Florida State offensive lineman Maurice Smtih credits his strong season to someone who never saw the field for any games this season.
Smith, following Monday's practice, was asked about the impact of the University of Wisconsin transfer Kayden Lyles on him, as the two competed for the starting center position.
"We got along right away," Smith said. "He's a person at the end of the day. We still have to compete. I know he was coming in to get my job. We were actually sharpening each other. If I was doing something wrong, he'd come to tell me. If I was doing something wrong, I'd tell him.
"But there wasn't any beef about the situation. He came in and pushed me a lot. This was one of my best years because he came in and pushed me."
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Smith and the No. 13 Seminoles (9-3) will clash with Oklahoma (6-6) in the Dec. 29 Cheez-It Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando (5:30 p.m. on ESPN).
Lyles suffered an undisclosed season-ending injury, which the team announced on Aug. 12. Lyles had a chance to unseat starter Smith, but the injury ended his chances.
Smith, a redshirt sophomore, posted a career-high 68.3 Pro Football Focus overall offensive grade. He vastly improved his pass-blocking grade, reaching a grade of 71.0 for 2022, following grades of 32.6 and 38.4 in 2021 and 2020, respectively.
His 66.7 run-blocking grade was also a career-high.
Smith said transferring after the addition of Lyles and the chance of losing his starting job was not on the table for him.
"I love competition," he said. "(Head) coach (Mike) Norvell and (offensive coordinator Alex) Atkins told me, 'We have somebody coming in and you have to compete for the spot.' I told them, 'I'm good with that.' I'm always up for a challenge. I'm never going to back down from anything."
Despite Lyles being out for the season and not being able to play in any regular season games, he stayed active with the team.
"He's really positive," Smith said.
In the past two days, FSU added two more transfers to the offensive line from the portal: Colorado's Casey Roddick and UTEP's transfer Jeremiah Byers.
Smith said he talks with transfers and high school recruits when they visit campus.
"I just try to be real with them," Smith said. "I try to be real with any recruit who comes in. I just tell them how coach Atkins is, how coach Norvell is and how practice can be. I just try to be 100%, I don't sugarcoat anything."
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On Friday, the NCAA made a one-time change for redshirt players pertaining to playing in the bowl game. It announced a one-time blanket waiver that exempts bowl games from counting toward the four-game redshirt rule in college football.
It's unclear if the new rule will be in effect in future seasons, as it was a way of helping teams that lost a significant amount of players to the transfer portal or to opting out of bowl games to prepare for the NFL draft.
While no FSU player has announced that they will opt out of the bowl, the new rule gives a chance to play someone like freshman running back Rodney Hill, who had already gotten into four games this season.
First-year offensive linemen Julian Armella, Kanaya Charlton and Jaylen Early and fifth-year cornerback Malik Feaster are among the players who appeared in four games and would have not been eligible for a redshirt if they appeared in the bowl game prior to the rule change.
"It's big," Norvell said. "Some guys who were right there at the edge of playing that fourth game. We're going to be able to push them and if they're ready and available to go, we're going to be able to get work out of them."
Norvell added that the change is something that has been a long-time coming.
"It's the right thing to do. We've been talking about it as coaches for years," Norvell said. "We didn't know if it would happen, but we try to take advantage of opportunities. There were some guys that were maybe hold off the extra game, it was a missed opportunity. But I am grateful for the guys who have played four, they get one more. I am grateful the NCAA has made that decision."
More: Florida State coach Mike Norvell predicts 'exciting' bowl game in upcoming clash vs. Oklahoma
The Sooners will present the worst run defense FSU has played on its schedule in 2022 when the teams square off in the Cheez-It Bowl.
Oklahoma has allowed 189 rushing yards per game (109th nationally) and 450.5 yards per game (120th) in the first year under head coach Brent Venables, the longtime defensive coordinator at Clemson.
But that doesn't mean that the Sooners' defense is lacking in talent.
"You see a defense, they do a lot," Norvell said. "You can see they're growing in what they are trying to do. They have a talented group, learning a new language, learning a new system and learning new expectations.
"He's a really good defensive-minded coach and I'm sure this bowl practice has given them an opportunity to continue and grow in understanding of what all they're doing. We've got a lot to plan for."
Who:No. 13 Florida State vs. Oklahoma
When/Where:Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m.; Camping World Stadium in Orlando
TV:ESPN
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: Center Maurice Smith credits Kayden Lyles for his 'best season'
