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Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 1 | 2000th / 2758 |
| Tackles for loss | 1 | 1269th / 2112 |
| Run stops | 2 | 2473rd / 3422 |
| Sacks | 1 | — |
| Pass breakups | 0 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 5 | — |
Charting
Where Smith's plays went: throw and catch spots, air yards and yards after the catch, read from the play-by-play
The play-by-play names the defender on breakups, interceptions and tackles, but not the man in coverage on every throw, so true times-targeted isn't in the text. Coverage plays is the closest stand-in; exact targets come from hand charting.
Game Log
Matthew Smith's box score, game by game, from ESPN, with a 0–10 game score for each (hover it for how it works). Click a result for the full game
| Defense | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Game score | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Hur | PD | INT | TD |
| 1 |  South Dakota State | W 34–18 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 3 |  Colorado | W 41–7 | 4.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 4 | @ Indiana | L 23–29 | 4.8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 5 |  Penn State | W 34–13 | 2.7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 6 |  Ball State | W 45–14 | 4.8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 7 | @ Michigan State | W 24–21 | 4.8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 8 |  Rutgers | W 42–14 | 6.5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 9 | @ Oregon | L 26–34 | 5.1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2026 · 8 games | 4.7 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | · | · | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 10 | 2342nd / 5664 |
| Solo | 5 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 1 | 1566th / 2634 |
| Sacks | 1 | 620th / 1383 |
| QB hurries | 3 | 231st / 1549 |
| Passes defended | 0 | — |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
Snaps by Game
Estimated snaps from a model trained on real NFL snap counts. Ranges in brackets are where the real number lands 80% of the time: wide for a single game, tighter over the season. How it works
| Game | Opp. plays | Est. snaps | Plays made | Penalties | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 3 · Colorado | 62 | ~6 (0–34) | 1 | · | 10% |
| Wk 4 · Indiana | 69 | ~21 (2–38) | 2 | 1 | 30% |
| Wk 5 · Penn State | 63 | ~4 (0–23) | 1 | · | 6% |
| Wk 6 · Ball State | 78 | ~· | 1 | · | 0% |
| Wk 7 · Michigan State | 57 | ~6 (0–34) | 1 | · | 11% |
| Wk 8 · Rutgers | 66 | ~28 (3–51) | 2 | · | 42% |
| Wk 9 · Oregon | 59 | ~34 (4–59) | 2 | · | 58% |
| Season | 542 | 99 (0–183) | 10 | 1 | 18% |
Position Room
13 LBs on the Northwestern roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Braydon Brus | LB | SR | 68 | 12.5 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Kobie McKinzie | LB | SR | 55 | 4.5 | 2 | — | 2 |
| Matthew Smith | LB | 10 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | ||
| 34 | Payton Roth | LB | JR | 7 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 |
| Jack Sadowsky | LB | 7 | 0.5 | 0 | — | 0 | ||
| 51 | Miles Crutchley | LB | SR | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 49 | Amare Jordan | LB | FR | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 37 | Max Mohring | LB | FR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 42 | Nigel Glover | LB | JR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 39 | Parker Maiers | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 40 | Jason Reynolds II | LB | SR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 46 | Lincoln Creager | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 50 | Qayvier Johnson | LB | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
Stats, EPA and usage come from CollegeFootballData.com and refresh daily. FBS ranks only count players with enough volume for the stat to mean something. Qualifying for EPA takes —+ plays per team game. Northwestern depth chart →