ASU defensive tackle Smith gets it done in trenches

The role of a defensive tackle dictates that David Smith will not pile up eye-popping statistics, but there is one category in which he is among Arizona State's team leaders: operating-room visits.

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Since his high school days, the constant collisions at the scrimmage line have exacted a toll on Smith, with the lengthy résumé of pain exemplified by the surgical scars on his back, neck and thumb.

"It's part of the game," said Smith, a 6-foot-3, 277-pound senior. "I have to grind through it. I've been in a lot of therapy. It's hard on your body, but defensive tackle is a tough position....

"I've been doing this for five years here, so I'm used to it."

Through it all, Smith has gritted his teeth and developed into a mainstay at defensive tackle. Entering his second year as a starter, the Chandler Hamilton High School product has done the dirty work in the trenches, with little fanfare.

"He's a plugger, a leader," coach Dennis Erickson said. "He never complains and plays through injuries. David is a true football player in my opinion. Is he overtalented? No. Does he play like a son of a gun? Yes. You'd love to have all of your guys like that. He plays through things other guys sit out with.

"He's a warrior. That's the best way to put it."

Smith's career totals are modest: 37 games (13 starts), with 41 tackles and 4 1/2 sacks. His value, however, is reflected in the statistics of other defenders.

Said defensive end Dexter Davis, who led the Sun Devils with 10 1/2 sacks last season: "David does a lot of things that are overlooked because they don't show up on the stat sheet."

Defensive tackles are often called on to sacrifice themselves, taking on an extra blocker so a defensive end or linebacker can come free.

"Whenever we need a play on defense, I'll go in there and do my job," Smith said. "I'll be in my gap, holding guys up for linebackers. That's my thing, you know.

"There are a lot of plays where the tackle holds a guy up and makes the gap bigger for a linebacker. That's part of the game. I don't mind it."

For a time, Smith was concerned that his perpetual back pain, the result of two herniated discs, might hinder his opportunity at a scholarship. However, he said that when ASU recruited him in 2004, the school did not inquire fully about his injury history, and Smith and his family did not voluntarily disclose it.

"I knew I was going to play, but some colleges don't like to take a chance with potential injuries," Smith said. "I guess you could say I tried to hide it. That sounds bad. We didn't want to say anything.

"It doesn't matter now, because I came here and played, so I've lived up to my end of the deal."

There were more ailments to play through after Smith joined the Sun Devils. He had a titanium plate and screws inserted into his right thumb. The back and neck conditions limit his weight-room options, but he has still gained strength.

"David is resilient," said defensive line coach Grady Stretz, who said that defending the run is Smith's strength. "He shows up each day ready for the task at hand. It's a cliché, but he brings his lunch pail and does his job."

With Davis and Luis Vasquez forming perhaps the top defensive-end tandem in the Pac-10, and Smith a reliable performer at one of the inside spots, ASU thinks that it's close to having the dominant front four that elite teams require.

And if, in his final season in maroon and gold, Smith can do his unheralded but important role to help the Sun Devils win a Pac-10 title, all the pain will be worth it.

"I'm focusing on helping the young guys get better," Smith said. "It's a matter of us staying consistent and doing the right thing and keep working on what we need to work on. If we do that, we're going to be a great line."