Football: More from Trent Smith on his freshman season
After doing some research, I discovered this really was the least experienced receiver/tight end group OU has had since Bob Stoops’ first season on the job. That year, five freshmen — Smith, Curtis Fagan, Damian Mackey, Antwone Savage and Andre Woolfolk — were asked to step up and contribute.
The next season, with all five of them playing significant roles, the Sooners went unbeaten and won the national championship.
Here are a few quotes from Smith that weren’t in the story.
On the summer nights before his freshman season:
“During the summer before my freshman year, a lot of us would walk across the street to the stadium at night when they’d have the lights on, and we’d just sit in the stands and talk and daydream about winning championships. At that time, we were coming off a 5-6 season.
“We were just beside ourselves; we were so excited about getting to play (as freshmen).
“I don’t want to speak for the other guys; we had pretty high confidence level about us, but I don’t think we understood how good we could be or what was about to happen.”
On watching the 2000 Sugar Bowl (that year’s national championship game) between Virginia Tech and Florida State while still in Shreveport, La., after the Independence Bowl:
“We sat sat down in Shreveport, watching Michael Vick and Virginia Tech play Florida State for the national championship. I remember sitting in a hotel room and watching that game, saying, ‘Can you imagine how cool it would be to play for a national championship and win it? Oh my God.’ And then, the very next year, we did it.”
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