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ViewsTroy SmithFrom BpWiki
Troy Smith (born July 20, 1984 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens. Smith played college football at The Ohio State University where he became the school's sixth Heisman Trophy winner, bringing in the school's seventh overall trophy. Smith was an exceptional athlete while at Ohio State and his #10 jersey will most assuredly join the other great retired jerseys hanging inside Ohio Stadium. Smith was also part of the 2006 All America team, and the Associated Press and Sporting News voted Smith as the 2006 College Football Player of the Year. Smith also won the 2006 Walter Camp and Davey O'Brien trophies, and was voted as the Ohio State team MVP. Finally, the Chicago Tribune also voted Troy as the Big Ten MVP. With such grand accolades, Troy left the Buckeyes as one of the greatest players in Ohio State and college football history, one that will never be forgotten in the many faithful hearts of the Buckeye Nation.
[edit] High SchoolTroy began his high school career at St. Edwards in Cleveland. However, after only two years there he transferred to Glenville High School, where he met Ted Ginn Sr., with whom he embraced as a father figure. Troy went on to star for the Tarblooders his senior season as quarterback, leading them to a 9-2 season and a birth in the Division I regional quarterfinals, where they fell to Solon 7-28. [edit] Freshman and Sophomore YearsTroy attended St. Edwards high school where he played football and basketball, however, Troy experienced extremely rough times while he was there, as he was often times the victim of racism. This racism led to Troy having significant amounts of anger in his life, and during a December 16th basketball game in 2000 against Toledo St. Johns, this anger finally erupted. Smith claimed that St. John's guard, John Floyd, had been taunting him the entire game, until finally Smith elbowed Floyd in the head on a flagrant foul that when uncalled by the referees. Floyd left the game with a concussion and Smith finished the game. After review of the game, however, St. Edwards principal, Eugene Boyer, kicked Smith off of the team for the rest of the season as a result of the incident. Smith would chose not to return to St. Edwards, and instead enroll at Glenville for the spring quarter. Before he could participate in any athletics, though, Smith needed to be reinstated by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Smith was instructed to compose an apology letter to Floyd which would also be sent to St. Edwards, and OHSAA. Smith's letter wrote: "I would like to apologize sincerely to you, your parents and everyone at Toledo St. John's. It is a moment I have thought about over and over again. I regret my actions and your injury and am truly sorry you had to miss a game. I sincerely regret it. I understand now the magnitude and seriousness of the infraction and regret it not only athletically, but spiritually and from a moralistic standpoint, as well. I pray you can accept this in the manner it is given, and I wish you continued success in basketball and your future career. Sincerely, Troy Smith" [edit] Junior and Senior YearsObviously Troy had endured a troubled childhood as well as a trying start to his high school years. Nevertheless though, Troy didn't quit, instead he met his greatest mentor in life, Ted Ginn Sr. who once stated that, "He was just like a sour lemon. We had to take that bitterness out of him before we could really see the real Troy Smith." At Glenville, Troy starred on the football field where he threw for 969 yards and 12 touchdowns, and gained over 1,400 all purpose yards in his senior season. He led the Tarblooders to the state playoffs and a 9-2 record. Troy also played basketball and ran track (high jump, long jump, and the 1,600 meter relay). [edit] RecruitmentTroy Smith worked out at many summer camps in 2001, where he shined and became a late addition to the Elite 11 Quarterback Camp held in San Juan Capistrano, California. At the Nike Camp, Smith posted the following numbers:
Rivals.com rated Troy Smith the #12 quarterback prospect in the nation and gave him a four star rating. Likewise, Scout.com ranked Smith as a four star prospect, but as the #15 quarterback in the nation. Smith held offers from Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Toledo, and West Virginia, with which Smith most likely would have committed to had it not been for a late offer by the Buckeyes. Troy became the last committment for the Bucks' historical 2002 recruiting class. Troy Smith committed to Jim Tressel on January 11, 2002 to play football at The Ohio State University, and signed his Letter of Intent on February 6th, 2002. [edit] College[edit] Freshman YearTroy Smith redshirted for the 2002 season. [edit] Freshman(RS) YearTroy Smith saw limited action for the Buckeyes in 2003, but played in 10 of the teams 12 games. He was used primarily as a runningback and kick returner. His first play as a Buckeye came in the home opening, 28-9 thrashing of the Washington Huskies, where he carried the ball for a two yard gain. Troy's longest run of eight yards would come later on as the Buckeyes goose-egged the Northwestern Wildcats, 20-0 in their fifth game of the season. Smith's longest kick return of 18 yards came against the Indiana Hoosiers, when the Buckeyes defeated the crimson and cream, 35-6 in the team's eighth game of the season. [edit] Sophomore(RS) YearTroy Smith began the 2004 season as the backup quarterback to Justin Zwick. However, a midseason shoulder injury to Zwick forced Smith into the starting role to cleanup in a game six disaster where the Buckeyes trailed the Iowa Hawkeyes 33-0. Smith calmly led the Buckeye offense to their only score of the game, a touchdown pass to tight end Rory Nicol, leaving the defeat at Kinnick Stadium 7-33. From here, Troy took over as the starting quarterback and led the Buckeyes to a 4-1 finish for the regular season. In his first role as a starter, Troy and the Buckeyes defeated Indiana 30-7, Penn State 21-10, and staged a miraculous fourth quarter comeback against Michigan State, to defeat the Spartans 32-19. His first loss as a starter came when the Buckeyes traveled to West Lafayette, in an overtime defeat to Purdue 17-24. Yet, Troy battled back marvelously when the 6-4 Buckeyes hosted Michigan in Columbus for the final game of the regular season. Troy staged one of the best Buckeye performances ever against the Wolverines on November 20th, 2004. Troy racked up three touchdowns, two in the air and one on the ground, as he passed for 241 yards and ran for another 145 yards (becoming the first Buckeye quarterback to top the 100-yard mark in rushing since Rod Gerald in 1977). The Buckeyes shocked the Wolverines 37-21 that night, and Troy began his campaign as the greatest Wolverine killer in Buckeye history.
In an unexpected twist to the Troy Smith saga, Troy was suspended for the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma State, and the following season's home opener against Miami(OH), for accepting money from Robert Baker, an Ohio State booster, in May of 2004. Troy repaid his improper benefits and was reinstated by the NCAA for the following season. By season's end, however, Troy managed to rack up 896 yards passing, 339 yards rushing and have a 8/3 touchdown to interception ratio. He also scored two rushing touchdowns on the year. Troy completed 55.7% of his passes and had a QB rating of 134.15. [edit] Junior(RS) YearEntering the 2005 season, Troy had to complete his two game suspension he suffered from the previous year, in which he sat out the teams first game against Miami(OH). Smith also missed the start the following week during the Buckeyes' legendary battle with Texas, however, he did come off the bench late in the first quarter to lead the Buckeyes back from a 0-10 defecit. By the end of the game, Smith had led the Buckeye offense to 19 of their 22 points in the game. The following week when the Buckeyes took on the San Diego State Aztecs, Smith reclaimed his starting role and led the Buckeyes on a 7-1 game streak, to make them 8-2 on the year heading into Ann Arbor against the Michigan Wolverines. This year, the Wolverines had struggled both offensively and defensively and were a mere 7-3 at the time, however they did not want to lose back-to-back games to the Buckeyes, especially on their home turf. Troy Smith and the Buckeyes had other plans. After finding themselves down 12-21 late in the fourth quarter, Troy commanded one of the greatest comebacks in Buckeye history. Troy serenely led the Buckeyes down the field to a quick touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes, making the score 19-21 with a little over five minutes left in the game. The following series, the Buckeye defense stepped up big and held Michigan to a quick three and out, forcing them to punt the ball back to the Buckeyes with just over four minutes to play. The drive that prevailed resulted in the following plays down to the Michigan 31 yard line:
Smith was a deafening 6/6 for 49 yards passing and 4 yards rushing as the Bucks were now, what appeared to be, setting up for a long field goal by Josh Huston with just 0:46 seconds to play. Yet, Smith took matters into his own hands with the most memorable passing play since "Holy Buckeye" in 2002, as he bounced away from the Michigan defensive line and found Anthony Gonzalez down the field at the 4 yard line. Gonzalez made what is now known as "the catch," leaping over #13 Grant Mason of the Wolverines. Immediatley afterwards, Antonio Pittman blasted into the endzone for the go-ahead touchdown, giving the Buckeyes the 25-21 victory. Smith finished the game 27 for 37 and 300 yards passing and 37 yards rushing off of 11 carries. He had 1 passing and 1 rushing touchdown in the game.
The Buckeyes would finish their regular season 9-2 and earn a spot in the Fiesta Bowl to play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This would be only the fifth meeting between the two schools, Notre Dame winning the first two in 1935 and 1936, and Ohio State winning the last two in 1995 and 1996. This would also be Troy's first bowl game appearance as a starting quarterback, and he responded in kind. Troy launched a 56 yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn Jr. in the first five minutes of the game to tie it at 7 a piece. Big plays were the difference maker in the game for the Buckeyes, as Ginn also took a reverse for a 68 yard score and Troy Smith hooked up with Santonio Holmes on an 85 yard touchdown strike to end the first half, with the Buckeyes leading the Irish 21-7. Smith's touchdown pass to Holmes is the second longest touchdown pass in Ohio State history. In the end, the Buckeyes were too much for the Irish to handle and they won their third fiesta bowl in four years, 34-20.
Troy had now officially begun his drive for the heisman in 2006. He finished the Fiesta Bowl with 342 yards passing and 2 touchdowns, as well as 66 yards rushing, earning him the Fiesta Bowl MVP. To finish the year, Troy had taken the Buckeyes to a 10-2 record and recorded 2,289 yards passing on the season with a 16/4 touchdown to interception ratio. He completed 62.9% of his passes and led the Big Ten in passing efficiency; he was sixth nationally. Smith's QB Rating had also improved to a 162.66. He also ran for 611 yards and 11 touchdowns on 136 carries, averaging 4.5 yards a carry. Smith's mark of at least 2,000 yards passing and 500 yards rushing made him the first quarterback in Ohio State history to do so. [edit] Senior(RS) YearHeading into his senior year with the Buckeyes, it looked as if Troy had only two things left to accomplish at the collegiate level, win a Heisman Trophy and win the national championship. Troy was a preseason favorite for the heisman trophy and the Buckeyes were the preseason #1 team in the nation. The Buckeyes had a loaded schedule ahead of them, though, as they were to play the #2 Texas Longhorns in Austin, as well as try to run the gauntlet in the Big Ten Conference. During the second week of the season the Buckeyes were looking for revenge against the Longhorns who squeaked out a victory in 2005, 25-22. Troy was looking for a similiar national spotlight preformance to launch himself into a heisman-winning season as Vince Young had done the previous year against the Bucks. Smith didn't pass up the opportunity as he connected for 269 yards passing and two touchdowns, to both Ginn and Gonzalez, as the Buckeyes soundly defeated the Longhorns 24-7.
The victory at Texas Memorial Stadium gave the Bucks tremendous momentum heading into the Big Ten season as they cleaned house, out-scoring their opponents 283-60, and only having two close games against Penn State and at Illinois. Troy might have locked the heisman trophy up when the Bucks played Penn State, as he threw a memorable 37 yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver, Brian Robiskie. The pass was more like a 60 yard rope, however, as he threw it from his own 46 yard line and into the back of the endzone. Troy was definitley the center piece to the Buckeye offense and the glue that held the team together throughout the season heading into their classic showdown with Michigan on November 18th, 2006. This time, Troy led the Bucks against an also undefeated Michigan Wolverine team which thrived on its defense and was ranked #2 in the nation, right behind the Bucks who were still atop the polls looking to go wire-to-wire. This would be the first time in the 103 year history of college football's greatest rivalry where Ohio State and Michigan would meet as #1 and #2. The game proved to be Troy's final regular season test, and a victory would launch the Bucks into the national championship game and coincidentally lock up the heisman trophy for Smith. Ohio State charged the first half with astonishing big play after big play, as Troy hooked up with Ted Ginn on a 4th and 1 play action pass, and freshman Chris Wells spun through the Michigan defensive line for a 52 yard touchdown run. Troy added touchdown passes to senior Roy Hall and junior(RS) Anthony Gonzalez to finish out the half leading the Wolverines 28-14. The Bucks looked to be in complete control, until Troy committed his first career turnover against Michigan, by throwing an interception to Alan Branch. The Wolverines also took advantage of a bad snap by center Doug Datish, which resulted in Michigan coming within a touchdown of the Buckeyes. However, Troy was not going to let his final game in the horseshoe result in a loss to a team he had dominated his entire career. Smith again, calmly led the Buckeyes down the field late in the game to find Robiskie in the corner of the endzone and take a 42-31 lead. The Buckeyes would go on to win the game 42-39, and Troy became only the second quarterback to defeat the Michigan Wolverines three consecutive times. The only other quarterback to do so, was Tippy Dye in 1934, 1935, and 1936. Smith finished the game with 316 yards passing, 4 touchdowns and only 1 interception. He also managed to break the 1,000 yard mark in all-purpose yards against Michigan, racking up 1,051 career yards against the Maize and Blue. Smith also recorded 9 total touchdowns (7 passing, 2 rushing) against Michigan throughout his career, solidifying himself as the greatest Wolverine killer in Buckeye history.
Smith's season stats were beyond impressive in 2006, as he passed for 2,507 yards, 30 touchdowns, and just 5 interceptions. He also connected on 67% of his passes, and garnered a 167.87 QB rating, his highest of his career. These numbers were good enough to land him the greatest prize any college football player ever dreams of receiving, the Heisman Trophy.
Along with winning the best player in college football award, Smith also won a host of other accolades:
The only hurdle left for Troy Smith and his college career was to win a national championship. However, the Florida Gators out-matched the Buckeyes on January 8th, 2007 to win their second national championship in school history. When the dust finally settled on the game, the only thing Troy could do was be the great person that he was and congratulate Chris Leak and his team on a fine season. Troy Smith finished his career as a Buckeye with a 25-3 record, including a 10-2 record against ranked teams. [edit] NFL DraftTroy Smith was the 174th selection of the 2007 NFL Draft in the fifth round by the Baltimore Ravens. [edit] NFL Career[edit] Trivia
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