No QB, no problem: Brashard Smith leads Palmetto to playoff win as wildcat QB after injury
It was just a look Mike Manasco had to share with Brashard Smith late in the first quarter of Palmetto’s first-round playoff game Saturday against Orlando Dr. Phillips
Two offensive linemen had to carry Kevin Smith off the field after a leg injury, which kept him out for the rest of the Class 8A play-in game, and Manasco had a lofty ask for his star athlete. The game plan was going to have to change. Smith was going to have to become the entire Palmetto offense. The rest of the game would be a Wildcat quarterbacking showcase for Smith to carry Palmetto to a 10-0 win in Miami.
“It was a lot of weight on my back,” said Smith, who is orally committed to the Miami Hurricanes.
Smith and star running back Ralph Williams split time at quarterback the rest of the way, with Smith taking on the bulk of the offensive load. The Under Armour All-American carried the ball 21 times for 122 yards and the only touchdown of the game just befor halftime.
With an elite defense behind him, Smith kept the game plan as simple as possible to guide Palmetto (2-1) into a Region 4-8A quarterfinal matchup Friday against Orlando Lake Nona in Central Florida.
“That’s what we were planning on doing, really. We just wanted to keep the ball, no fumbling, punt the ball, stop them and get good field position.”
Palmetto only attempted four passes and only three after Smith left with an injury on Palmetto’s third offensive play of the game. Palmetto ate up clock and trusted its elite defense, led by five-star defensive tackle Leonard Taylor, to shut down Dr. Phillips.
Dr. Phillips (5-2) managed just 90 total yards at Traz Powell Stadium. Palmetto got home for three sacks and star safety Corey Collier, who is orally committed to the Florida Gators, picked off Dr. Phillips quarterback Jojo Patti late in the fourth quarter to seal the postseason victory.
Late in the second quarter, Palmetto punted from midfield and downed the ball at Dr. Phillips’ 4-yard line. As his defense started to take the field, Manasco shouted for Taylor’s attention.
“Get me some points!” the coach yelled to the Miami commit and then he started calling timeouts to make sure Palmetto would get the ball back before halftime.
On third-and-3 from 11-yard line, Taylor blew up the play and dropped Dr. Phillips running back Amir Johnson for a 2-yard loss. Dr. Phillips punted from its own end zone and Smith returned it to Dr. Phillips’ 26 with less than a minute to go.
Smith ran for 4 yards on the first play and Palmetto hustled back to the line. He ran again to his right and saw there was nowhere to go, so he whirled spun around and bounced back to the left, beating Dr. Phillips around the edge for a 22-yard touchdown. The 7-0 cushion was enough.
“I knew we were going to win,” Smith said. “I just wanted to score.”
On Nov. 5, Palmetto concluded the regular season with a close loss to Northwestern and managed just 88 total yards. Palmetto spent the week retooling and one solution was an expanded Wildcat package to take advantage of Smith’s speed and his experience playing running back.
“We’re searching for an identity, really, still,” Manasco said.
The package was simple. Smith said he was basically running just one or two plays whenever he was in, and he kept the ball on basically every read-option play. Theoretically, it just had to be usable in spots Saturday to provide a spark.
Simple ultimately suited Palmetto well. Smith, Palmetto’s best player on offense, had the ball in his hands on virtually every play, rather than relying on a quarterback to throw him the ball. The defense got to try to win a low-possession game and, even with five-star cornerback Jason Marshall sidelined, it was up to the task.
Smith made it all possible.
“It sucked Kevin went down, but we’ve still got Brashard,” Taylor said. “He’s going to sleep good tonight after this game.”
