"I'm settled in, I'm comfortable," said Smith, 40. "You're going to have your ups and downs, your trials and tribulations, you just have to make sure you handle them and focus on being even more clear about what you're trying to get done and where you're trying to go. And for us, we just have one goal, and that's winning a national championship."

Yes, you heard him right. He said it the day he was hired in December, he's saying it now.

"That's the goal for every season," Smith continued. "Our administration is definitely behind us, our student body is behind us, we know the community is strongly behind us ... I think we've grown a lot from Day One and made tremendous strides, both on and off the field.

"A lot of times, people have different things they're focused on and if we don't shoot for the stars, we're selling ourselves short. We're playing for a national championship."

Does talk like that make assistant coaches like Phil Pitts cringe? After all, the Blue Tigers went 1-10 last season, they're 11-67 this decade, and they're riding a 45-year losing streak.

"You know me," Pitts said with a smile, "it fires me up. I've never walked into a situation --- and I think it's the same way for any competitive person --- where I thought we were going to get beat. You realize that losing's a possibility, but it's never something that we expect.

"If we go out and do the things we're supposed to do and we play the way we're supposed to play, then we've got a shot in every ball game we play."

It's not just the stadium, this whole program has gotten a facelift. It started with the hiring of Smith, and it blossomed with the hiring of local favorites Phil Pitts (defensive coordinator) and Andy Pitts (special teams coordinator/defensive backs) to the coaching staff. Then, the area roots deepened with a recruiting class that included a dozen local standouts.

Most importantly, this program's overall organization, from top to bottom, appears to be better than its been in several decades. And it definitely starts at the top.

Smith is a native of Chicago and has 18 years of coaching experience at the high school, college and professional levels, most recently as offensive coordinator the last four years at Division II Albany State in Georgia. Among his brief stints in the NFL was a spot on Romeo Crennel's staff with the Kansas City Chiefs.

It doesn't take long to understand what he's all about.

"The biggest thing I've learned is having discipline within the team, that's the most important thing," Smith said. "If you're achieving discipline on and off the field, it helps you tremendously on the field --- you'll win four or five games just off the discipline, alone, because you're not going to make a lot of mistakes. I'm not saying you're going to be perfect, but you're not going to give the other team the advantage by being undisciplined, doing your own thing and not being technically sound.

"A lot of times, it comes down to paying attention to detail and making them accountable for everything they do. Not just some things, everything. That's the key. You have responsibilities, you have time management, getting up at 5 in the morning and finishing at 8:15 at night."

Not everybody liked this approach, as the Blue Tigers only have 42 players left from last year's roster.

"Sometimes," Smith continued, "young men aren't held accountable for the things that they do, to help them grow into men, both on and off the field. We had some people who didn't buy into what we were doing and they were removed from the team.

"Now, we've got guys who are buying in and they understand that we only have that one goal we want to achieve, and they're going to bust their tails to achieve it."

Are you starting to sense a different mo-jo exuding from this football program? Discipline, organization, accountability ...

"That's where we've seen so many leaps and bounds with what we're trying to get accomplished," Phil Pitts said. "Coach Smith always harps on this --- we've got to be sure we're two or three steps ahead of the game, both on and off the field. Making sure we dot the I's and cross the T's to put our players in a position to be successful.

"Ultimately, I think the biggest difference is that we have a bunch of guys who've really bought into what we want to get accomplished. They're starting to realize what it takes to be a successful football player in a successful football program. And that means off the field, too --- that means taking care of classroom issues, that means studying, that means know scouting reports, knowing the playbook, that means knowing how to stay out of trouble.

"We have a team that's more together now than they've ever been, we have 87 guys fighting toward the same goal. Like coach Smith always says, we've got a bunch of uncommon guys fighting for a common goal. That's the definition of a team."

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EUGENE SAINTERLING, a 6-5, 215-POUND SOPHOMORE from West Park, Fla., was scheduled to start at quarterback in Saturday's 2 p.m. season-debut at Langston, but he's out with a shoulder injury.

Sainterling should be ready for the home opener Sept. 9 against another Lincoln --- this one's from Pennsylvania --- but that means the nod for the opener goes to Henry Ogala, a 6-3, 198-pound freshman from Somerset, N.J.

The offensive line is inexperienced and has battled some injuries, but "(Tuesday) was a really good day for the offensive line," Smith said. "They came together and they're making some great strides."

Top linemen include 6-4, 335-pound freshman Justin Vance (Rhineland/Hermann) and 6-7, 335-pound junior Jordan Reyes (Miami, Fla.), who will help pave the way for what Smith calls the three-headed monster at running back --- sophomore Kimbo Ferguson (Miami Gardens, Fla.), senior Miles Drummond (Centralia) and freshman Harold Lacy (Memphis, Tenn.)

At fullback, freshman Jake Burnett (Helias) will also try to create running room for that trio, while the top receiver and deep threat is junior Blake Tibbs (Decatur, Ga.)

On defense, Phil Pitts said: "We've got a lot of guys who can really fly around, we've got some playmakers in the right spots. I think we'll be a defense that will thrive on the big plays.

"One of the most exciting things I've seen is that they're starting to ask next-level questions. That shows they really understand the scheme and they want to learn more."

One of those players is senior linebacker Addison Tucker (Memphis, Tenn.), who appears to be the leader of the pack.

"The best thing Addison does is he makes sure we're always in the right defense, the right check. He knows what all 11 players are doing, he's really an extension of our staff.

Linebackers Will Cotton (senior, Harvey, Ill.) and Edwin Durassaint (junior., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) "are playmakers, they really love to run around and make plays," Pitts said.

In the secondary, Pitts calls seniors Aaron Brown (Quincy, Cal.) and Taj Moore (Hammond, Cal.) "extensions" of Cotton and Durassaint," while freshman safety Cody Alexander (Blair Oaks) "is really going to be a special player." Also, Brennen DeMarco, a freshman from Battle, is another local product who should considerable playing time early.

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THE BLUE TIGERS ARE UNDEFEATED at this point in their quest for a national championship. No bucket of cold water on the dream just yet.

Most would agree it's a big step across the line from optimistic to unrealistic. But this much does seem realistic --- Lincoln will no longer be the punchline of jokes, the team everybody wants to play for homecoming.

There's also the possibility of a winning season, something that hasn't happened since Roger Staubach was the MVP of Super Bowl VI.

Smith has had an all-in, business-like approach since coming on the scene nearly nine months ago. But it is a game. When will he take a moment to soak it in and enjoy it?

"I think it will hit me when I walk onto that field at 2 p.m. Saturday," Smith said, "and I'll have that confidence and know that we're well-prepared and ready to go. There's a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, but I'm still all about the business at hand right now."

If you weren't sure, there's a new sheriff in town. And he's surrounded by a lot of good deputies.

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