It was the hit heard round the world.
During an exciting slate of college football games on New Year's Day, the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Michigan Wolverines squared off in the Outback Bowl in Tampa Bay. The game was another thriller, with South Carolina winning 33-28 on the last play of the game, but all anyone could talk about was Vincent Smith and the hit he took from Gamecocks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
As the ball was snapped, Clowney got a perfect jump off the line of scrimmage and met Smith at the exact second he got the ball, knocking his helmet off and causing a fumble, which he recovered with one massive hand.
"I couldn't duck or try anything," Smith said in an interview with Wolverine Nation on ESPN.com on Tuesday. "My head wasn't even down and that's why my helmet popped off."
The video quickly went viral and was a sensation on every sports channel and news outlet. Smith said in the interview that he had nowhere to go and that the reason the hit was so pronounced was due to a line miscommunication and a decision by his fullback left him vulnerable.
Smith rushed for just six yards on six carries in the game and also caught one ball for nine yards. During the 2012 season he played in 10 games and rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Over his four-year Michigan career, Smith has scored 10 rushing touchdowns and has caught seven receiving scores.
Adding insult to injury for the running back, the Detroit Free Press ran an ad about Smith taken out of the South Carolina's Free Times and a tweet from Adam Twitty. The picture showed a Michigan helmet that belongs to Smith and next to the picture it reads: "MISSING: Vincent Smith's helmet. Last seen Tampa, FL - 1/1/13. If Found Please Call."
The running back said he has watched the video "two or three times" following the game, but has moved on from it. Looking back, Smith said he didn't really feel the hit since it happened so fast and said it looked worse than it was.
"Oh yeah, it did," Smith said. "I saw it and was like, 'Dang.' "
The play originally was sparked by an awful call from the officials, who awarded Michigan a first down after a short rushing gain in the fourth quarter. The video clearly showed that the nose of the ball did not reach the first down marker and after the game, head coach Steve Spurrier spoke about his conversation with an official after it happened.
According to SI.com, Spurrier's exchange with the official went down like this:
Spurrier: "You know the ball did not touch the first-down marker?"
Official: "I know it didn't."
Spurrier: "Well, why'd he give it to 'em?"
Official: "I don't know."
South Carolina was down 22-21 at the time and lined up for the next first-down play. Close your eyes, and you might just miss it. Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner handed off to Vincent Smith and just like that -POW-Clowney hit him directly as he got the ball, knocking off his helmet and forcing a fumble, which he was able to recover with just one hand.
That's the hardest hit I've ever seen in my coaching career," said South Carolina defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward, a 24-year veteran of the profession.
The sound and the force of the hit were so great, that players who weren't even watching the field could hear it. Clowney arrived at the ball carrier at the exact second the ball did and hit the runner directly in his chest, knocking him straight to the ground.
I just heard it," wide receiver Bruce Ellington said. "I kind of jumped." After he finally saw the play, Ellington still couldn't believe it. "Man," he said. "That's a freak of nature."
Clowney tried to pick up the ball and score, but he was tackled by a pile of defenders soon after. The play eventually set up a 31-yard touchdown that gave the Gamecocks a 27-22 lead. Clowney timed his jump off the line of scrimmage so perfectly that he didn't even come close to an offside penalty or a neutral zone infraction.
"I was trying," Clowney said, "to score a touchdown."
Smith explained the play in the interview to writer Michael Rothstein, who broke down exactly what happened.
According to the running back, Michigan left tackle Taylor Lewan called a change in the blocking scheme, leaving Clowney with an open path to the backfield and a direct line to Smith. South Carolina blitzed on the play, which Smith was able to recognize, but the fullback blocked the cornerback, leaving Smith wide open for Clowney.
"I saw it coming and I couldn't do anything about it," Smith said. "When Devin gave me the ball, he was looking behind him so he didn't even see. He looked back and he handed me the ball as I was making my pocket."
Smith said his brother took things harder than he did and was frustrated with the video being shown everywhere.
"He was just saying he was tired of seeing the video and people talking about it," Smith said. "You know how a big brother is over their little brother. I'm like, 'You're good, man. You're acting like you're the one who got hit. I'm straight, man.' "
Smith said he was joking about the hit on the sidelines later in the game, saying that it would likely make SportsCenter.
"You've got to get it out of your head because I'm going to bounce back and turn it into a positive," Smith said. "I saw it later on ESPN and yeah, he got me. And I forgot about it."
Clowney is a beast of a player and is a defensive end that is confident in his abilities. This is the same player who said in December that he could win the Heisman next season as a defensive player, which would be a historic first. Manti Te'o came close for Notre Dame this season, while Charles Woodson won it while playing at Michigan as a cornerback, but he also returned kicks and played on offense.
"I believe a defensive player can win the Heisman next year. That's my next thing, New York," Clowney said last month, according to the Associated Press. "Next season, I am going to come out and try to work harder than I did this season and try to get there."
The hit is already being talked about as one of the best ever and has scouts and people in football wondering just how good Clowney can be. The defensive end is just a sophomore and still has to play one more season in college before he can go to the NFL. NFL rules require that a player must be three years out of high school before entering the draft, leaving Clowney to play around with college guys for another year. But based on how he has played and that hit, he's ready for the pros right now.
Clowney is a freak of an athlete at 6-foot-6 and 256 pounds and this year he led the SEC in sacks with 13 and also added 21.5 tackles for loss, a school record. Clowney also set school marks for sacks in a game with 4.5 against Clemson and quarterback Tajh Boyd and has made 21 sacks and 34 tackles for loss in his first two seasons.
He put up the best numbers of his two-year career this season, making 50 tackles, 13.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and two passes defended. He had 37 solo tackles, 20 tackles for loss and was a force in every game he played, including in the opening 17-13 win against Vanderbilt when he had four tackles and one sack.
During a four game stretch this season, Clowney recorded 5.5 sacks in wins against UAB, Missouri, Kentucky and Georgia, who went on to go play in the SEC championship game. South Carolina lost the following two games, including a 44-11 loss at Florida on Oct. 20, but that didn't stop Clowney.
The game itself was exciting enough, but it is the hit that will live on in infamy.
