PROMISING PLAYER LAID LOW WITH TORN KNEE : OAK PARK GRADUATE'S CAL SEASON CUT SHORT.Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer It wasn't supposed to happen like this to University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). running back Tarik Smith. Smith, a former Oak Park High School star who rushed for close to 400 yards in the Bears' first two games this year, saw his season come to a sudden and abrupt end Saturday when he tore the anterior cruciate cruciate /cru·ci·ate/ (kroo´she-at) cruciform. cru·ci·ate or cru·cial adj. 1. Having the form of a cross, as in certain ligaments of the knee. 2. and medial collateral ligaments The medial collateral ligament or MCL (or tibial collateral ligament) is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial or inner side of the joint. in his right knee during just his sixth carry of the day against the University of Nevada University of Nevada could refer to either of the universities in the Nevada System of Higher Education:
Smith is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of what was shaping up as a memorable junior year. By Monday morning, the reality still hadn't quite sunk in. ``I guess it all won't hit me until we line up to play Oregon State next week and I won't be out there,'' Smith said from Berkeley. Smith's injury occurred on a simple third-down-and-one tailback tail·back n. Football The back on an offensive team who lines up farthest from the line of scrimmage. tailback Noun Brit a queue of traffic stretching back from an obstruction dive play. ``I was just trying to get that extra yard when (a Nevada defender) pulled me over backwards over his body,'' Smith recalled. ``It just threw my knee out of place.'' Smith, who said he heard his knee pop, realized immediately that he had suffered a serious injury. ``I knew it wasn't good as soon as it happened,'' he said. Doctors confirmed the seriousness of the injury during an MRI 1. (application) MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 2. MRI - Measurement Requirements and Interface. test Sunday. Smith said he had a uneasy feeling all day leading up to the game. ``Usually I'm real nervous before a game but for some reason on Saturday I wasn't,'' he said. ``Some of my teammates told me I was just getting used to starting and playing a lot and that's why I wasn't nervous. But for me, things just didn't seem right. It was a bad feeling like something was going to happen.'' Smith even asked the trainer to provide him with extra rib pads - which he doesn't normally wear - right before he went on the field for extra protection. He took them off just prior to kickoff. Smith faces surgery after the swelling in his knee subsides in four to six weeks. Doctors say he has an excellent chance at returning at full strength by next season. ``I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing for rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy. ,'' Smith said. ``The most important thing for me is to help (backup running backs) Brandon Willis and Deltha O'Neal Deltha Lee O'Neal, III (born January 30, 1977 in Palo Alto, California,) is an American football player, a Pro Bowl cornerback for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals. and keep them upbeat and positive. Brandon needs to get ready to run the ball 20 or 30 times a game, and Deltha needs to be ready to jump in there at anytime and get the job done.'' What makes the injury even more distressing is that Smith was obviously on his way to a big year. He was fifth in the nation in rushing entering Saturday's game and was just beginning to get into the flow of new coach Steve Mariucci's offensive system. Mariucci was devastated dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. by the loss. ``I can't tell you how bad all of us feel for Tarik,'' he said. ``He worked so hard during the off-season and was on his way to a spectacular season.'' Smith's parents were at the game Saturday. They returned home Sunday night Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. . ``Basically their main concern was to make sure that I don't fall into the tank and get down,'' Smith said. ``I'm just going to keep my head up, work hard and hope for the best. But it's still hard to believe. I've read some articles that say I'm out for the year and it seems like they're talking about somebody else.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: UC-Berkeley running back Tarik Smith, center, was si delined Saturday with an injured right knee. |
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