HOUSTON — Jerome Smith took the field against Minnesota for the Texas Bowl on Friday with a handful of goals, milestones and markers in mind.

First and foremost, he wanted to win, but the rest were individual. He entered the game 160 yards short of a second straight 1,000-yard season. He wanted that. He watched backfield partner Prince-Tyson Gulley win the New Era Pinstripe Bowl MVP in 2012. He wanted one of his own. Running backs coach DeAndre Smith looked up the record for rushing yards in a bowl game. Jerome Smith wanted that, too.

The last three, perhaps the loftier of the goals, fell short, but he got the one he wanted most. He went out a winner.

“The hay is finally in the barn,” he said.

Smith carried the ball 16 times for 74 yards. In his final game in a Syracuse uniform, the Orange (7-6, 4-4 Atlantic Coast) let him pound the ball. His three backups sat back as Smith ran wild during the 21-17 Texas Bowl win over Minnesota (8-5, 4-4 Big Ten).

He didn’t have the dominant performance he hoped for, but he scored SU’s first touchdown and displayed the solid, workmanlike running style that fans have come to expect and that he hopes will get him a spot in the NFL.

“I thought it was best for me and my family,” Smith said. “I graduated, so I did my part and gave my all to Syracuse.”

Smith’s decision to forgo his final year of eligibility was made earlier during the season, but he decided not to make it public because it would’ve been “selfish.”

“I wanted my team to just focus on the season,” Smith said.

He said leaving now was a matter of timing. He’s leaving the Orange in a good position and with the senior class that he came in with.

That’s all the decision comes down to. He’s not concerned with injuries — those can happen at any level. Instead, he’s confident with the direction that SU is heading in. And without him it will be just fine.

“We’e got a really good class of running backs in our backfield and I feel like I left them in good hands,” Smith said. “They’ll probably do a lot better than me.”

Published on December 28, 2013 at 3:01 am

Contact David: dbwilson@syr.edu | @DBWilson2