QB Troy Smith (2006 Heisman Trophy Winner)

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

The Legend of Troy Smith grows!!

 

[lvbuckeye]

After tonight's performance, there should be a serious discussion about the possibility that TS is the best QB to ever wear s-n-g...

put it in stone...

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Smith states Heisman case
Like Young last year, quarterback plays big in high-stakes game

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

NEAL C . LAURON DISPATCH Troy Smith scrambles for yardage in the first half. Smith had only seven carries for negative yardage, but he passed for 269 yards.


AUSTIN, Texas ? A year ago, Texas quarterback Vince Young made a major bid for the Heisman Trophy, willing the Longhorns to a come-from-behind victory over Ohio State.
Last night, when the two teams met again in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, it was OSU quarterback Troy Smith?s turn to wow a national television audience.
Smith, who didn?t even start against Texas last season, led the Buckeyes to a 24-7 victory before 89,442 in the stadium and millions more on TV.
He completed 17 of 26 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns, without coming close to throwing an interception.
"We didn?t commit any turnovers, and that?s big on the road," Smith said. "I feel like I played well, but the guys around me did their jobs really well. I had plenty of time. All I had to do was throw the ball."
Strike the pose?
"Without a doubt," Ohio State running back Antonio Pittman said. "In my eyes, he?s the favorite."
Pittman isn?t exactly a neutral party in this discussion, and the college football season is only two weeks old.
Smith will get lots of competition from Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson, California running back Marshawn Lynch and even his own teammate, Ted Ginn Jr.
But this was No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Texas, the first time that?s happened outside of a bowl game since 1996.
And Smith was the best player on the field.
"Troy made a lot of good decisions," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. "When you?ve got a guy like Troy back there, you feel really good about your chances."
The Longhorns were stunned by Smith?s play, and who could blame them?
Last year, Smith split time with Justin Zwick after missing the season-opener after a suspension for taking money from a booster.
In that game, a 25-22 Longhorns? win, Smith completed 5 of 11 passes for 78 yards. He ran the ball 13 times for 27 yards.
"We sure didn?t think Smith would pass this much," Texas coach Mack Brown said.
Anthony Gonzalez, Smith?s second read on most plays behind Ginn, caught eight passes for 142 yards, both career highs.
"That?s what we?ve come to expect from Troy," Gonzalez said. "And that?s what Troy expects from himself. He?s had so much success lately. He?s just done a phenomenal job, and it really is an honor to play with him."
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

HEISMAN WATCH

BIG MOVER: TROY SMITH
OHIO STATE QB
Sure he entered the day among the favorites, if not the favorite, to bring home the goods in December. But when you win on the road against the No. 2 team in the country in possibly the biggest game of the season, we'd say he deserves a little extra boost.
The top five
1Smith: He threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, completing 17 of 27 passes. He's trying to become the first Buckeyes quarterback to win the award since Les Horvath in 1944.
2Brady Quinn, Notre Dame QB: Quinn made a good Penn State defense look awful, passing for 287 yards and three touchdowns. He didn't throw an interception, and, most important, he won.
3Steve Slaton, West Virginia RB: He ran for 105 yards and two first-quarter scores before calling it a day after just eight carries and a 13-yards-per-carry average in a rout of Eastern Washington.
4Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma RB: He ran for 165 yards and two scores as the Sooners pulled away from Washington in the second half for a 37-20 win.
5Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois RB: Realistically, if the Huskies -- now 0-2 -- keep losing, Wolfe has absolutely no chance. But cheers to the little guy (5-foot-7, 177 pounds) for another stellar effort: 196 yards and two touchdowns.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Home > Sports
9/11/06
OSU QB should win Heisman

By Alex Blair

If there is justice in the world, Troy Smith won the Heisman on Saturday.

If he keeps this up, it'll be highway robbery if Smith doesn't get the Heisman nod over Notre Dame pretty-boy quarterback Brady Quinn. Both Quinn and Smith have comparable talent around them in big-play wide receivers Jeff Samardzija and Ted Ginn Jr. But Quinn will never face a defense as good or quick as Smith did Saturday against Texas, even after the Tarell Brown scandal.

Despite missing their best cover corner in Brown and with speedy linebacker Drew Kelson injured, the Longhorns did a serviceable job in containing Smith's homerun ball with Ginn, who only had two receptions of 20 yards or more and just five in all. Despite this, Smith was poised enough to stand in the face of the Texas defense and find the receivers that were open.

Sure, Quinn demolished Penn State on Saturday, 41-17. But Smith's 269 yards two passing touchdowns against Texas are gold to Quinn's 287 yards three passing touchdowns' iron pyrite. Penn State and Texas both had three sacks, but the most important stat when you measure a defense's pass rush is quarterback hurries. The Longhorns hurried Smith eight times; Penn State hurried Colt McCoy once. Ideally when a defense gets in the quarterback's face as much as the Longhorns did with Smith, you would start to see mistakes. But Smith didn't make any, he was just too good.

The only reason Quinn is the current Heisman favorite is the gold on his helmet. Every time Notre Dame has a winning season the national media falls all over itself stirring up the echoes of Knute Rockne, the Gipper, Rudy, Touchdown Jesus. The Fighting Irish are like the Yankees of college sports. Whenever they are in the news, they are the news. The fact that Quinn is the best player on the most famous team in the nation should be distinguished from being the best player in college football. The fact that the kid would look good on a Wheaties box also helps a lot.

There's a good chance that the Buckeyes and the Irish, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the latest poll, could go undefeated. The only real test for either team is when the Irish go on the road to face a fresh USC squad in their season finale. If Ohio State and Notre Dame stay mistake-free, they'll face off in the Fiesta Bowl for the second year in a row, this time for a national championship.

Here's a prediction: If that happens, Brady Quinn is your 2006 Heisman Trophy winner, because of the reasons above. In that scenario, it'll be Reggie Bush meets Vince Young all over again. The Heisman committee will crown the most media-friendly player as the best, a choice that will be proven in the national championship game to be undeniably false.

 

[osugrad21]

Rivals

9/11

Breakdown of Troy's performance against the 'Horns.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

I expect that he will not be "thinking" at all "while he is out there". He's doing his thinking now so that when it comes time to play, he will just play.

Do you remember the Troy Smith that never seemed to see open receivers? When the "light went on" last year during the Michigan State game, that Troy Smith went bye-bye. From then on, Troy was seeing receivers and getting the ball to them.

This year, it will be beyond just "getting it". He is going to know where every person on the field is, and more importantly, where they are going to be thoughout the flight of the ball.

This year, he will be a coach in the huddle. He will be able to offer suggestions and make adjustments to protections on-the-fly. His leadership, already unquestioned, will be transcendent.

This year, Troy will know when to pull it down and run before the ball is even snapped. He will know when to go to his 2nd or 3rd option before the ball is even snapped. He will know what is going to happen on most plays, before the ball is snapped.

This year, Troy will not just get inside the defenses' heads. He will be inside the defensive coordinator's head. Everything they try against Troy will be something he's seen before; it will be something he sees coming from a mile away.

This year, Troy Smith will become the first QB from The Ohio State University to win the Heisman Trophy.

I posted this 2 months ago...

The defensive coordinator that could not stay ahead of Troy on Saturday had won 29 straight games.

Then he played Troy.

 

[osugrad21]

I posted this 2 months ago...

The defensive coordinator that could not stay ahead of Troy on Saturday had won 29 straight games.

Then he played Troy.

I love the quotes from Mack stating that they expected Troy to run more...they were not prepared for his passing.

Amazing evolution..

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

After tonight's performance, there should be a serious discussion about the possibility that TS is the best QB to ever wear s-n-g...

put it in stone...

There was a time when there were serious disagreements about Troy on this board.

Now, the only disagreement is over whether we should have this discussion, or whether that discussion is now over.

 

[osugrad21]

SI

Leading man

Buckeyes' Smith proves himself as the frontrunner

Posted: Sunday September 10, 2006 6:46PM; Updated: Sunday September 10, 2006 11:37PM

Troy Smith (10) threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns in leading the No. 1 Buckeyes to a 24-7 win at No. 2 Texas.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Though the Watch will not be ranked until mid-October, there's no question who would earn this vote through two weeks. Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith played like a Heisman winner in leading the top-ranked Buckeyes over No. 2 Texas on Saturday night. Of course the list remains fluid, and, with the best weekend in college football slated for Saturday, Smith could find much company at the top.
Erik Ainge, Tennessee, QB, Jr.

Last week: 24-of-29 passing, 333 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT in a 31-30 victory against Air Force
Season: 35-of-47 passing, 624 yards, 7 TDs, 2 INTs
Heisman-o-meter: Ainge was omitted from the list last week because his numbers against Cal were hugely inflated by Bears cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson?s two awful missed tackles. But Ainge can't be ignored this week after a sharp performance against the Falcons in which he at one point completed 15 straight passes.
Up next: vs. No. 7 Florida
Chase Daniel, Missouri, QB, Soph.

Last week: 24-of-40 passing, 243 yards, 1 TD; 13 rushes, 89 yards, 1 TD in a 34-7 victory against Mississippi
Season: 47-of-72 passing, 563 yards, 6 TDs; 22 rushes, 62 yards, 1 TD
Heisman-o-meter: Life after Brad Smith is not so bad. Daniel, who ran a prolific spread offense at Southlake (Texas) Carroll High, has the Tigers' no-huddle, up-tempo spread scheme clicking, and he has also exploited defenses on the ground with his excellent quickness.
Up next: Saturday at New Mexico
Mike Hart, Michigan, RB, Jr.

Last week: 19 rushes, 116 yards, 3 TDs in a 41-17 victory against Central Michigan
Season: 50 rushes, 262 yards, 3 TDs
Heisman-o-meter: Since 2004 a popular question around Ann Arbor has been Who?s more valuable Hart or quarterback Chad Henne? The Watchman has always believed it's Hart, who through two games has shown the burst he didn't have during an injury-filled 2005 season. He could become a major player in the Heisman discussion with a big effort against the Irish.
Up next: Saturday at No. 2 Notre Dame
Chris Leak, Florida, QB, Sr.

Last week: 19-of-29 passing, 352 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT in a 42-0 victory against Central Florida
Season: 40-of-59 passing, 600 yards, 7 TDs, 2 INTs
Heisman-o-meter: Maybe Leak has finally got this spread offense down. After looking uncomfortable in coach Urban Meyer's scheme much of last season, Leak looked sharper than he?s ever been, passing for a career-high 352 yards and four touchdowns. "This is [Leak's] offense now," Meyer said after the game.
Up next: Saturday at No. 13 Tennessee
Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma, RB, Jr.

Last week: 32 rushes, 165 yards, 2 TDs in a 37-20 victory against Washington
Season: 56 rushes, 304 yards, 3 TDs; 3 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD
Heisman-o-meter: Peterson was called out last week by offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson for, among other things, dancing too much instead of hitting the hole (a criticism that may not be entirely warranted considering the state of the Sooners' work-in-progress offensive line). And on Saturday, Peterson sure appeared to be a more decisive runner, piling up another 100-yard, multi-touchdown game.
Up next: Saturday at No. 18 Oregon

 

[Dryden]

http://ohiostatebuckeyes.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/091106aab.html

Vote For Troy as Cingular All-America Player of the Week Award
Award is the only major college football honor determined exclusively by fan voting

Sept. 11, 2006

ATLANTA, Ga. -- Four nominees for the Cingular All-America Player of the Week have been announced after the second weekend of college football action, and the power now rests solely in the hands of the fans to determine a winner.

University of Florida quarterback Chris Leak, University of Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson, Notre Dame University quarterback Brady Quinn and Ohio State University quarterback Troy Smith have been selected by a panel of ESPN college football analysts as this week's top candidates based on their outstanding performances this past weekend. Fans can determine the winner by text messaging "VOTE" to "87654" on their wireless phone and casting their votes for the nominees.

Leak threw for a career-high 352 yards and four touchdowns in the No.7 Gators' 42-0 victory over Central Florida Saturday. It was Florida's largest margin of victory in three years. Peterson rushed for 165 yards and two scores in the No. 15 Sooners' 37-20 win over Washington. He is a four-time past recipient of the Cingular All-America Player of the Week, having won the award three times in 2004 and once last season. Quinn, who claimed the honor twice last year and was a finalist for the 2005 Cingular All-America Player of the Year, passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns in helping the fourth-ranked Fighting Irish cruise by No. 19 Penn State 41-17. Smith threw for 269 yards and two scores, as the top-ranked Buckeyes snapped No. 2 Texas' 21-game winning streak with a 24-7 victory.

Fans have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday to submit their votes. The winner will be announced September 14 during ESPN's Thursday Night College Football Game between Maryland and West Virginia. Fans can vote as many times as they like, with each vote counting as one entry into a sweepstakes to win a trip to the 2007 BCS National Championship game. The Cingular All-America Player of the Week program will continue throughout the season, with the nominees being revealed each Sunday on the 9 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter and on the Web at www.espnallamerica.com

Cingular customers can visit Cingular's NCAA? Football Portal on their wireless handset to view video highlights of each week's candidates, retrieve photos, check scoreboards, track their favorite teams and download school ringtones.

In December, four finalists for the Cingular All-America Player of the Year award will be announced during a one-hour special on ABC Sports. Fans will then get a chance to say who the best player in the nation is by voting for the Cingular All-America Player of the Year up until the Bowl Championship Series. The selection process will culminate during the BCS National Championship game on FOX when the Cingular All-America Player of the Year will be presented.

Last year, University of Texas quarterback Vince Young was crowned as the Cingular All-America Player of the Year, beating out USC teammates Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart and Notre Dame University quarterback Brady Quinn. He was the second Longhorn to claim the award, after running back Cedric Benson won the inaugural honor in 2004.

 

[daddyphatsacs]

It's amazing to watch Troy grow every week. We should all savor what he is bringing every week, because a guy like him only comes around every decade or so........possibly longer.

He's no longer a scrambler, he's a pinpoint passer who can scramble when need be.

He's more comparable to Bret Favre or Donovan McNabb than Vince Young at this stage of his career I think.

 

[Dryden]

He's more comparable to Bret Favre or Donovan McNabb than Vince Young at this stage of his career I think.

I'd go with McNabb, Troy's TD:INT ratio isn't Favre-like.

 

[Dryden]

ESPN's Heisman Watch:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/heisman06/index

Troy solidifies his hold as the front runner, securing 9 of the 15 first place votes and being no lower than third on any of the 15 ballots. TG-II moves up to fifth, receiving 6 votes overall (2-3rd, 2-4th, and 2-5th).

Kiper Jr.

After defeating No. 2 Texas on Saturday night, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith gets top-billing in this week's Heisman Watch vote. Smith is the ignitor of the Buckeyes' offense and is very similar to former Florida State quarterback and Heisman winner Charlie Ward. Both quarterbacks have that innate ability to keep a play and drive alive using their athleticism, great intelligence and decision-making skills. Smith also has a powerful supporting cast, as teammate and wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. is also a Heisman hopeful this fall.

 

[t_BuckeyeScott]

Troy has a much better arm than Charle Ward did, but Troy probably isn't as good as point guard so its a push I guess.