ST. LOUIS – UNI junior defensive end Elerson G. Smith was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week after a standout game against Idaho State Saturday in the UNI-Dome.
Smith recorded a career-high three sacks to go along with a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss and nine tackles. He also had a forced fumble and a knocked down a pass.
He led UNI to a stifling defensive performance. The Panthers held Idaho State to 203 yards of offense and just 69 yards rushing. The Panther defense tallied three interceptions, 10 tackles for loss and five sacks.