by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
In the final regular season game of his UNM career, Marcus Smith proved why he is considered one of the most talented football players in the Mountain West Conference.
Smith helped lead the Lobos to a 27-6 win Saturday against UNLV at University Stadium with a couple of explosive plays.
The senior wide receiver finished the game with 263 all-purpose yards, including eight catches for 130 yards and a touchdown.
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UNM head coach Rocky Long said Smith's performance was key in the win Saturday.
"Marcus had a nice game - really played well, had a couple of really big plays," he said.
It was Smith's 63-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter that helped vault
UNM's win.
The Lobos were trailing 6-3 when Smith took a Donovan Porterie screen pass and raced past UNLV defenders to the end zone, putting UNM ahead for good.
With the 130 yards, it was Smith's third 100-yard receiving game of the season and fifth of his career. As a receiver, he ranks among one of the best to play the position for the Lobos.
He had 86 receptions this year, which ranks second in single-season history for UNM, behind Terance Mathis' 88 catches in 1989. His 1,039 receiving yards rank eighth all-time for single season marks at UNM.
For his career, Smith ranks fourth on the career-receiving list with 148 catches and seventh with 1,987 yards.
But it was Smith's versatility that made him a instrumental in Saturday's game.
He had three kickoff returns for a total of 133 return yards, including an 82-yard return to start the second half. The 263 all-purpose yards was a career high for Smith, who is sixth on the all-time list with 3,637 career all-purpose yards.
Smith said he was a little disappointed he didn't return the second-half kick for a touchdown but was happy with the outcome of the game.
"I wish I could have scored a little bit more," he said. "I wish I would have had more catches, and that's always going to be the case, but I'm just glad we got
the win."
It was an emotional season for Smith, whose mother passed away Sept. 16.
However, Smith overcame the tragedy en route to a standout senior season and has been nominated for the FedEx Orange Bowl Courage Award.
Smith said he credits his teammates for helping him get through the season.
"They were there when I needed them the most," he said. "Those guys came through, helped me out. I thank everybody out there that sent me cards and sent me flowers. I'm grateful."
UNM safety Ian Clark said Smith's final game was characteristic of his career at UNM. He said he has a lot of respect for Smith as a teammate and as a person.
"Marcus did awesome today," he said. "He's overcome a lot this season. I don't know if I could have handled something like that the way that he did."
