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Rodney Smith joins exclusive Gophers rushing club in season opener
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Rodney Smith was really close to reaching an incredible career milestone entering the 2019 season, and it only took him one half to hit it.
On Thursday, in Minnesota’s season opener against South Dakota State, Smith racked up 44 yards on 13 carries in the first two quarters, eclipsing the 3,000-yard mark for his career. He entered the year with 2,959 yards while in Minneapolis.
Minnesota confirmed that the former leading rusher has accumulated 3,000 career yards.
Welcome to the 3,000 club @Numerouno1_!
Seven #Gophers have now hit the 3K milestone in program history. #Gophers #SkiUMah #RTB #SDSUvsMINN pic.twitter.com/S3G5B41Il3
— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) August 30, 2019
Smith appeared in just two games last season before suffering a season-ending injuries. He took 25 handoffs for 154 yards.
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His career high for a season came in 2016, when he rushed for 1,158 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Golden Gophers. It’s only one half of the first game of the season, but the fifth-year senior is off to a solid start in the 2019 campaign.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB