(Heis)Man of Troy

Glance towards the sideline of any Ohio State game and you’ll find one constant. Whether it’s 1st and goal with a 30-point lead over Michigan State or 4th and 12 in overtime of the National Championship game, Jim Tressel paces the sidelines, sporting his trademark sweater vest, as a monument to calm, cool, collectiveness. Twice since THEE Ohio State University hired him as head coach, have I seen Jim Tressel lose his composure. The first was following the 2003 Fiesta Bowl (celebrating his first Division 1A National Championship). The second came on Saturday when Troy Smith won the Heisman Trophy. With tears in his eyes, Tressel watched his quarterback walk up to the podium, accept the coveted award, and take his rightful place among the College Football all-time greats. 5 years of hard work, perseverance, and dedication culminating in one great moment shared by two great individuals.

(The irony is, 5 years ago, 2 High School athletes from similar backgrounds with similar talents came to Ohio State in Jim Tressel’s first great recruiting class. Maurice Clarett was the jewel, the guy who would join the long list of great Buckeye running backs, Troy Smith was the last man signed, without a position and simply listed as “athlete”. Over the next few years, each would get into trouble, and each would serve suspensions. However, in the end, the “athlete” will go down as the greatest Ohio State Quarterback ever, while the “jewel” is currently a resident of the Franklin County Corrections Center serving a minimum 3 and a half-year prison sentence. What does that tell you about the choices a person makes?)

There is no doubt that Troy Smith IS the best quarterback ever to wear the Scarlet and Gray (you can even argue that he has a chance to be the greatest Buckeye ever). He is the first Big Ten Quarterback to win the Heisman. He is second only to OJ Simpson in Heisman voting margin of victory (OJ beat Leroy Keyes by 1,750 points, while Troy beat Darren McFadden by 1,662), his 801 first place votes are also second all-time behind the Juice, but his 86.7% of the first place votes is a Heisman record.

So when he was at the podium this past Saturday, I got to thinking about my favorite Troy Smith moment. The problem is, he has dazzled us so many different times, that I can’t come up with just one. Since I couldn't decide on one, here are my Top 5 most memorable Troy Smith moments:

5.) September 9, 2006: “A Texas-Sized Payback”
Austin, Texas - With the score tied 7-7, Troy Smith hits Ted Ginn Jr. with a perfect 29-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown pass with 16 seconds left in the first half. The Buckeyes took the lead into halftime and never relinquished it. Smith finished with 269 yards passing and 2 touchdowns in route to a 24-7 victory.

4.) September 23, 2006: “Exorcising the Demons”
Columbus, Ohio – Penn State, the only team to give Troy Smith problems in his great career, was once again proving a worthy opponent, that is until Troy Smith delivered what would become the signature play of his Heisman campaign. With the Buckeyes nursing a slight lead, Smith dropped back to pass, rolled right, avoided a sure sack by turning on a dime, reversing course, and hitting Brian Robiskie in stride for a 37-yard back-breaking touchdown pass. The Buckeyes go on to win 28-6.

3.) November 20, 2004: “A Star is Born”
Columbus, Ohio – In his coming out party, Troy Smith hits Tony Gonzalez with a 68-yard touchdown bomb on the 5th play of the game. His first of three victories over Michigan, unranked Ohio State went on to upset #7 Michigan. He finished with 241 yards passing (2 touchdowns) and also running for another 145 yards.

2.) November 18, 2006: “The Game”
Columbus, Ohio – Curious to see how Troy Smith might do in the NFL? Look no further than “The Game of the Century”. Troy Smith locked down the Heisman Trophy with his 316-yard, 4-touchdown performance, leading #1 Ohio State over #2 Michigan. Smith hit Ted Ginn Jr. for a 39-yard end zone strike on a play-action fake to take a 2-touchdown lead. Although Michigan fought back, Smith held on to cap off his third straight win over that team up North and clinched a spot in the BCS National Championship game.

1.) November 19, 2005: “The Comeback”
Ann Arbor, Michigan – With 47 seconds left in the game, and the Buckeyes down by 2 points, Troy Smith hits Anthony Gonzalez for 26-yards to set up the game-winning score. Since I can’t begin to explain it, see it for yourself (little did we know, you could have mailed the Heisman to him right then and there):



I feel privileged to have been able to watch Troy Smith grow as a person and as a player over the last few years and it will be bittersweet to see him suit up for the last time. Lets hope that the best Troy Smith moment comes after the game on January 8th, when he holds up the Crystal Football. Then we can look back on his career at Ohio State not only as a Heisman Trophy winner, but also as a National Champion. And you never know, maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to see Jim Tressel show his emotions for the third time in 6 years (but don’t count on it).