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University of Minnesota Athletics
Rodney Smith: The Spin Move
10/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Rodney Smith leads Minnesota with seven rushing touchdowns this year. He's scored from 70 yards and from one yard, but two of his touchdowns almost resulted in a loss of yards.
Smith scored from two yards out against Oregon State and from eight yards at Maryland, but was hit in the backfield both times by a penetrating defense.
That's when Smith hit the B button. He spun out of a sure tackle and ended up in the end zone. It's an elusive move that his teammates have seen plenty of times in practice - although none will admit to being fooled by it - and one that has benefitted the sophomore and the Gophers this year.
Here's what we know about it.
Rodney Smith (the spin master): My dad taught me the spin move. He was a coach and growing up we would always go in the back yard and work on fundamentals and we would work on spinning off of contact carrying the ball. Even just walking around in in the hallways in high school, just spinning off of somebody between classes. Basketball players did it all the time, like they were laying the ball up or shooting, and it was the same thing for football players in the hallways. I would just spin off of people. I just kind of made it a habit and still use it in my game. I think it is a pretty good move.
It's an instinct. I don't ever look at a defender and plan to spin. Sometimes you get near contact and you are at a certain angle and you cannot make any move but to spin. My teammates see me do it quite a lot. I do it in practice all the time. It's second nature to me. I just do it and run with it.
Shannon Brooks (running back): I don't know how he does it. That's one of his secrets.
Jonathan Celestin (former high school teammate, leading Gopher tackler with 43): None of this surprises me. He has always had that spin move. In high school he was a little bit bigger and he would always set himself up in the second half for the spin move and hit an open lane and then take it to the house.
He has always been one of the shiftiest backs that I have faced, so when I see another back I am not as nervous. I would say from the beginning of high school to late senior year, he always got me with the spin move. He's always been shifty, but I can get him know. I know when it is coming now. I can predict most of his moves better than anyone else. I know how to stop him.
Damarius Travis (senior captain and third on the team with 38 tackles): I had that move when I played quarterback in high school. It's hard to tackle a guy who is quick like that and can move. That's Rodney though. He is so quick. Once you take your eye off of him he is going to be gone. It is really beneficial for him because he makes a lot of guys miss and he is really good at it. I don't think he has ever gotten me in practice with the spin move. I can't remember. I know he has made me miss like one time or so, but other than that, no.
Matt Leidner (offensive lineman): When I see Rodney hit that spin move, I almost lose him for a second. It's like he goes invisible. He gets to the edge quick, makes defenders miss and gets into the end zone. If I had to pick an offensive lineman to do a spin move like that I would probably say Jared Weyler because he's so quick these days.
Jalen Myrick (senior defensive back with 18 tackles): It's difficult because he is able to make a man miss in space. He has little space and still makes people miss. He gets real squirmy and the squirmy guys are the hardest to tackle. They can make a quick move and get out of a tackle. He's never done it to me though. I can get him.
Jay Sawvel (defensive coordinator): It drives you nuts if you are the defense and you miss the tackle. You know when you see a guy who does that on video that you are dealing with a good player and a good back. The play is never done until he is on the ground. It's really hard at the end of the game if you have put yourself in the right call and guys execute it the right way and they still score. That is demoralizing to a defense when that happens, but that is what good players do.
Brian Anderson (assistant coach who recruited Smith): It shows that he has great balance and great vision. It's something you saw in high school video too. It's a tight spin and he has a burst out of it. A lot of guys cannot do that, and he is pretty natural at it. He can feel the contact from the defender and then spin off of it, stay tight and still have good body control. It's a testament to his balance. I think it goes back to him being a good baseball player. He has great hand-eye coordination and great body control. And he is strong. Weak guys can't do that.
