As Minnesota was reveling last week in a decisive victory over Nebraska , the level of dominance by the Gophers defense dawned on standout Anthony Smith as he looked around at his teammates and started doing some quick math on their pass-rushing success.

"Everybody gets a sack," Smith said. "It was like Oprah Winfrey out there."

The Gophers racked up a school-record nine sacks — on a Huskers team that was ranked 25th in The Associated Press poll and averaging 41 points per game — along the way to winning 24-6.

"That's what happens in this defense," said Smith, one of the team's top NFL prospects who is tied for seventh in the FBS with a career-high seven sacks. "We get home."

Home is also where Gophers coach P.J. Fleck looked first earlier this year for a new defensive coordinator,

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