KeAndre Lambert-Smith seems happy. It’s hard to tell through the visor, the helmet and a television screen but remove those things and the Virginia native is wearing a big smile through his braided hair. Where a somewhat surly attitude once was, a broad smile and positive outlook have found a home. It’s hard to know what Lambert-Smith was or is like behind closed doors, but his outward, media-facing appearance has done a 180.
It’s a noteworthy change as Lambert-Smith comes off a four catch, two touchdown, 123-yard effort in Saturday night’s win against West Virginia. The self-proclaimed Big Play Dre was all over the field yet again, Saturday marking the third-straight game in which Lambert-Smith has hauled down three or more receptions and at least 83-yards to his name. He’s also now on a three-game touchdown streak, having scored four times in three contests. Prior to that stretch, Lambert-Smith had broken the 80-yard threshold just once. Now it’s a weekly affair.
There are a lot of things you can attribute to the sudden rise in production. There are the functional things like Lambert-Smith’s necessary increased role in the offense without the likes of Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley in the wings. There’s also something to be said for approach and that never give up attitude. Heck, being happy has never hurt before. Sometimes that’s all it takes.
“It’s funny you mention it,” Lambert-Smith said earlier this week ahead of Penn State’s clash with West Virginia. “I was just on the phone talking about how I’ve been trying to be more happy. I have a big personality, I have big energy. So if it’s a day where I’m not feeling my best, and I come out there, maybe I’m chilling, then maybe the offense may not perform as well. So you know just having that in the back of my head.
“The coaches say ‘we go as you go, the offense, we feed off your energy,’ so just having that on my mind. I gotta be consistent in my approach. I gotta be confident, be happy. Just do what I got to do. I was out there today at practice running around and I smacked Coach Franklin on the butt. I do a lot of fun stuff like that. Just just doing that keeps my spirits up and it keeps the offense up.”
Of course, if Lambert-Smith is having an emotional renaissance it’s not without the origin story, the days when things were harder. Because the reality is, for as much as players talk about team and winning and do well, they also want to play, play well and make an impact. Nobody joins a team to be the best bench player on the roster. It’s not selfish; it’s just reality.
And not playing well, and not playing much — it can be hard and it can drag you down. Sure it’s not perfect, but who said he had to be?
“I probably told you this before but sophomore year at Maryland, I had an early catch in the first quarter and I didn’t get another pass until the fourth,” Lambert-Smith added. “And I was still mad at the fact that I just haven’t been getting the ball. So when I got the ball, I just whiffed on it. It went right over my shoulder. And from that point on, I’m like, yo, you really can’t dwell on a play, however your emotions are, you’ve got to get out of them. You’ve got to be able to move on fast, because you’ll never know when the next play is coming. I don’t want to let my emotions get in the way of me making a play or winning a game or converting a fourth down so I just want to always be ready and be at my best.”
Lambert-Smith will have to prove that he can continue to play at this level and leave the occasional inconsistencies behind as the year continues on, but as he flashes his new bright smile in front of the cameras and new happier approach to the game he loves, it’s easier to imagine this is the new KLS, and that the new KLS is very, very good.
“If you bring good energy, you’re gonna get good energy back,” fellow wide Malik McClain said after practice. “And I think that’s why he’s doing what he’s doing right now.”
A few days later in a sign of true change, Lambert-Smith just laughed when asked about a drop he had against West Virginia that may very well have gone for a touchdown (in his defense the ball was thrown low). “Don’t make me think about it,” Lambert-Smith said with a laugh, a far cry from the scowl he may have brought to the table not long ago. Good vibes indeed.
