Smith sheds troubled past, grows into leadership role

Some feel the quarterback is among the favorites for the Heisman Trophy.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Two years ago, he was barely on the depth chart. A year ago, people knew him mostly for what he did wrong.
With the spring comes new beginnings, and no one knows that better than Troy Smith.
Now locked in as Ohio State's starting quarterback, Smith has shed the image of the talented but undisciplined kid. He now says he is comfortable in the role of sage and caring elder statesman.
"I feel like I've grown in front of everybody, from a knucklehead young guy to hopefully an up-and-coming, wise senior who can lead this group of guys," he said this week during final preparations for Ohio State's annual spring intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday.
Now in his fifth year with the program, Smith says he's finally gotten with the program. Sure, he leads on the field with those shifty moves and that howitzer of an arm. But off the field he vows he is mellower, more self-assured and far, far more mature.
Asked to pinpoint ways in which he has changed, he doesn't hesitate.
"I would say one of the largest ones would have to be the night life," he said, a slight grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "The night life is not in any of my equation right now and for the rest of the season it won't be. Things like that will come. There's a time and a place for everything."
Change of behavior
Once garrulous and outgoing, Smith has become a disciple of coach Jim Tressel's theory that late nights equal trouble.
"Call me old-fashioned, but I'm really starting to buy into what coach Tres said, 'Nothing good happens past 10,"' Smith said. "It's pretty much the truth, man. Just stay in the house. Get you a video game."
It's evident to everyone on the team that Smith -- set to graduate in June with a bachelor's degree in communications with plans to go for a second bachelor's degree in mass communications this summer and fall -- is comfortable in his new role.
"Troy Smith is continuing to improve every day," Tressel said. "He's studying the game hard. He wants to be a very, very good quarterback."
Todd Boeckman, locked in a duel with Justin Zwick for the backup spot at quarterback, has noticed the difference in Smith.
"He's becoming a leader -- a bigtime leader," he said. "He knows what's going on, how to handle every situation. He's stepping up, becoming that guy that everybody looks up to move this team."
Smith burst upon the scene two years ago when Zwick faltered during an 0-3 start in the Big Ten. He hadn't played in the three previous games before he came in for mop-up duty in a lopsided loss at Iowa, playing well with the game out of reach.
Since then, the job has been his -- with one notable exception. He continued to stack up solid performances as a sophomore, helping to turn the season around. He starred in a stunning upset of Michigan in the regular-season finale, running for 145 yards and a touchdown and passing for 241 yards and two more scores.
Getting in trouble
Soon after that, however, he accepted around $500 from team booster Robert Q. Baker. Ohio State consulted with the NCAA and self-imposed a two-game suspension, keeping Smith at home while the Buckeyes beat Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl and then not letting him dress for last season's opener against Miami (Ohio).
In time, Smith regained his touch and his swagger. After the Buckeyes lost two of their first four games after his return, he led the offense on one of the hottest streaks in school history, culminating in another top-shelf performance against Michigan. This time he ran for one score and passed for 300 yards and another TD, leading a last-minute rush to the goal line for a 25-21 victory.
He improved to 13-2 as a starter with a 342-yard passing day against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.
The numbers show how much Smith has developed. But Joe Daniels, the Ohio State quarterbacks coach, says they don't tell the whole story.
"You can see it the way he handles himself even in meetings," Daniels said. "It's a tremendous difference. He is, thank goodness, constantly on a learning curve. He's hungry to learn. He's got a comfort level in that he knows he's 'the guy."'
There are those who believe Smith's career parallels that of Vince Young, a breathtakingly talented quarterback who had a monster year last season while leading Texas to the national championship. Others say Smith is among the top candidates for the Heisman Trophy.
Smith isn't listening to all the talk.
"I can't look somewhere else right now. My focus right now is on this team and being where we need to be," he said. "There's a lot of people who have been front-runners [in the Heisman race] and ended up in the back. The guys that are the most successful are the guys who stay the course and worry about their team."