Texas Bowl Overnight Sensation: Ainias Smith, Running Back

Looking back on it, this was probably the toughest week to select who would earn the honor as the Overnight Sensation. So many young players made plays for the Maroon & White in Friday night's 24-21 Texas Bowl victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys at NRG Stadium in Houston. 

Freshman running back Isaiah Spiller tallied 77 yards and the Ags' first score on the night.  Freshman safety Demani Richardson led the team in tackles again with eight (two coming for loss) and one pass deflection on the back end. Freshman defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal was also disruptive in Justin Madubuike's absence with 5 tackles, including a crucial fourth-down stop of Spencer Sanders late in the contest.

This week's award, however, goes to freshman wide receiver, no wait – running back – Ainias Smith.

The true freshman from Fort Bend Dulles made plays all over the offensive side of the ball for the Maroon & White, recording nine touches on offense for 67 yards, and recording all four of the team's returns during the game with a long punt return of 18 yards.

Matt Sachs, TexAgs

Slotting into the backfield to bolster the RB position, Smith made plays at multiple positions in the Texas Bowl.

His biggest impact on the game on Friday night did not come on the stat sheet, however. That came in Smith’s ability to block, both in the running and passing games, an area where the A&M backs struggled throughout the season.

With Cordarrian Richardson absent for undisclosed reasons, Smith became the number two option in the backfield behind the aforementioned Spiller. Something head coach Jimbo Fisher said in the postgame presser was something that could only be done in a bowl game scenario with extra time to prepare. 

“He's a natural... a natural runner. The bowl practice, like a spring practice, gave him the time to prepare back there, you wouldn't have been able to do that in the season because he couldn't get enough reps. I thought he was outstanding tonight."

Officially, Ainias lined up at four different positions for the Aggies – wide receiver, running back, punt returner and kick returner. But head coach Jimbo Fisher wouldn't limit what Smith could bring to a team on the field to just that.

"Let me tell you something, that guy is a heck of a football player. You could put him anywhere. You could put him at tackle and I think he could make a block. I think he could block a 300-pounder, I really do. I have the utmost respect for him."

Hopefully Smith sees little action at tackle during the 2020 season for the Maroon & White as he continues to progress inside Jimbo Fisher's complex offensive scheme. With that being said, the Aggies scored 46 touchdowns throughout the 2019 season, and the freshman trio of Smith, Spiller and Wydermeyer accounted for 19 of them – greater than 40% of the Aggies' scores in the 13 games.

This marks the third time during the 2019 football season that Ainias Smith was named the Overnight Sensation.

Smith's stats against Oklahoma State:

• Catches: 2
• Receiving yards: 13
• Touchdowns: 0
• Carries: 7
• Rushing yards: 54

Smith's season stats:

• Catches: 22
• Receiving yards: 248
• Yards per catch: 11.3
• Touchdowns: 3
• Carries: 7
• Rushing yards: 54

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