Football | December 1

DEKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois University defensive end Sutton Smith has been named a finalist for the 2017 Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award, the Ted Hendricks Foundation announced Friday.
 
Smith, who leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in sacks with 14 and tackles for loss with 28.5, is one of five finalists for the award, named in honor of the NFL Hall of Famer and three-time All-American at the University of Miami.
 
"It's a true honor to be named a finalist for an award named for one of the greatest defensive ends ever to play the game," Smith said. "It's an honor to even be nominated to be on those lists."
 
Smith, a redshirt sophomore from Saint Charles, Mo. (Francis Howell HS), broke the NIU single season records for both sacks and tackles for loss, surpassing Huskie legends Larry English (2006) and Scott Kellar (1984), respectively.
 
The 2017 MAC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-MAC selection, Smith broke the school's single-game tackles for loss record with 5.5 against Western Michigan. It was his second game with five tackles for loss or more in 2017 as he also recorded five tackles for loss in the season opener versus Boston College. Those numbers put him in select company as just 13 such games were recorded in FBS this season. 
 
Smith's 28.5 tackles for loss are the most by a MAC player since 2004, while his 14 sacks are the most in the MAC since 2006.  He needs 3.5 tackles for loss to tie the NCAA mark of 32 in a season, set by Jason Babin of Western Michigan in 2003. 
 
Smith joined Nick Bosa of Ohio State, Bradley Chubb of North Carolina State, Clelin Ferrell of Clemson and Marcus Martin of Slippery Rock on the Ted Hendricks Award finalist list.
 
"Honors like these are definitely something that are a result of what we have accomplished as a team," Smith said.  "I would not be able to have these numbers or do what I've done without what we've done as a defense with all my teammates."
 
Final voting for the 2017 Hendricks Award – which includes college coaches, former players and coaches, media members and pro football personnel professionals – concludes December 5 and the recipient will be announced December 6.
 
NIU completed the regular season with an 8-4 overall record, a three-game improvement from a year ago, and will play in a bowl game for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons.  The Huskies' bowl destination will be announced on Sunday, December 3.  For information on the 2017 MAC Bowl tie-ins, go to NIU Football Bowl Central on NIUHuskies.com. 
 
-- NIU --