You want to give your older more experiences players the benefit of the doubt before you throw a freshman in there. An experienced coach knows prior experience has some value, but if a freshman shows more talent, than experience goes out the window. By mid season your freshman have been around enough, by the end of the season you are no longer calling them freshman. Obviously, not time to give up on Smith just yet, if he can beat WVU and TT you have to see what he can do against UT.