2008 Football Roster
Roster
Zach Smith
- Position:
- DB
- Height:
- 6-0
- Weight:
- 196
- Class:
- Sophomore
- Hometown:
- Altoona, AL
- High School/Previous School:
- Susan Moore HS
- Career & Game-By-Game Statistics
CAREER:
Veteran player enters senior season looking to provide depth to young group in defensive backfield ... Has played in 29 games for Mississippi State during his career, and has earned seven starting calls ... Pressed into immediate service in his true freshman season as a reserve in the secondary and on special teams ... Came to the Bulldog football program after a scintillating high school career in the state of Alabama.
2009:
Started each of the first five games before a season-ending injury ... Posted 26 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and a pair of forced fumbles during limited season ... Recorded a season-high eight tackles at Auburn in Week 2 ... Posted seven more stops with 1.5 TFLs at Vanderbilt the following week ... Credited with pass breakups against both the Commodores and LSU.
2008:
Played in all 12 games and started twice during his sophomore season . . . Started the season opener at Louisiana Tech and the Week 9 game vs. Kentucky . . . Recorded 43 total tackles, including one-half tackle for loss (minus 2 yards) . . . Also deflected a pass and recovered a fumble . . . Earned his first collegiate start in Mississippi State’s season opener at Louisiana Tech . . . Turned in a solid all-around performance in that lidlifter . . . Finished third on the club with seven tackles against LTU, including one-half tackle for loss (minus 2 yards) . . . Also credited with a fumble recovery in Ruston . . . Had three tackles in State’s home-opening win over Southeastern Louisiana . . . Added another tackle two weeks later at Georgia Tech . . . Was also credited with a 16-yard kickoff return, the first of his career . . . Had a pair of tackles in the Bulldogs’ mid-season win over Vanderbilt . . . After making 13 tackles in the season’s first six weeks (2.2 per game), he recorded 30 in the final six contests (5.0 per game) . . . Registered the first double-digit tackle game of his career at Tennessee in Week 7 . . . Had 11 hits against the Volunteers . . . Made a pair of tackles and had a pass deflection in Week 9 against Kentucky . . . Tied for third on the club with seven tackles one week later at Alabama . . . Registered three tackles in the Bulldogs’ Week 11 win over Arkansas . . . Posted seven tackles in the season finale at Ole Miss.
2007:
Played in 12 of a possible 13 games during his true freshman season for Mississippi State . . . Only missed seeing action at West Virginia in Week 8 due to injury . . . Valuable special teams player who had an outstanding pre-season camp, vaulting him into the top reserve role at safety to begin his college career . . . Recorded one tackle against LSU to open the season . . . Had two hits two weeks later in Mississippi State’s victory over Auburn in Jordan-Hare Stadium . . . Made three tackles vs. Gardner-Webb in the Bulldogs’ 31-15 victory . . . Had a season-best four tackles during the team’s Week 6 victory over UAB . . . Also credited with one pass deflection in the 30-13 win over the Blazers . . . Missed State’s Week 8 game at West Virginia with a quadriceps muscle strain . . . Returned to the stats sheet one week later in the Bulldogs’ 31-14 win over nationally No. 14 Kentucky . . . Had one hit against the Wildcats in Lexington . . . Registered three tackles in State’s Week 10 victory over nationally No. 21-ranked Alabama . . . Added one tackle a week later at Arkansas . . . Had a pair of tackles and a pass broken up in State’s regular season-concluding win over Ole Miss in the Battle For The Golden Egg . . . Matched his season high with four tackles in the Bulldogs’ 10-3 win over Central Florida in the 2007 AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
HIGH SCHOOL:
Named Most Valuable Player of the North team in the Alabama High School Athletic Association All-Star Game in December 2005, a contest for the state of Alabama’s top juniors . . . Completed 10-of-19 passes for 85 yards and added 60 more yards rushing in that game . . . Credited with running a 4.52-second 40-yard dash at the Tuscaloosa Scout.com combine prior to his senior campaign . . . Holds the state of Alabama total offense record with more than 10,000 yards . . . Started every year since his freshman season through the end of his prep career for head coach Tim Gillespie at Susan Moore High School in Blountsville, Ala., throwing for more than 6,000 yards . . . Led Susan Moore to a 29-8 record the final three seasons . . . Selected as a finalist for the state of Alabama Wendy’s High School Heisman, given annually to the state’s top football player . . .Led his team to a 12-2 record as a senior and into the state semifinals . . . Named the Alabama Class 3A state Back of the Year following his senior campaign . . . Selected first-team, all-state as a senior, he completed 215-of-341 passes for 3,000 yards and 34 touchdowns . . . . Also rushed 189 times for 1,501 yards and 23 more scores . . . Also had 81 tackles and recorded five interceptions as a free safety on defense . . . Selected first-team, all-state when he passed for 2,450 yards and 18 touchdowns, and rushed for 950 more and 12 scores during his junior season . . . Invited to participate in the U.S. Army and Scout.com Combine for juniors . . . Also attended the Elite 11 Camp for quarterbacks following his junior season . . . Completed 106-of-193 passes, a 55 percent completion rate, for 1,854 yards with 24 touchdowns and just one interception during his sophomore campaign . . . Also rushed 115 times for 600 yards and 11 scores that year . . . Outstanding student (3.8 GPA) in the classroom . . . Committed to MSU in November 2006.
PERSONAL:
Born Zachary Alan Smith, 11-9-88, in Birmingham, Ala. . . . Son of Mr. Alan Smith and Ms. Diana Whatley . . . His brother Curt Smith plays football at Samford.
