Trey Smack shines as Packers put their faith in rookie kicker in preseason debut

After a tumultuous spring and early training camp, Trey Smack looked like the player the Packers traded up in the sixth round to draft.

Trey Smack holds the University of Florida record for most field goals made over 50 years. Last season alone, as the Gators kicker, Smack drilled five of his six tries. The stat sheet will say the lanky rookie made one 58-yarder in the first half against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but in reality he made two, spanking one that didn’t end up counting thanks to a defensive penalty.

This is the guy the Green Bay Packers envisioned when they traded up in the sixth round to acquire him. Brian Gutekunst recently said he didn’t think they’d have any chance to draft Smack, believing he’d go early on Day 3. Now he’s a Packer, and they sure looked glad he was on Thursday night.

“I don’t really try to feel relief in this business because we’ve always got next week,” Smack said when asked about his night after some inconsistencies in training camp.

“I think it’ll build some confidence and every day’s a new day.”

A new day may have arrived in the Packers kicking game.

“Cam [Achord] was telling me, ‘No.’ I told him, ‘Yes.’ But to put him in that situation to hit really two in one game is pretty incredible,” LaFleur said after the game, calling it the highlight of the night on a night where highlights were few and far between.

With the Steelers third-string offense set up to score a touchdown, the Packers chose to take a timeout to preserve time for Kyle McCord to try and set up a late field goal try. With less than 15 seconds left in the first half, the Packers took the middle of the field Pittsburgh was given them to set up another 58-yard field goal.

Sure, it’s only preseason, but it was hard not to be reminded of the Packers marching down the field at the end of the first half against the Chicago Bears in the playoff game. Love made it look easy, and Brandon McManus had a shot at a 55-yard field goal he drilled the first time, but missed after Ben Johnson iced him.

After Green Bay drafted Smack, they showed McManus the door. On Thursday’s Smack showed McManus how it’s done.