It was an unfortunate injury and could have been avoided if Decker had not pushed Smith in the back after the play was over. However Decker did not hit Smith in the knee in order to take him out. He pushed him in the back of his shoulders from behind and it caused Smith to land awkwardly to avoid falling. The unfortunate result was a severe knee injury. Watch the play again. It was not a play that I would call a cheap shot, like the ones that you see Navy often do against Notre Dame.
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