Week 2 NCAA Football Preview

But they didn’t have a quarterback like Vince Young.

Young came into Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 11, 2005 and was the key to beating the Buckeyes 25-22. With 346 yards of total offense and two touchdowns, Vince ended Ohio State’s run at a national championship with poise, leadership, passing, and scrambling; it was the kind of stuff the Buckeyes' QBs just couldn’t bring to the table.

With the touted rematch kicking off on Saturday in Memorial Stadium, the Buckeyes have nothing but vengeance and redemption on the brain. And this time they’re bringing a superstar quarterback of their own to make sure that happens.

For those who haven't been keeping track of the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes, his name is Troy Smith. He's a 6-1, 215 pounds senior quarterback who's another year wiser and, coming into the 2006 season, is starting to mirror Texas’ own legend.

"Troy Smith to Ohio State is what Vince [Young] has been to us," Texas coach Mack Brown told ESPN.com. "He's a leader. He's a senior. He's a guy who can make plays with his feet, but he has a great throwing motion and he's very, very accurate."

Most preseason scouting reports describe Troy Smith as “Vince Young Light”, a player with the potential to be a threat on the ground and vertically, but his quarterbacking talents would have to even up with his quick legs in order for him to progress. He was behind most junior quarterbacks in passing ability after 2005, airing it out for only 2,282 passing yards despite home run receivers Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn Jr. on his squad.

But during a summer when everyone was keeping the Heisman watch on Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn, Smith’s improvements flew under the radar. When the Buckeyes' first game against Northern Illinois arrived, he had his chance to show and tell. In fact, he brought the kind of accuracy and pocket presence that no one expected.

"He's more confident, he worked hard in the off-season," running back Antonio Pittman said in an ESPN television interview. "He has become more of a leader."

Smith went an impressive 18-25 for 297 yards and three touchdowns, knocking out his first two TDs in the first quarter and only needing to rush once in the game. Though it came against a paltry defense, it proved that Smith had stepped out of “option” quarterback mode and, also, that the Texas Longhorns may get a taste of their own medicine come Saturday.

"The good news is they've seen a big, fast guy at quarterback," Brown said of his defense to the Associated Press. "The bad new is they were mostly watching Vince."

With Texas’ starting corner Terrell Brown not around to play catch-up with the Buckeyes wideout and human-blur Ginn Jr. (Brown will be serving a one-game suspension due to drug and gun charges), the Buckeyes’ chances for payback are in Smith’s hands. And he doesn’t plan to disappoint.

"I feel that any time we touch the ball we should be able to score," Smith said to the AP. "Without a doubt. There should be no reason why we can't, and if we don't score, then it's our wrongdoing."

Quick Hits:

No one thought winning at Georgia Tech would be an easy Week 1 match-up for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. But nobody expected a 14-10 fight for survival. Irish quarterback Brady Quinn put a damper on the Heisman talk with a slew of incompletions and missed opportunities, but did manage 246 yards passing to close out the Yellow Jackets.

The one bright spot for the Irish was that their typically ugly defense gave up just 259 yards. If their offense catches up on Saturday against Penn State, they could easily blow out the 8-point spread.

The California Golden Bears had to endure 60 minutes of pain as the Tennessee Volunteers laid waste to their supposed high-powered offense and crushed any shot of taking home the national championship with a 35-18 blowout.

Granted, they still have a chance at a BCS bid if they can find some offense this week against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. With so much promise to start out the season, it’s hard to believe how quickly hope could be lost with another early failure. Hopefully for the Cal faithful, Heisman hopeful Marshawn Lynch will get back into the offense after only putting up 74 yards in Week 1.

TOP PHOTO: Quarterback Troy Smith is the key to the Buckeyes' attack this season. (AI Wire Photo)

Note: All NCAA football lines subject to change.

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