Troy Smith not only won the Heisman Trophy, he blew his competition right out of the water. Brady Quinn and Darren McFadden didn’t know what hit them. Smith’s 801 first-place votes, which were the second most ever in the history of the award, were 1,662 points higher than McFadden who finished second. Only O.J. Simpson’s 1,750-point victory in 1968 was more one sided.
Smith’s numbers were incredible this season. He passed for 2,716 yards, finished the season with a 67% competition rate and threw for 30 touchdowns with only five interceptions. But most of all, he has OSU on the brink of an undefeated season and a national championship.
Watching the presentation, you can certainly tell what type of young man Smith is. With his head coach Jim Tressel looking on; Smith spoke very highly of his family and his teammates. Yes, he made a mistake by taking money from a booster. But how many times do we hear of athletes who don’t turn things around for themselves? Smith deserves a ton of credit for learning from a big mistake and turning a negative into a positive.
With all due respect to McFadden (who is well on his way to a Heisman if he doesn’t turn pro too early) Quinn and even Steve Slaton, the 2006 Heisman Trophy is in the right hands.
Click here to see Bullz-Eye.com’s Troy Smith Profile.
