OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Mods feel free to move this if there is a better place to put this one....
Dispatch
7/30/06
Dispatch
7/30/06
Troy&Ted
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle></IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>FRED SQUILLANTE </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>DISPATCH </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Troy Smith, left, hands off to Ted Ginn during a game against San Diego State in Ohio Stadium last season. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
They greet each other with a quick hug and one of those secret handshakes, a complex combination of slaps and snaps.
They speak in the kind of grunted shorthand that only close friends share. A glance or a shrug can say more than words.
On a recent day, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith and receiver Ted Ginn Jr. arrive separately at the basement studios of WOSU-TV to tape segments for the ESPN show Cold Pizza. While they wait, a school official hands them a cell phone.
Talk to SI.com. Or Cleveland Magazine. Or whoever else wants a piece of the two Buckeyes stars.
These are heady times for Smith and Ginn, both of whom are being promoted as 2006 Heisman Trophy candidates. The late-summer hype machine is gearing up, with the Big Ten preseason football meetings set for Tuesday and Wednesday in Chicago and the start of practice just eight days away.
Having two Heisman candidates on the same team is uncommon, but the fact that Smith and Ginn are boyhood friends who grew up in the same neighborhood makes it even more special.
"He’s been a great friend from when we were little," Ginn said. "Great guy, always loving, always respectful and always there to help."
Irvin White saw them both back in the Cleveland municipal youth league when Smith quarterbacked White’s Glenville A’s and Ginn Jr., two years younger, quarterbacked the rival Sims Raiders.
"This season is going to be the most fun these two boys have in their lives," White said. "They’re good friends, and they’ve both got great personalities."
Ginn’s father, Ted Ginn Sr., coached Smith at Glenville High School and considers Smith a son. Ginn Jr. and Smith consider each other brothers.
"We were always friends since we were about 7," Smith said. "We went to the same church, stayed around the corner from each other. So it’s always been a family-like atmosphere.
"To be childhood friends and being able to play on the same stage and be key elements to one team, it is something to be very, very proud about."
They didn’t think they would end up at OSU together, mainly because Ginn figured his future was at quarterback, as well, which would put them at rival colleges. But Ginn switched to cornerback and receiver at Glenville and now is poised to be Smith’s top target.
"We always say we’ve got to help each other," Ginn said, "and if he helps me to win the Heisman or I help him to win the Heisman, I think we’ll both be satisfied."
Smith is a fifth-year senior and one of the nation’s top quarterbacks, coming off a season in which he threw 16 touchdown passes against just four interceptions and accounted for 2,893 total yards (including 611 yards and 11 TDs rushing).
He is considered one of the top three or four Heisman candidates, along with Notre Dame quarterback and Dublin native Brady Quinn, Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson and Southern Cal receiver Dwayne Jarrett.
Ginn, a junior, probably is in the next group of candidates. His big-play potential as a kickreturner and receiver promises to keep him on the weekly highlight shows.
Over the past 50 years, 10 pairs of teammates have finished in the top five in Heisman voting in the same year.
OSU sports information director Steve Snapp said the school will not promote Smith or Ginn at the other’s expense, at least for now. The strategy is to make both players very visible and available to the national media and let the results on the field determine the rest.
"We want to keep them both out in the forefront and let voters know we’ve got two players," Snapp said. "Geographically, the Texas game (Sept. 9) will be important, if we do well there, with Western voters."
The days of gimmicky Heisman promotions are fading, Snapp said. Players at high-profile teams such as OSU are in the spotlight enough on their own.
Both players hesitate to talk about individual awards. They have bought into the Buckeyes’ team-first mentality.
Asked about leaving for the NFL after this season, Ginn said, "It’s a possibility that I could leave, but the most important thing is to make sure our seniors go out with a bang."
Smith, one of those seniors, is careful to point out that his teammates would deserve a lot of the credit if he were to win the Heisman.
Indeed, team success is mandatory for either player’s Heisman hopes. The past five winners have been on teams that played in the national-championship game.
Still, Smith admits the obvious, that being a Heisman candidate on a team ranked highly in the preseason polls is a pretty big deal.
"That’s all you know (growing) up, the Heisman and the national championship," he said. "And to be at this stage and be able to compete for one of those, it’s a dream and a road I wish everybody could follow."
[email protected]
Heisman hopefuls
Sunday, July 30, 2006
<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle></IMG> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Ted Ginn Jr .
RECEIVER / RETURN SPECIALIST
• Key stats: 139 all-purpose yards per game and TDs four different ways (rushing, receiving, kickoff and punt returns)
• Heisman yea: In the open field, there may not be a more electrifying player in college football
• Heisman nay: Will he get enough touches to warrant serious consideration?
Troy Smith
QUARTERBACK
• Key stats: 2,282 yards passing, 611 rushing and 27 total touchdowns in 2005. Plus, 13-2 as a starter
• Heisman yea: Big-game specialist (just ask Michigan) and unquestioned leader of one of the country’s top teams • Heisman nay: Prone to the occasional blip, a forced pass that gets picked off or an unforced fumble
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Last edited:
Upvote
0
