Minnesota State senior defensive end Grant Smith (Farmington, Minn.) has been named d2football.com's Defensive Player of the Week after collecting a career-high nine tackles in the Maverick win at Minnesota Duluth.

He becomes the second Maverick this season to win  a player of the week award from D2football.com, joining senior quarterback Ben King. King won the award after throwing for seven touchdowns against Peru State (Sept. 6).

Smith also was named the North Central Conference's Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts last Saturday. Smith finished the game with four-and-a-half sacks totalling 35 yards to go with an additional tackle for a loss.  His sack total established a new Minnesota State single-game record and helped the Maverick defense tie the school record for sacks in a game (seven).   Smith shared the award with Dustin Rice of Augustana.

--courtesy www.msumavericks.com