Auburn's Smith will miss Outback Bowl

Running back has had rocky season

By ANDY BITTER

abitter@ledger- enquirer.com

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn running back Eric Smith has been ruled academically ineligible and will miss the Outback Bowl, coach Gene Chizik said Friday.

The sophomore from Seffner, Fla., remains a member of the team, Chizik said. Smith will not practice leading up to the bowl, but Chizik is hopeful the running back will be back in January for offseason workouts.

Smith, who served a 2 1/2 week suspension earlier this season after being arrested on third-degree assault charges, played in 11 games this year, starting seven at H-back.

He ran for 99 yards and a touchdown and caught 18 passes for 226 yards and another score.

“We’ve made provisions to move on and we feel good about the plan,” Chizik said, declining to go into specifics of who would replace Smith.

Running backs Mario Fannin and John Douglas and tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen are the most likely candidates to fill the H-back role.

Chizik said everyone else on the roster is in good academic standing.

The academic suspension is the latest setback for Smith, who has had a rocky few months.

The 19-year-old was arrested in the early morning hours of Aug. 21 after police said they saw him knock a fellow student unconscious with a punch to the back of the head in a hotel parking lot. He was eventually charged with third-degree assault.

Smith was granted youthful offender status in October, effectively sealing the case. If he meets certain requirements set by the court, charges can be dismissed.

A civil lawsuit filed against Smith last month by Decari Jenkins, the student who was allegedly struck, is still pending.