| Buckeye’s Troy Smith projected to win the 2006 Heisman Trophy |
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| Written by John Hoben | |||||||
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Wednesday, 22 November 2006
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 It’s not official until the vote is counted but you can take it to the bank, Ohio State senior quarterback Troy Smith will win the 2006 Heisman Trophy when awarded at the Heisman Trophy presentation ceremony from the New York Hilton, Saturday, Dec 11. Smith has been the leading candidate in the chase for the Heisman Trophy throughout the 2006 season and probably clinched this year’s Heisman Trophy by throwing four touchdown passes against Michigan on Saturday to lead Ohio State, No.1 in the Bowl Championship Series standings and the Associated Press and USA Today polls, to a 42-39 victory and 12-0 regular-season record.
Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn will probably finish second in the Heisman voting followed by a trio of running backs, sophomores Darren McFadden of Arkansas, Steve Slaton of West Virginia and junior Mike Hart of Michigan. During the post-game press conference Smith was asked by reporters his thoughts on his Heisman Trophy chances. “I think the Heisman Trophy is a team award.” Smith said. “It’s a team award first and foremost because our team is 12-0. I owe them everything in the world. If it wasn’t for them in these situations, I wouldn’t even be here for any of the accolades that I do receive and all the credit in the world goes to my team and coaching staff." With Notre Dame’s win over Army in South Bend on Saturday, Quinn became the first Irish quarterback ever to throw for 3,000 yards in consecutive seasons and holds the record as the only quarterback to exceed 3,000 passing yards in a single season set in 2005. With his first of three touchdown passes against Army, Quinn became the first Irish quarterback ever to toss 30 touchdown passes in consecutive seasons. Quinn had a streak of 226 consecutive passes without an interception that ended in the game against Army. McFadden, Slaton and Hart will round out the invitees to the presentation in New York but will not win the trophy. However, the three running backs will be the top contenders to win the Heisman Trophy in 2007.                        |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 22 November 2006 ) | |||||||