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QB Troy Smith (2006 Heisman Trophy Winner)

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Man, I can't stand Trev Alberts -- always hating on the Buckeyes ... :wink2:

I would have to say the Buckeyes. They have two guys on the outside in Ted Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez, but if you focus on the passing game, Antonio Pittman is the most underrated runner in the game. And when you finally play perfect defense, you have to account for Troy Smith, who can beat you anyway.
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College football has underestimated Jim Tressel. You hear that Charlie Weis and Pete Carroll are geniuses. Then there's Tressel -- the Buckeyes lose quality NFL players every year, the coaching staff gets raided on an annual basis, yet they continue to play at a high level.
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DSA Passing Efficiency

Quick, what is Troy Smith's ranking in Passing Efficiency?

If you didn't know that Troy is sixth in the nation in Passing Efficiency, don't feel bad. That number, outside of any context, doesn't mean much.

Let's give it some context...

Let's give it Buckeye Planet context...

Let's take EVERY QB ranked in the top 100 in Passing Efficiency by the NCAA and calculate their DIFFERENTIAL PASSING EFFICIENCY. In other words, subtract the average Passing Efficiency Defense of the Div. IA teams they've played from their Passing Efficiency and see what the difference is. How much better are they than their opponents' average?


Here is the Top 10 in Differential Passing Efficiency, along with the DPE and rank for some teams of interest...


QB......................School...............DPE...............Rank
Bobby Reid............OkState...............57.882.............1
Tyler Palko............Pittsburgh............52.647.............2
Colt Brennan..........Hawaii.................50.526.............3
Troy Smith............OHIO STATE.........46.293.............4
Colt McCoy............Texas.................44.403.............5
Erik Ainge..............Tennessee...........41.673.............6
Zac Taylor.............Nebraska.............39.846.............7
JaMarcus Russell.....LSU....................38.021.............8
Justin Willis............SMU...................36.917.............9
John Beck..............BYU....................35.590............10
Chris Leak..............Florida................35.517.............11
.
.
.
Chad Henne...........um.....................24.302.............19
Brandon Cox..........Auburn................20.705.............24
John Stocco..........wiconsin..............18.907.............25
Bryan Cupito..........Minnesota............18.673.............26
Brady Quinn...........notre dame..........17.786.............29
Kellen Lewis...........Indiana................4.454..............57
Phil Horvath...........NIU.....................3.088..............60 for GForce
Isiah Williams.........Illinois.................-7.085..............80



OK, so Troy is fourth. Does that mean there are 3 QBs in the country better than Troy...

uh, no


The first thing to point out is that no other conference is as blessed at QB as the Big 10 this year. That is relevant because Differential Analysis compares you to your opponents' opponents. So each QB has been compared to the other QB's in his conference for about half of each opponents' games. The quality of the other QB's in your conference therefore has a big effect on this number.

The most important thing to point out however, is this:

Every QB ranked above Troy, and the one ranked immediately below him, pumped up their stats on Div. IAA competition.

Now recall that the Opponents' Differential Passing Efficiency Average is for Div. IA teams ONLY!! There is no way of meaningfully including the I-AA team's Passing Efficiency Defense. So each of the QBs that played a lower division patsy got huge numbers against a weak team that did not affect the Effiency Average against which they were compared. Even one game like this can have a big effect.

I have not corrected for this, as that would take a heck of a lot more work than what I've already done. Producing the numbers above was practically an automated process, given the spreadsheet algorithms that I've already developed for Differential Analysis. Correcting for Div. IAA competition would require getting each QB's stats for their IAA game. If you wanna do it, be my guest.

As for me, it's enough to know that you have to feast on a weak conference and a IAA team to pump up your differential stats above Troy's.
 
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Nice post DaddyBig$$

I gave up on defending Troy or pimping Troy a long time ago. The guy down the road at the beverage shop still high-fives me every time I walk into the store for telling him how great Troy was going to be the day I got back from the 2003 Spring Game. I was harsh back then, saying that Zwick would never play a meaningful down of football here. Troy getting suspended proved me wrong on that one.

It's completely fair at this point, in my opinion, to consider him the greatest QB we've ever had. A win over scUM would make it a lock. I mean, really. If they go undefeated and get to the BCS Championship, regardless of the outcome, who could you possibly say was better?
 
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After Troy shook off two would-be sacks to throw a touchdown pass against the Spartans, my friends and I at the bar quipped, "Troy is playing out of his mind!" But then it donned upon us...when has he ever not played out of his mind. Or, to complicate matters even further, is what appears to us as playing out of his mind just a regular day at the job for Troy? With some players you can tell when they're having an extraodrinary day. With Troy...it's tough to say.
 
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At Purdue two years ago was pretty bad for Troy. Other than that game he's been pretty fantastic. Take the weather and the field conditions out of play for the Penn State game this season and Troy's Pass Efficiency rating could be a record at this point in the season. I still think Troy has one more incredible game to play.
 
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DDN

Smith the Heisman favorite, but there's always Michigan

College football's top honor has a history of slipping away from the early front-runner late in the season.


By Doug Harris
Staff Writer

Friday, October 20, 2006


COLUMBUS ? Ohio State's Troy Smith has all but taken the suspense out of the Heisman Trophy race in the minds of many voters. But Lenn Robbins of the New York Post insists more than a dozen players are still in the running ? and no one can accuse him of being uninformed.
When it comes to college football, Robbins said, "I'm one of those psychopaths who tapes everything."
He said he's watched Troy Smith's breathtaking touchdown pass against Penn State ? where he scrambled near midfield and then hit Brian Robiskie on the numbers in the end zone ? nearly 20 times.
"Troy Smith had a really tough time against Penn State," Robbins said, "but he didn't just make the play of the game, he made a play no one else can make.
"I'm still trying to figure out how he could roll left and unleash a slingshot like that. And Penn State is one of the 10 best defenses in the nation."
But Robbins still intends to let the rest of the season unfold before he casts his vote.
"You could make a case for about 15 guys," he said. "I've been doing this for 20-something years, and I haven't been this excited about a Hesiman race in years."
Other views
? Bruce Hooley of ESPN.com pointed to the 1999 race as evidence that opinions can shift dramatically.
Florida State receiver Peter Warrick appeared to be a lock to win the award until being caught shoplifting. He ended up finishing sixth in the balloting.
"A lot can change in a short time," Hooley said.
But barring the unforeseen, Smith will remain the overwhelming favorite.
"Troy is like a (political) candidate running unopposed," Hooley said.
? When Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman was asked about the Heisman race, he said facetiously: "There's a race?"
Watching Smith dissect hometown Texas was virtually all Bohls needed to see.
"If it ain't over already, you could say there's a formidable lead for Mr. Smith," Bohls said. "I wouldn't say he's lapped the field, but with the injury to Adrian Peterson, he's created separation in the race."
But while lauding Smith for combining monstrous skills with a keen quarterback mind, Robbins still has a couple of Michigan players on his list and will wait to see how the front-runner fares against the Wolverines.
"I don't root for teams, but I'm waiting to see an undefeated Michigan play an undefeated Ohio State with a Big Ten title and a spot in the national championship game on the line," Robbins said. "And that bronze trophy may end up on one side or the other that day."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or [email protected].
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Matured Smith is true leader
Saturday, October 21, 2006
By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER
Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith (left) and Coach Jim Tressel are sitting on a 14-game winning streak ? the longest in the nation and the fourth longest in school history.

COLUMBUS - There was a time when few thought Troy Smith would make it ? make anything, for that matter. Make a play, make it through Ohio State, make ?em miss.

Life experiences are great, and the Ohio State quarterback has made the most of his.

During preparation for today?s game against Indiana at the Horseshoe, Buckeyes Coach Jim Tressel talked about Smith?s ability to shake a sack, stay focused, then deliver another awe-inspiring touchdown pass.

Smith did it in last week?s win over Michigan State. He shook a sack twice, reset his feet and threw a pass that cut through the Spartan defense and into Brian Robiskie?s chest in the end zone.

?One of his strengths is when things break down, you have to survive,? Tressel said. ?But to survive such that your eyes are still downfield and you still have your wits about you, that?s what he does.

?You look at a lot of quarterbacks, and when things break down, you all of a sudden see their head looking to the ground. Troy just has that ability to keep his head high and have a little bit of a confidence that something good is going to come out of this, and I better find it.?

The Hoosiers are likely to find out at noon today that Smith even has grown from the passer who hit them for 226 yards and a touchdown last year.

It is interesting how Smith?s off-the-field decision-making has helped on the field. He sat two games for taking money from a booster in 2004. Before that, he was involved in the kind of late-night trouble freshmen in college tend to find. He was booted from the Lakewood St. Edward basketball team for hitting a player in a game, then transferred to Glenville.

?When you come here, you have certain things infiltrated into you,? Buckeyes center Doug Datish said. ?You come here and realize there is more to life, more to this world. Everyone?s edges get softened. ... That happened to Troy, and he has come out to be the person he is today, which is a pretty good person.?

Through it all, Smith has learned: Never give up, on a player or himself.

There are times during practice when the 6-foot, 215-pound fifth-year senior will throw a pass to a wide receiver just to make a point.

?He has a knack for that,? receiver Ted Ginn Jr. said. ?There may be some plays when you think he?s not going to throw the ball to you, and he throws it. You get back to the huddle and say, ?Man, you usually don?t throw that,? and he?ll say, ?I saw you out there jogging. Don?t jog!? That?s what you need in a leader.?

If there is one thing Ginn has learned in their years together is never give up on a route when Smith is under center.

?If he gets in a jam, he?s looking to release the ball. Why not be that guy who catches it?? Ginn said.

The college game has slowed down for Smith. He can read a defense and anticipate which linebacker will jump which underneath route.

Smith read the Texas defense just before half, noticed press coverage on Ginn with an outside release open to the speedy receiver and signaled to his friend and teammate to run a fade. It went for a touchdown, and the Buckeyes broke the Longhorns? back in a winner-take-all early-season game.

How does anyone not let his mind get away from him in the midst of chaos?

?I can?t say it?s crazy,? Smith said of his thoughts when eluding a sack. ?It has never been a situation where I think things are haywire or berserk.?

It?s easy now.

Smith was put through the ringer when he watched his Buckeye teammates win the Alamo Bowl on TV. Smith stayed behind to sit the first game of a two-game suspension. He knows what might have been last year had he not played for the first time against Texas.

?Any off-the-field experience, good or bad, gives you a sense of maturity and a sense of toughness,? Datish said. ?He displays those attributes extremely well. If it has to do with off-the-field stuff, or on the field, either way, its working out pretty well for him.?

Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: [email protected]
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http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=314545&Category=17&subCategoryID=
 
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LINK

Smith boosts Heisman resume in lopsided win

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Troy Smith is getting lots of help in his bid for the Heisman Trophy.

Smith connected with four different receivers for first-half touchdown passes and a stingy defense powered top-ranked Ohio State to a 44-3 victory over Indiana on Saturday.

"We're an equal-opportunity employer," coach Jim Tressel said after the Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) stretched the nation's longest winning streak to 15. "We'll throw it to whoever's open."

Forget "three yards and a cloud of dust." Eight receivers caught passes as the offense piled up 270 yards through the air and another 270 on the ground.

"Offensively we did some positive things, but there's always room for improvement," said Smith, who graduated this spring and is now pursuing a second degree.

As always, he deflected praise to almost every other person on the team.

"I still think we have the best defense in the nation," he said.

Indiana (4-4, 2-2), now 0-15 against No. 1 teams, mustered just 7 yards rushing on 28 attempts and totaled 165 yards. Jay Richardson had two sacks in the first half as the Buckeyes built a 28-3 lead, with Antonio Smith coming up from his cornerback spot for 12 tackles, four tackles for minus yardage and a sack, in addition to causing a fumble.

Ted Ginn Jr. caught a touchdown pass from Troy Smith and threw one of his own, a 38-yarder to Rory Nicol, who also caught a scoring pass from Smith.

Smith was impressed by his former high school teammate's sudden passing efficiency.

"We had been practicing and practicing and practicing, watching duck after duck after duck," Smith said with a laugh. "After I carried out the fake, I turned around and saw a perfect spiral."

Smith wasn't all that sharp, but didn't have to be against an Indiana defense that came in ranked next to last in the Big Ten in points allowed. Despite incompletions on his first four attempts, he was 15-of-23 for 230 yards without an interception. His scoring strikes covered 23 yards to Nicol, 31 yards to Ginn, 5 yards to Anthony Gonzalez and 1 yard to Jake Ballard - giving Smith 21 TD passes this season with just two interceptions.

Smith mixed an array of play-action fakes, runs and passes to completely befuddle the Hoosiers.

"We gave up too many easy touchdowns," Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner said. "It looks like we have him contained, like we're going to sack him, and he gets loose and the guy's wide open and it's a touchdown. It's hard to practice against that."

Indiana freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis continually scrambled away from Ohio State's defensive pressure. Lewis completed 15 of 28 passes for 106 yards without an interception.

Ohio State scored on its final four possessions of the half, all on Smith touchdown passes - and on three of them the receiver was almost alone.

Tracy Porter returned a punt 34 yards to the Ohio State 15 and Austin Starr converted a 34-yard field goal to give Indiana a 3-0 lead.

The Buckeyes punted twice while Smith got untracked, then he finally completed a 22-yarder to Antonio Pittman on his fifth pass and kept the drive going by avoiding tacklers by rolling right and reversing his field on a scramble that netted 29 yards.

"I had been teased the whole week about not being able to pull away from a defender, so that was one of my reasons for really, really bearing down and trying to get around the edge," Smith said.

On third and 1 at the Indiana 23, Smith executed a near-perfect play-action fake and flipped a pass over the middle to tight end Nicol, who had a 5-yard head start on the entire defense. Nicol rumbled into the end zone with his fist upraised.

After a short punt, Ohio State took over again near midfield and needed four plays to score. This time, Smith spun away from lineman Keith Burrus and lobbed a pass into the end zone that hung in the air long enough for Ginn to run under it for the 31-yard score.

On the next possession, Gonzalez somehow got lost in the Indiana secondary and was standing with no defender closer than 20 feet in the left side of the end zone when Smith found him.

"I saw Troy escape the pocket and my eyes went to him for a split second - and Ted saw the opening," Porter said.

Then it took just three plays to cover 49 yards in 31 seconds to make it 28-3, with Smith tossing a 1-yard pass into traffic in the end zone that backup tight end Ballard pulled in for his first collegiate catch and score.

"It's hard to find many things we did well today," Hoeppner said. "And that's a tribute to the Buckeyes."
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ABJ

Bucks crazy for Smith

QB destined for Heisman and OSU history stays in synch with teammates

By Marla Ridenour

COLUMBUS - The Ohio State Buckeyes without Troy Smith would be like Meredith without McDreamy.
Even with noble intentions and sincere effort, they wouldn't be complete.
Anyone who didn't understand Smith's importance to top-ranked and undefeated OSU would have been convinced if they'd seen his first four throws in Saturday's 44-3 home victory over Indiana. (I know, I know, thanks to Ohio cable operators' battle with ESPNU, most fans had to rely on their radios and their imaginations instead.)
The fifth-year senior from Glenville couldn't have had a more rocky start. For the better part of one quarter, the Heisman seemed to be vanishing before the eyes of 105,267 in Ohio Stadium.
Here's how it began:
Smith to flanker Ted Ginn Jr. -- high and wide.
Smith to tight end Rory Nicol -- high.
Smith to receiver Brian Hartline -- caught out of bounds on the left sideline.
Smith to split end Brian Robiskie -- scrambling throw short.
At that point, OSU trailed 3-0.
``I don't want to say I was out of synch,'' Smith said afterward. ``Some games start the way you want them to and some games don't.''
Smith said several teammates offered encouragement, just as he has done for them for the past two years. But none sounded like they were concerned Smith would succumb to the pressure of the Heisman race and the quest for the national championship and they would choke it all away against the up-and-coming Hoosiers.
``It was a weird feeling,'' Hartline said. ``We didn't feel out of synch. We knew we had to play our game, it's a long game. That's kind of how our season's been. If we have a series where we don't make it as far as we want to, we don't worry about it as much as we did last year. Last year I felt more panic. This year there's not as much panic.''
Before the second quarter ended, Smith had thrown four touchdown passes. After going 0 for 4, he completed 15 of his last 19 for 220 yards. The only blip on his daily resume after that was a third-quarter fumble at the Indiana 25 that IU recovered.
``Trying to switch hands,'' Smith said. ``It was a bad play on my part, careless with the ball. Regardless of what kind of game I had, I'll still remember that turnover until next week.''
Like him or not because of his questionable decisions off the field -- especially taking $500 from a booster that indirectly led to OSU's loss to Texas last season -- Smith appears on the way to establishing himself as the best quarterback to play at Ohio State. He's 21-2 as a starter, 9-1 against ranked teams and 2-0 against Michigan. Now with 45 career touchdown passes, he's one of only four at OSU to go over 40 -- joining Art Schlichter, Joe Germaine and Bobby Hoying. He has 21 touchdowns this season with just two interceptions.
When he plays the video game NCAA Football 2006, he might be able to do that only if he cheats.
``A lot of times when I throw an interception I start the game over,'' he said.
A Heisman in December and a national title in January would put him in rarefied air, probably surpassing Rex Kern, who led OSU to a 27-2 record and the 1968 national title, and Les Horvath, the 1944 Heisman winner.
On Saturday, as on so many other Saturdays, Smith's teammates merely had to wait for him to come up with one for the Heisman highlights. This time they got two.
The first was a 29-yard run on an option when he started to the right, then cut back to the left. He said he was merely responding to ribbing that he'd looked slow this season.
``Of course the fastest guys on the team like Ted and Gonzo and (Antonio) Pittman were the first ones to tell me I was running slow,'' he said.
``It was probably Ted. It wasn't me,'' slot receiver Anthony Gonzalez insisted.
The other came on the first play of the second quarter. Smith spun left to avoid the rush of Indiana's Keith Burrus, then squared up and lofted one to Ginn in the left corner of the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown.
``He's better than everybody else with guys in his face,'' Gonzalez said. ``You put people around him and it just doesn't faze him. It seems at this point that nothing is making him nervous or uncomfortable. He has a pretty firm grasp on everything that's going on.''
Right tackle Kirk Barton sounded almost in awe.
``They're going to have to add another half hour to the Heisman show. He's amazing,'' Barton said of Smith.
Like him or not, the Heisman is Smith's to lose. Granted, his talented supporting cast should be riding with him in the limo to the New York ceremony on Dec. 9. But because of Smith, OSU's 2006 season could be the stuff of McDreams.
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