Classic Bowl Performances: Troy Smith's Heisman campaign starts in the Desert

The game that launched a Heisman candidacy.

Classic Bowl Performances: Troy Smith's Heisman campaign starts in the Desert

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I'll never forget how I felt after Ohio State beat Notre Dame in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl. 15-year-old me had just gotten a white number 10 jersey for Christmas eight days earlier (still have it), and I'm pretty sure I wore it until the moment I fell asleep that night. The post-glow of the Buckeyes' 34-21 win that day is definitely a top-10 moment in my Ohio State fandom, and was one of those performances where I already couldn't wait for the next season to start. I vividly remember going to the ESPN.com homepage and thinking, "These guys are gonna win the National Championship next year." We all know how that turned out, but I did some digging, and it still makes me smile just as wide now as it did then:

(Here's the article if you want to read it)

The combo of Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. decimating the Irish made everything feel like it was on the table in 2006, and was a perfect way to cap the 2005 season after going into the Big House and stunning Michigan in the fourth quarter. Since I already did the Ginn video, I figured it's time to drop the Smith one, so here you go. Thank you again for supporting me and the channel! (And let other Ohio State fans know this is the kind of exclusive content you're gonna get this offseason if you subscribe to the channel!)