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. So I bought these real expensive golf clubs,” he said. “I don’t know where the hell they are today, but I bought them.”

And as for this week, what does the new tournament provide in terms of an experience for a guy who was once comfortable with the highest sports stage?

“You get the chance to get outdoors. I mean, think about it, we’ve been indoors for a long time dealing with the pandemic and all those kind of things,” he said. “Now we have an opportunity to get outside and enjoy playing a round of golf in a competitive environment.

“It’s a wonderful thing to see, see the format, hitting the golf ball and having a good time. For me, it’s enjoyable.”

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It’s like deja vu all over again for 2021 Cowboys as Ezekiel Elliott invokes Emmitt Smith memories

The more things change, the more they stay the same. The era and game have shifted, but Cowboys RBs making incredible, clutch plays? Same. @DailyGoonerRaf breaks down Sunday’s big play and harks back to yesteryear.

Strange things are afoot at the Cowboys Circle K. Some eerie and cheery resemblances between the 2021 Cowboys incarnation and that last Dallas championship bunch from nearly 30 years ago are emerging. It’s easy to wave them off as coincidence, but sometimes those coincidences have too many matching parts to ignore.

Like this one from Sunday night’s game-winning drive.

The situation: 3rd-and-11 for the Cowboys at the Minnesota 20. Dallas has just been gifted five yards after a defensive delay of game penalty, making a 3rd-and-16 far more manageable. The Cowboys trail 16-13 with 1:04 to play and face a game-tying field goal attempt if they do not convert.