Former MSU DB Fred Smoot discusses Snow Bowl, Jackie Sherrill & more

Key notes from Fred Smoot interview

• Thanks for having me! We do most definitely have Jackie Sherrill in common. I used to ask Coach Sherrill ‘Is there a difference between A&M and Mississippi State” and he’d say, “No, man, it’s the same school.” 
   
• Most definitely. It was a lot of fun to be able to do that at a high level. I love good verbal warfare on the field. It’s just great, and I love to take advantage of that.
   
• The Snow Bowl was most definitely one of those times that was just crazy. There were times when you couldn’t even tell the difference between the teams, especially with having the same colors and the same type of play. Nobody ever thought it would be snowing. It was in the forecast, but it’s the South, so who thought it would really snow.  It was cold. You really have to find a get through it in games like that and keep playing. So you learned and kept going and kept playing.  It’s all about the players and not the game plan at that point. The game plan is just out the window.
   
• Teams always play differently in a game when you’re playing your coach's former team. When Coach Sherrill coached the team, we got to play for him. He just had that effect on us. This one was personal, and we knew we really wanted to win that Independence Bowl.
   
• Playing for Coach Sherrill was kind of magical. When he came in to recruit me, my momma didn’t take kindly to anybody. He came in and sat on the couch, and I went to go get something out of the fridge. When I came back, my momma said I was going to Mississippi State, and I didn’t know what had happened. Coach had a way with people and really brought people to his teams that he wants. When you look at his recruiting class, he knew with the players he was bringing in that he could change this instantly. Coach Sherrill wanted fun players. Coach really let his guys be who they are. He’s a snake charmer!
   
• I guess in that season at Mississippi State; there was a run we went on. In my first interview there, they were asking me questions, and I was like, “We’ll probably go undefeated.” They’re like, “Who are you?” and I was like, “ I’m the problem you need to worry about.”  But all season we just kept playing and just kept getting these impossible and dramatic wins. We continued to win in kind of hopeless positions and situations. There’s not really one game sticks out from that season. Maybe the one we lost.  We lost our first game against Alabama. We lost it on a Hail Mary. If we win that game, we have a chance to go to the national championship.
   
• The Vanderbilt game was crazy because it started during the week. At the time, I had smootsmack.com. But that week I didn’t even really say anything, and they came after us. They called us a bunch of JUCO guys. They called us dummies. That’s all we really needed. I was like- anytime I’m on the other team side and playing corner, I’m talking to the coaches. I told them- this is what I’ll do. I will give you two catches if you do my homework for the rest of the year. At the end of the day, they had no catches. I told him too- I hope those pants have some pockets in them because that’s where they need to keep their hands.
   
• I owned the Waffle House, but I never worked at one. Once I got up to Virginia, there were none, and I love my Waffle House. Of course, I had to do something about it. I bought one and had them move the franchise up there. Sometimes you have to make something happen if you want it. I didn’t know how y’all don’t have one in College Station. How is that even possible?
   
• I’m always watching my Bulldogs. I expected a lot more out of this group. They just had some great talent, but I’m still waiting. I need them to play consistently. There are times when they make great plays, but they need to make plays all the time. They’re losing a ton of guys and ton of plays that you really shouldn’t. We have a very elite group of wide receivers. Let those guys catch and run. You have a young quarterback. Give him easy reads and let the wide receivers get it. They need more big plays. Luckily the quarterback can run. If they get him moving and get the passing game going, then maybe they come up with the win.