Clarity makes some valid points about Smith, but I think that we all have to admit that Troy has really grown this season. When Troy had the chance to send the Penn State game into overtime on the final drive, I was absolutely certain that he personally would make a play that would cause the Buckeyes to lose the game - he did, by fumbling the ball away after a sack with less than two minutes to go. Troy's stats for that day: 19 rushes for 15 yards and 1 TD, with 1 fumble lost and 5 sacks; 13 for 25 passing for 139 yards, no TD's and 1 INT.
However, yesterday, with the game nearly out-of-reach midway through the fourth quarter, I was equally certain that Troy would make every play necessary to win the game, and that the Buckeyes would in fact win if everyone else on the team would just ride along on Troy's coat tails and do nothing stupid to lose it for him. Well, as we know, Troy did just that; and, for the first time of his career, he did it as a quarterback and a leader, and not simply as a fabulous athlete who just happens to get his hands on the ball every play. By way of comparison, Troy's stats from yesterday: 11 rushes for 37 yards, 1 TD, 1 fumble lost, 1 sack; 27 for 37 passing, for 300 yards, 1 TD, no INT's. And all of that was accomplished with Michigan applying tremendous pressure, the likes of which would have previously caused Troy to go scrambling or forcing an ill-advised pass. Yesterday, he used his legs to escape the pressure, his head to analyze the field, and his arm to deliver the ball on target to his receivers. Just what a quarterback is supposed to do. And, he was a confident team leader along the way, which is also the job of the quarterback, the field general of every team.
BTW, I am not a Troy Smith fan, and I never will be. The reason? I don't root for individual players, I root for the team. I don't care who plays where, just win! When Troy played terribly earlier in the year, I said so; ditto for when he played mediocre for much of the season; yesterday, he played great, and I hope that he continues to do so, so that the team can be successful. Next season, if Troy can play close to how he played against Michigan yesterday, then expect very big things from the Buckeyes in 2006.