Minnesota DC Danny Collins on Big Ten sack leader Anthony Smith: "He's a game wrecker"
Very few defensive ends in college football this season have produced to the level of Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive end Anthony Smith.
The junior from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, is well on pace to have a career season for the Golden Gophers, totaling 21 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and seven sacks through the program’s first eight games. His seven sacks lead the Big Ten and are seventh-best in the country.
Smith has been the most dominant member of a Minnesota pass rush that has totaled 25 sacks this season, which ranks top 10 defensively.
Defensive coordinator Danny Collins on Anthony Smith
“Like I always say, he’s a game wrecker,” Golden Gophers defensive coordinator Danny Collins said regarding Smith. “He has the ability to change the football game within one play, and that’s his superpower.”
Smith isn’t just a terrific pass rusher; he’s also one of Minnesota’s best defensive linemen against the run this season.
“He’s great against the run. He’s obviously fantastic against the pass.”
“It goes back to fundamentals and technique. When he’s working with that, we’re working together. The rush and the coverage, the linebackers making the calls, we’re able to really highlight each player’s strengths, especially his, and he has a fantastic road ahead of him.”
Smith, for his career, has totaled 64 tackles in 36 career games with the Golden Gophers, with 23 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. If Smith can earn another sack this season, he’ll tie Boye Mafe for the ninth most sacks in program history — the program’s all-time sacks mark is 29.0 by Karon Riley.
No Golden Gopher has recorded double-digit sacks since the 2008 season, when Willie VanDeSteeg had 10.5 sacks.
Stay Tuned
Stay tuned to Gophers Nation as we bring the latest updates on the Golden Gophers’ upcoming matchup against Michigan State.
Join Gophers Nation for ELITE Minnesota football coverage!
GophersNation.com provides everything that passionate Minnesota fans expect and want: Wall-to-wall coverage of Gophers athletics and recruiting.
Join the Gophers Nation community and receive all the benefits that come with it:
- Elite team and recruiting coverage of the program you love.
- Interact with other passionate Gophers fans on our Inside Gophers Nation board
- Exclusive access to the Gophers Nation staff, who are always ready to answer your questions.
- Access to the premier network in college athletics (On3 + Rivals)
- Plus much more!
SIGN UP: Join GophersNation’s Minnesota community today for $1.
