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QB Troy Smith (2006 Heisman Trophy Winner)

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1/4/06

Ohio State QB in charge for ’06

Wednesday, January 4, 2006

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER [/FONT]


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TEMPE, Ariz. - The plane ride back was, presumably, enjoyable. Along the way, the face of the Ohio State Buckeyes changed.

By the time the private charter landed, the Buckeyes were no longer a defensive stalwart. No longer led by A.J. Hawk, Anthony Schlegel and Bobby Carpenter. No longer a field position team with a great kicker and solid punter.

They were Troy Smith’s team.

The junior quarterback will have big expectations on his shoulders next season. It will be interesting to watch how Smith, suspended once for breaking NCAA rules, handles this offseason.

Nothing Smith said or did following Monday’s 34-20 win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl indicated he would have a problem.

“That’s a plane ride I would rather go home happy than sad,” Smith said after gaining 408 yards of total offense against the Irish. “You just try to ... execute to the best as a team. I don’t like taking a lot of the credit for what goes on out on the field. It takes 11 guys, everybody on the field, everybody’s effort to get this win.”

Smith finished this season, one which he did not begin as the starter because of an NCAA suspension, with 2,282 passing yards and 611 rushing. He completed 149-of-237 passes with 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

His 2,893 yards of total offense rank third-best in Ohio State history. The 6-foot-1, 215-pounder finished with seven straight wins, including five over Top-25 teams. Smith scored 19 of his Ohio State-record 27 touchdowns during those seven games, while throwing 13 TDs and just two picks. He is 13-2 as the starting quarterback.

“The key to any great performance is your key players have to make plays,” Head Coach Jim Tressel said. “What Troy Smith does is he has a great command of our offense. He’s old-school and knows what he needs to do.

“When it doesn’t go right, he can improvise. He can adjust. ... He was 75 percent on third down (Monday), plus all those big plays. He did a great job.”

As Ohio State enters its recruiting season, the Buckeyes will transform themselves. The last four years produced consecutive bowl wins for the first time in school history. That streak can be attributed to a great defense.

But Ohio State loses three senior linebackers in Hawk, Carpenter and Schlegel. Gone, too, are tackle Marcus Green and end Mike Kudla. Half the secondary graduates with cornerback Tyler Everett and safety Nate Salley playing their final game in Sun Devil Stadium.

Offensively, the biggest loss is junior receiver Santonio Holmes, who declared for the NFL Draft. Tony Gonzalez likely will replace him, while young receivers Roy Hall, Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline are capable replacements.

Offensive linemen Rob Sims and center Nick Mangold are seniors. Mangold may be the biggest loss on offense as a four-year starter.

But Smith is back. He was seventh in the country in pass efficiency, 33rd in total offense.

“The national championship is here next year,” Smith said, referring to the game that will be played in Glendale, Ariz. “We like that. Hopefully, this sets us up for next year pretty good. The last four of five years we have been known as a defensive team.

“Now, it’s going to be a more balanced team, the defense and the offense, hopefully.”

Tressel managed his offense early in the year. In the Fiesta Bowl, he took the shackles off.

It might have been a sneak peak at next year’s team.

“As you watch Troy throughout his career, every day in practice he learns something and gets better. Every ball game, he learns from and studies extremely hard. He and (QB coach) Joe Daniels work like crazy preparing themselves. He is passionate about being a great quarterback. Each day he’s taking a step closer to it.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do, but I know he wants to do it.” Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail:

[email protected]

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1/4/06

Former Glenville High stars formidable in OSU victory


Tuesday, January 03, 2006 Bill Livingston
Plain Dealer Columnist
Tempe, Ariz. -
The skittering quarterback and his moving target both come from Glenville, a Cleveland neighborhood known more for what it lacks than what it has.

Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr., two teammates on the Tarblooders years ago, two teammates on the Ohio State Buckeyes now, were the two players who met the moment in the Fiesta Bowl Monday night against Notre Dame and made it Cleveland's own.

Smith was the running quarterback who saved the Buckeyes last season, then reinvented himself after toil and trouble as a passing quar terback this season. He was the Most Valuable Offensive Player in the Buckeyes' 34-20 victory over Notre Dame. Smith, a jun ior, passed for two touchdowns and a career-high 342 yards. He was a threat when he ran for 66 yards. When it was third down and Irish eyes were close to smiling, he turned the lights out on the game, converting a preposterous eight of 12 such situations.

Ginn, prematurely forecast in his sophomore season as a contender for the Heisman Trophy, emblematic of the best player in college football, grew into the role slowly this season. It is hardly the pace at which Ginn plays football or runs track, but his early auditions as a marquee player, despite a Sports Illustrated cover photo, were halting and jittery.

Monday, he caught eight of Smith's passes for 167 yards, ran twice for 73 yards, returned two punts for 20 yards, and scored two touchdowns, on a 68-yard run and a 56-yard pass. Ginn basically teamed with Smith to provide everything but the turtle doves and partridges found during the 12 days of Christmas.

It is never a simple, straight-forward plot with Smith, so he also had a wild pitchout on an option play, one aimed at Ginn, that stifled one drive inside the Notre Dame 10. Smith also fumbled when he was sacked, a miscue that had Notre Dame knocking at the door of the Ohio State goal, only to be turned away.

Clearly, though, Smith made a triumphant, if belated, debut on the stage of a college bowl game. Nothing beats the Bowl Championship Series Championship Game, but the Notre Dame-Ohio State matchup was the best available consolation prize. Smith was not even eligible for the Alamo Bowl in 2004, after being suspended for taking $500 from an OSU booster.

Monday night, he made his first bowl game one that will be remembered, because of the mystique that surrounds the Fighting Irish, as fondly as his bookend blockbusters against Michigan.

Ginn, of course, was the MVP of the Alamo Bowl in Smith's absence. Ginn could have been the MVP again here, had he gotten into the end zone once more. It was his first touchdown that showed how fully Ohio State would realize its big-play potential.

"We worked on not overthrowing the deep pass because we knew they would be open," said Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.

With Ohio State trailing, 7-0, Ginn ran past the Notre Dame defenders with college football's best speed, and Smith's pass was deep, soft and true.

That play tied the score, and Ginn soon untied it with his 68-yard touchdown on a reverse. He took a pitch from Smith as the quarterback went thisaway and smoothly accelerated thataway.

"If they're running one way and Teddy is running the other, they have a problem," Tressel said.

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said the biggest problem, though, was Smith.

He threw an 85-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes, who ran the last 9 yards with one finger held up, signaling the No. 1 ranking Ohio State was so close to achieving.

That was justifiably ruled taunting. For the rest of the night, Smith's legs left Irish tacklers with their arms wrapped around nothing, and his arm picked the coverage schemes to pieces.

Monday night, Smith widely outplayed his more heralded counterpart, Notre Dame's Brady Quinn. No brag, just fact.

"I didn't think about the Alamo Bowl as much as you might think," Smith said.

"The whole game plan was set up to hit big plays. The rest of the time, I tried to keep plays alive."

He never did that better than when it was 27-20, third-and-11 at the OSU 25, just over 2 minutes to play, and the Irish were still dreaming of a last drive to tie and force overtime.

Notre Dame defensive end Ronald Talley had Smith in his sights, but Smith spun away from what seemed a sure sack to inflame the Irish fans and connected with Anthony Gonzalez for a 15-yard gain along the sideline. One play later, Antonio Pittman's 60-yard touchdown run put the game away.

The BCS championship game will be here next year - OSU's Happy New Year home, the site where the Buckeyes won it all three years ago, the place where they have won three times in just the past four years.

"We know that," Smith said, smiling. "We like that a lot."
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Actually, since you brought it up, at 6'1", wouldn't that put him on the smallish side for being a QB? Obviously he's doing fine...but the occurance of tipped passes was a common theme in the Fiesta Bowl (think there was atleast 3). Would his size have anything to do with that, or his throwing style?
 
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Smith at KR had me wondering, has any other 'major' QB done that?

People I found could be possibilities are antwan randel-el, matt jones, vick, frazer, crouch, Michael Robinson, Kordell Stewert? And Yes before someone says it, I already know of that player named Teddy Ginn and the Alamo Bowl! :tongue2:

It just seems pretty crazy to me. He is going to be something very special next year he just needs to do two things to become even better in my opinion.

1. Grow taller, I doubt that happens though lol. I just see that as going to be the only thing that hurts his draft spot next year.

2. Still have a little bit of a locking down on one receiver, he has improved on it though greatly. If he continues to improve on that I'd easily call him the best QB out there next year.

He throws a very pretty ball and has too much athleticism, I can't wait to watch him next year, I love watching his footwork on the option drop back deep throws.
 
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QB's pass through lanes, not as much over the linemen. The OL in the NCAA are just as big as those in the NFL now. There are plenty of 6'1" and under QB's in the NFL that are having pretty nice careers... or will... and i have no doubt that Troy could go on and do the same.

Rex Grossman
David Garrard
Jeff Garcia
Jeff Blake
Drew Brees
Doug Flutie
Mark Brunell
Tim Rattay
Michael Vick

and plenty that are only 6'2"
Jake Plummer
Jake Delhomme
Patrick Ramsey
Donovan McNabb
J.P. Losman
Kelly Holcomb

I am not saying he will be an All_Pro HOFer, but there is no reason he cannot succeed in the NFl because he is 'only' 6'1"
 
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JonathanXC said:
nope, i disagree
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Great, but what's Zwick done to prove he's better than MRob? So he's a Buckeye. Michael Robinson just finished in the top 5 in the Heisman voting... I can't believe you can say with a straight face we have a better backup than him. I mean, I seriously doubt he starts for Michigan, Penn St, or even Northwestern. I like Zwick a lot, but objectively his last performance did not leave me believing in him.

Also, I believe if he were as good as a guy like Michael Robinson, who lead his team to a #3 finish, a victory over Ohio State, and a 1-loss season, he'd have seen more than mop-up duty this season after Troy Smith was ready to go. Why go away from the 2-QB system if you have the two best QB in the league? If he could pass better than Bazenez (or however you spell it), I certainly think he could have seen SOME time in games where we could use talent like that.
 
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Why go to a 2 QB system just because your back-up is immensely capable? I do not put Zwick as the 2nd best in league - frankly I'd give that nod to Stanton. I agree with JXC that the tandem gives us the best 2-deep at QB in the Big 10.

And next year it will be simply sick.
 
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Heisman Hopefull?

I have been looking around reading from a couple different sites and hearing from more then a few people talking about Troy Smith being a heisman canidate for next year. They are going off a strong finish to the 2005 season and the aspect of a lot of the skill players returning to ohio state next year. Well i would love to see Troy Smith in the race for the heisman next year, one because i like seeing Our Buckeyes win it but secondly it means he had a good year and we're in the running for the National Championship, Would voters give it to him considering the off the field problems he had. taking money from the booster being the most outstanding thing. Would that be a factor in voting or would having it happen over 2 years ago and that he paid the money back be enough for the voters. Just wanted to hear some peoples thoughts. Has any one ever won the heisman with those type of problems before?

The Mongoose
 
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