ABJ
ARM IN ARM
OSU's Smith, MSU's Stanton friends as well as QBs
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
COLUMBUS - As unlikely as their friendship might appear because of logistics, Drew Stanton and Troy Smith think it makes perfect sense.
Both seniors start at quarterback, Stanton at Michigan State, Smith at Ohio State. Dangerous passers and runners, they have similar athletic skills. They seem to be cut from the same cloth as competitors and leaders.
But when they hit it off at a Nike camp and went on to become roommates at the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback camp during the summer of 2001, they hadn't made their college choices yet. They had no idea of the tie that would later bind them.
``This summer when we served as counselors, we talked about how we both traveled the same path to get to where we are now,'' Stanton said. ``We both played special teams. We weren't expected to be the quarterbacks of the teams we have now.''
Asked what they have in common, Smith cites the same parallel.
``We started off on special teams and ended up at the position we love,'' Smith said. ``We'll continue to grow as team people.''
The pair must put team before friendship Saturday, when top-ranked Ohio State (6-0, 2-0 in the Big Ten) visits Michigan State (3-3, 0-2). Hoping to continue their quest to capture a BCS national title, the Buckeyes know Stanton will be a formidable foe.
That didn't keep Smith from talking to Stanton this week, because they both say football never comes up in their conversations.
``When we talk, it's not about the game,'' Smith said. ``It's more along the lines of, `How are you doing? What else is going on in your life?' We talk about other things young adults do when we grow up a little bit.''
It's been that way since they met, Stanton said.
``You don't have to talk about being a quarterback or about high school or college football,'' Stanton said. ``We talk on the other side of the fence. You get to know people and see the type person he is.
``He's a very confident person, the way he carries himself. I don't think he's arrogant; he's confident in what he can accomplish. He cares about other people. He's one of the guys who has your back.''
Smith called Stanton ``a first-class guy and a warrior through and through.''
``I can't begin to express the way I feel about him because he's a great person,'' Smith said. ``When you meet somebody who's going to keep it 100 percent with you the whole way and not sugarcoat things and let you know what kind of friend he is from the time you meet him up until now, you can do nothing but get better as friends. I know our relationship will continue to grow.''
Smith admitted when he was invited to the Elite 11 camp, he never took his eyes off Stanton.
``Night in and night out that was the guy I was looking at, practicing and warming up with him,'' Smith said. ``It was a great experience for both of us. Obviously, it paid off.''
Smith can still name nine others who were there. They included Vince Young (who went on to Texas), Justin Zwick (Ohio State), Ben Olson (UCLA), Drew Olson (UCLA/Baltimore Ravens), Matt Gutierrez (Michigan-Idaho State), Gavin Dickey (Florida and a Seattle Mariners '06 baseball draftee as an outfielder), Anthony Martinez (Virginia), Tyler Palko (Pittsburgh) and Ryan O'Hara (Arizona-Central Oklahoma).
Young, Stanton, Smith, Palko and Olson became starters at their original colleges; Gutierrez and O'Hara, after they transferred.
Smith remembered what the Elite 11 invitation meant to him when he was finishing his time at Cleveland Glenville High School.
``That was the biggest accolade I had ever received,'' Smith said. ``I got that letter in the mail and it was smooth sailing from there on out. That was a quarterback camp; it wasn't about running the ball. It was about what was in your brain. We threw the ball seven days straight.
``That was a great time for me because of the whole, `Is he an athlete? Is he a quarterback?' What Bob Johnson (camp coach) saw in me was a quarterback. That was one of the big breaks for me.''
That said, neither Smith nor Stanton took the easy road in college.
Smith was the last player to sign with OSU in the winter of 2002, and then his position was listed as ``athlete.'' Massillon's Zwick, a Parade All-American, headlined coach Jim Tressel's second class.
``He talked about it that summer; we were both on the same flight and taking the bus ride to the hotel,'' Stanton said. ``He said, `I know Justin just committed to Ohio State, but I think I can compete with him.' ''
Smith and Zwick redshirted on the 2002 national-championship team behind Craig Krenzel and did not battle for the starting job until Krenzel left after the 2003 season. Smith played primarily in '03 as a kickoff returner and began the '04 season as a backup to Zwick. He took over in Week Seven, after Zwick injured his shoulder, and led the Buckeyes to a 4-1 mark.
Zwick's only starting action since came when Smith was suspended for two games for taking money from a booster. Now Smith is 19-2 as a starter, leads the league and is seventh in the nation in passing efficiency (170.6). He's considered by many to be the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy.
Stanton's journey is almost a carbon copy. Stanton also redshirted when he came to East Lansing in 2002. In 2003, he volunteered to be the personal protector on the punt team and led that unit in tackles. He also played on the kickoff return unit but hurt his knee in the Alamo Bowl against Nebraska.
``I wasn't returning kicks like him,'' Stanton said of Smith. ``That also speaks of the type person he is. If he wasn't going to be the quarterback, he'd do anything to contribute.''
Stanton became the Spartans' starter in the 2004 Big Ten opener and immediately ignited the offense. Under Stanton that season, Michigan State led the conference in scoring (31.6 average) and total yards (477) after putting up averages of 20.7 and 368.7 in the first three games. Last year, Stanton ranked second in the Big Ten and 10th in the nation in passing efficiency (153.4).
The future looks bright for both. Stanton, listed at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, might fit the NFL prototype better than Smith, 6-1 and 215. ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has Stanton rated second and Smith third at their position behind Notre Dame's Brady Quinn.
Stanton is sure their relationship will survive, even in the pros.
``I'll always keep in touch with him,'' Stanton said. ``Down the road, he'll always call and it doesn't have to be about football. That's when you know you've gained a relationship, when it goes beyond football.''
