PITTSBURGH \u2013 When kicking in your first NFL game, it’s not a bad thing to have a long snapper who played his entire college career in that very stadium.<\/p>\n
That was a benefit afforded to Packers rookie Trey Smack<\/a> during Thursday’s preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium, the same venue in which Green Bay long snapper and University of Pittsburgh alum Cal Adomitis<\/a> played for four years.<\/p>\n While the Packers dropped the opener 28-9, quarterback Jordan Love<\/a> called Smack “the highlight of the night” after he converted all of his field-goal attempts from 37, 58, and 38 yards to get Green Bay on the board.<\/p>\n Smack even aced an additional 58-yarder in the first quarter that was negated by a Pittsburgh penalty, allowing the Packers to continue their first offensive possession.<\/p>\n “Cal’s played at Pitt and he was just there this past offseason, so I talked to him about it a bit,” Smack said. “Cal and Dan (Whelan) do a great job of getting the ball down long enough so I can see it. From there, it’s on me.”<\/p>\n A sixth-round pick out of Florida, Smack battled topsy-turvy conditions at Nitschke Field during the first two weeks of training camp but appeared to find his groove last Friday inside Lambeau Field during Family Night.<\/p>\n After going 6-of-7 during that practice and consulting with Packers Hall of Fame kicker Ryan Longwell this past week, Smack kept building momentum in Pittsburgh. When summoned for a 58-yarder on the Packers’ opening drive, Smack emphatically split the uprights before a flag was thrown.<\/p>\n The officials called former Packers defensive lineman Dean Lowry for roughing the snapper, resulting in a 15-yard penalty and new set of downs. The Packers gained six more yards before sending Smack back out for a 37-yard attempt he cleared easily.<\/p>\n As luck would have it, Smack wound up kicking another 58-yarder as time expired in the first half to cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 7-6 at the break.<\/p>\n “I think it’ll build some confidence,” Smack said. “Every day’s a new day. You gotta figure out what kind of ball you’re gonna hit that day.”<\/p>\n The Packers traded up to draft Smack in the sixth round earlier this year with the hope he could help solve the kicking issues that have lingered since all-time leading scorer Mason Crosby’s final season in Green Bay in 2022.<\/p>\n Thursday was a promising step, though Smack wasn’t taking any victory laps. His attention is turned to next Friday’s preseason game in Denver.<\/p>\n “I don’t really try to feel relief in this kind of business because we always have next week,” Smack said. “We gotta play next week. My mind’s already switched to the Broncos.”<\/p>\n Short night for starting defense: While defensive schemes are often basic in the preseason, new coordinator Jonathan Gannon still displayed the same aggression in Pittsburgh that he’s shown in practice.<\/p>\n Case in point, Gannon deployed linebacker Zaire Franklin<\/a> on an A-gap blitz that resulted in an 8-yard sack of quarterback Mason Rudolph on the Steelers’ second offensive play.<\/p>\n Rudolph hit Germie Bernard on an underneath pass on third-and-14 that safety Xavier McKinney<\/a> covered and the first-team defense’s day was over after three plays.<\/p>\n “We made it a point of emphasis to put our effort on tape and our physicality on tape and we came out fast,” defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness<\/a> said. “We all knew this is kind of the reality of the preseason. If we get a three-and-out, we could possibly be hanging the pads up for the rest of the day.<\/p>\n “We all came out hot. We got that three-and-out early, which was nice. I’m just proud of the guys.”<\/p>\n Edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr.<\/a> then opened the next series with a 9-yard sack of Rudolph for a loss after bull-rushing through Dylan Cook. In the second quarter, Green Bay notched its third sack after Kitan Oladapo<\/a> chased down Will Howard for a sack off a corner blitz.<\/p>\n “I felt like we got after them today,” Cox said. “Everybody was hyped to get out there and play somebody else. It was a fun day.”<\/p>\n A year in the making: Thursday night held special meaning for MarShawn Lloyd<\/a>, who was playing in his first NFL game since last year’s preseason contest in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n After injuries derailed his first two NFL seasons, the Packers running back played the first two series against the Steelers, rushing four times for 13 yards in his first in-game action since last August.<\/p>\n “It felt really good honestly just getting hit,” Lloyd said. “I knew about the defense the Steelers had so it was good to go against a team like that in your first hit in like two years. It’s cool. I enjoyed every bit of it.”<\/p>\n Lloyd has seen extensive reps in practice with the first-team offense while Josh Jacobs<\/a> (groin) and Chris Brooks<\/a> (hamstring) have missed time with injury.<\/p>\n But finally playing in an actual game hit differently.<\/p>\n “Emotions were high,” said Lloyd. “I was ready to go. It was fun. I was juiced up. I was listening to music. I was in it. I was in the zone. It was fun.”<\/p>\n Big stand: The Packers’ second-team defense showed grit on a big red-zone stop at the start of the second quarter.<\/p>\n It began when rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse<\/a> made an open-field tackle on Lew Nichols to prevent a touchdown on second-and-goal from the Green Bay 9.<\/p>\n Safety Murvin Kenion III<\/a> broke up a third-and-goal pass to Bernard before fellow safety Mark Perry<\/a> tackled Pat Freiermuth a yard shy of the goal line for the turnover on downs.<\/p>\n “When the opportunity came, just be able to get a guy down and let us see another play,” said Cisse, who played the entire first half.<\/p>\n “Mark made a great play on the out and it’s my job down there to be firm, allow him to work over the top and make a play. That’s what I pride myself on is taking the stress and making sure everybody else can make plays or play free.”<\/p>\n McCord’s day: Competing for the Packers’ third-string quarterback job, Kyle McCord<\/a> led Green Bay on a six-play, 35-yard scoring drive in the final 38 seconds of the first half.<\/p>\n The 2025 seventh-round pick hit three quick for 27 yards to move the ball to the Pittsburgh 48 with 12 seconds left and no timeouts.<\/p>\n