DDN
Team mentality has lifted Buckeyes' QB Troy Smith to cusp of individual greatness
His maturity is one of the reasons Ohio State has won 19 straight.
By Doug Harris
Staff Writer
Friday, December 08, 2006
COLUMBUS ? Ohio State's Troy Smith has strolled in and out of the team headquarters at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center countless times, normally shuffling around the six Heisman Trophies that sit in glass-enclosed cases on the floor of the atrium without giving them much thought.
But considering what he's likely to achieve this weekend, his recent trips past those bronze statues have left him in a reflective mood.
"For so many years, I've walked through the atrium and looked at Heisman Trophies and took them for granted, not really thinking about the work those guys had to do to get there," he said. "Now I totally understand how much you have to be a team-oriented guy and how much work you really have to put in to be spoken of as one of the elite players.
"I have to pinch myself all the time, because there are so many guys who do a great job and deserve respect, but not everybody gets it."
Smith's efforts certainly aren't being overlooked this year. He was in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday for ESPN's College Football Awards Show as a finalist for several national honors, and his week will culminate with a trip to New York on Saturday for what figures to be the least-suspenseful Heisman ceremony in years.
The senior quarterback from Cleveland is a virtual cinch to claim perhaps the most revered individual award in sports, and he's poised to join a select circle of Ohio State winners that includes Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, Howard "Hopalong" Cassady, Archie Griffin and Eddie George.
"It's a tremendous honor and a tremendous reflection on the team I played on, the coaches I played for and the program I run out on the field to represent," Smith said. "If I get a chance to hoist that trophy and have it come back to THE Ohio State University, it will be great for the guys to talk about around here and will make this a better place."
Smith already has done plenty to elevate the program, rising from a lightly regarded recruit to direct the Buckeyes to a nation-leading 19 straight victories. He's notched a school-record 30 touchdown passes this season with one game to go and has thrown just five interceptions.
He also has an uncanny knack of excelling in showcase games, averaging about 350 total yards (rushing and passing) and accounting for nine total TDs while leading the Buckeyes to three straight victories over Michigan.
"His tremendous growth and his stepping up when things are the toughest have gotten a lot of people's attention,"
OSU coach Jim Tressel said.
Smith's ability to escape a pass rush is renowned, and he also managed to dodge some off-field challenges that could have derailed his career.
He was charged with disorderly conduct for a late-night brawl during his redshirt freshman season; was chastised by Tressel for complaining to the media as a sophomore when classmate Justin Zwick seized the starting job; and later was suspended for two games for accepting money from a booster.
But Smith was voted a co-captain this year and is the unquestioned leader of the nation's top team. And while he arrived at
OSU with a distrustful attitude that didn't exactly endear him to Buckeye beat reporters, his gracious interviews these days seem to indicate he's bought in to Tressel's others-centered mentality.
As for whether Smith has crafted his Heisman acceptance speech yet, the master of improvisation on the field said he'll wing it on that stage, too.
"I don't believe in writing stuff down and then reading it ? I might stumble over a line," he said. "If I get a chance to talk and give my speech, it will be one of gratitude and letting everyone else know I appreciate them."
And if Smith does come home with a Heisman to place next to the others in the foyer of the football complex, a future generation of Buckeyes probably will drift past it mindlessly, too. But one player may pause long enough to wonder what it took to get there.
