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Smith leads Ohio State into BCS title game vs. Florida

Jan 8, 2007 - 4:15 PM No. 2 Florida (12-1) at No. 1 Ohio St (12-0) 8:00 pm EST BCS Championship

GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Four years ago, Troy Smith was a member of the scout team that helped prepare Ohio State for an upset victory over Miami in the national championship game.

Seemingly a lifetime later, a much more accomplished Smith hopes to guide the Buckeyes to another national title over a "Sunshine State" foe.

In his final collegiate game, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback leads top-ranked Ohio State into the BCS title game against No. 2 Florida.

While redshirting four seasons ago, Smith imitated the Hurricanes in practice, prepping the Buckeyes for a 31-24, double-overtime upset victory in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.

Asked what he took away from the title squad of four years ago, Smith said, "A lot of things. The incredible need to win as a group, as a whole. Endless leadership skills and leadership qualities. Also, a focus to understand and know that it's going to take every phase of the team to win a national championship."

The Buckeyes (12-0) began the season ranked No. 1 and remained there all campaign thanks in large part to Smith, who earned the Heisman Trophy after completing 67 percent of his passes for 2,507 yards and 30 touchdowns with just five interceptions.

Smith was particularly cool under pressure in the Buckeyes' two biggest games in 2006, throwing for 269 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 24-7 win at then-No. 2 Texas on September 9 and passing for 316 yards and four touchdowns with one interception in a 42-39 win over another second-ranked team, archrival Michigan, on November 18.

No team ever has beaten three teams ranked second in the same season, but the Buckeyes - who also boast an 1,100-yard rusher in Antonio Pittman and the nation's second-stingiest scoring defense at 10.42 points per game - will have a shot here.

While Ohio State is in its sixth season under coach Jim Tressel, Florida is in just its second campaign under Urban Meyer. The former Utah and Bowling Green coach, a former Buckeye assistant who turned down Notre Dame in favor of the position in Gainesville, guided the Gators to a 12-1 record, losing just at Auburn on October 14, 27-17.

Even before the Gators won the Southeastern Conference championship with a 38-28 victory over Arkansas on December 2, Meyer lobbied on behalf of his team for a spot in the BCS title game. After No. 2 Southern California was shocked by UCLA and the fourth-ranked Gators defeated the Razorbacks, Meyer had his wish fulfilled, as Florida leapfrogged idle No. 3 Michigan for the all-important No. 2 spot in the final BCS standings.

In order to keep defenses on their heels, Meyer has had mobile true freshman Tim Tebow occasionally spell senior quarterback Chris Leak this season, particularly for rushing plays. But Florida's most dangerous offensive player is ultra-fast true freshman receiver Percy Harvin, who combined for 191 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 10 caries in the Gators' last two contests, at Florida State and vs. Arkansas in the league title game.

While the Gators at times struggled to find their offensive rhythm this season, they almost always shut down their opposition, finishing in the top 10 nationally in rushing defense (74.46 yards per game), total defense (268.77) and scoring defense (13.46).

In order to pull off an upset nearly as big as Ohio State's triumph four years ago and win their first national championship since the Steve Spurrier-coached 1996 squad, the Gators will have to find a way to disrupt Smith - something nobody has been able to accomplish this season.

"We're really fired up," Gators junior linebacker Brandon Siler said. "Our defense thinks they are one of the best. Actually, our defense thinks it is the best defense in the country, so we think going against a guy like (Smith) is another way to try to make our point.

"We don't think we ever get enough credit on defense. Every time we have a good game, they try to downplay us, playing up the other team by pointing out how they might have a hurt ankle or that we just got lucky to hit them on a bad day. We have to deal with this week in and week out. All we can do is focus on ourselves and do as much as we possibly can to play the best football we know how."