Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Harrison Smith Continues Impressive Rookie Season IRISH IN THE PROS BY WES MORGAN les in each of Minnesota's first three games, Smith has been consistently dis- ruptive, and the Knox- ville, Tenn., native inter- cepted his first pass as a pro Oct. 21 in a 21-14 vic- tory over visiting Arizona whole — the D-line, line- backers and the entire secondary — are guys that enjoy playing foot- ball and enjoy playing to- gether," Smith said. "It's not a selfish group. That makes it easier for all of us when we're all run- ning to the ball." With seven total tack- Kyle Rudolph was named the Minnesota Vikings Rookie of the Year, an- other Fighting Irish alum- nus is on track to win the award. First-year safety Harrison Smith, who's proving more and more each week his first-round selection in the 2012 NFL Draft was on the money, has 32 tackles through the team's 5-2 start. "The defense as a O ne year after former Notre Dame tight end — a pick he returned 31 yards for the decisive touchdown. It was the first interception by a Minnesota safety since the 2007 season, and the first by a Vikings rookie defensive player since 2003. Minnesota led 14-7 early in the third quarter when Cardinals quarter- back John Skelton tried to hit receiver Early Doucet. Smith jumped in front of the pass, cut right and sprinted down the side- line into the end zone. The defensive score for us as players to just step in and play fast. That's helped me. … Having a pass rush makes things easier for us to make plays on the ball [in the secondary]." It was the first time this season Smith didn't make headlines that were det- rimental to his bank ac- count. "There's always some- thing in the news," he said, "good or bad." Unintentionally, the was crucial considering Minnesota quarterback Christian Ponder com- pleted just 1 of 7 passing attempts for four yards in the second half. "I think the success I've had so far … our defen- sive coordinator Alan Williams doesn't do too much; he doesn't try to outcoach everybody or be a defensive guru," Smith explained. "He knows what he wants to run and he's going to run his plays. "That makes it easier 6-2, 214-pounder has be- come the bad boy of the rookie class, having been fined twice and ejected once since coming to the league. Smith ponied up $21,000 for a helmet-to- helmet hit in a preseason game against San Diego. "It seems kind of un- intended," he said. "I play hard whenever I play football. Sometimes that gets misconstrued; [negative headlines] aren't what I'm looking for. But I'm not going to give up my intensity and change the way I play. I'm just going to try to play smart and play within the