If there's anyone in Ohio State history who could tell J.T. Barrett how to beat Michigan, it's former Buckeyes quarterback Troy Smith.
The 2006 Heisman Trophy winner was one of the greatest in Ohio State history to ever play the position. Smith threw for 5,720 yards and 54 touchdowns in his career as the leader of the most high-powered offense in the Jim Tressel era.
But numbers and Heisman Trophy aside, what Buckeye fans may remember most about Smith was his 3-0 career record as a starter against arch-rival Michigan.
In 2004 as his first year as the starter, Smith led the Buckeyes to a 37-21 upset over the heavily-favored, seventh-ranked Wolverines. In 2005, he led a come-from-behind 25-21 win in Ann Arbor keyed by one of the more famous plays of Tressel's tenure.
Then, in 2006, Smith led Ohio State to a 42-39 win over Michigan in what was then dubbed the "game of the century" as the Buckeyes and Wolverines were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the country.
It's only fitting Smith's No. 10 jersey will be enshrined at Ohio Stadium on Saturday during halftime of the 111th version of The Game and placed up among Buckeye legends like Eddie George and Archie Griffin.
But even despite his success, Smith admits he was quite nervous going into his first Michigan game as the starter in 2004.
"Oh yeah," he said Monday. "The butterflies and the anxiety that follows you through the skull session, the early-morning routine, it can't really be talked about as one sequence of events. You don't really understand the magnitude of the game until years and years and years after."
Growing up as a kid in Texas, Barrett knew about the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry but he really didn't know about it.
“I knew about it, but coming from Texas it was Texas and Oklahoma," Barrett said after last week's 42-27 win over Indiana. "I didn’t really know anything on That Team up North and Ohio State so there was a lot to learn. There’s deep hate for those guys, not just the players but more the fans.”
But Smith doesn't think the magnitude of the Michigan game will affect Barrett.
"Obviously we got a chance to see the transformation and growth behind J.T. Barrett this whole season, Smith said. "I'm pretty much blown away because as a freshman he's doing some things it took me an ample amount of years to grasp and have understanding about."
Barrett has looked cool and comfortable in his first year as Ohio State's starting quarterback. He's passed most of his tests this year with flying colors, so to speak. Taking the field against Michigan as the Buckeyes starting quarterback, however, has a bit of a different feel.
"Until you hit the field and feel there are really a 100,000 people watching your every move, you really don't have an understanding," Smith said. "You take the first hit, you hand the first run off, you throw the first incomplete, then you're back in the groove. Until then, you're thinking about all types of things and it's a feeling I wouldn't trade for anything in the world and I know J.T. is going to be on Cloud 9."
