#TBT: No. 1 Ohio State beats No. 2 Texas in 2006, launches Troy Smith’s Heisman campaign

Back in 2006, Troy Smith and the Ohio State football team dominated Texas in a No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup that sparked his Heisman trophy campaign.

One of the biggest games in Week 2 features the No. 9 Texas Longhorns hosting No. 6 LSU. This is a classic non-conference showdown and one that carries College Football Playoff and potentially Heisman significance.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s similar to another Week 2 game in Austin that featured Ohio State and Texas in 2006.

The hype surrounding the game was immense as you’d expect. However, since it featured the top two teams in the country, it went beyond anything we will see this weekend. Texas was coming off winning the national championship while Ohio State had national title game aspirations.

Ohio State had Heisman hopeful Troy Smith while the Longhorns were breaking in a new quarterback after Vince Young left for the NFL. Colt McCoy stepped in for Texas, but the night belonged to Smith.

McCoy’s final numbers didn’t look great, but he still played well in front of a national TV audience that saw him throw for 154 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He led a 13-play, 78-yard drive in the second quarter that tied the score at 7-7.

It was the kind of drive that made Texas fans worry a little less about not having Vince Young.

His performance was admirable but the night belonged to Smith.

The Buckeyes’ quarterback was efficient, amazingly accurate and poised in the hostile environment. That was Smith. In 2005, he rallied Ohio State from a nine-point deficit in the final minutes to beat Michigan and led the Buckeyes to a win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

That set the tone for 2018 and with behind Smith, Ohio State certainly looked like No. 1 that night. He was 17-of-26 passing for 269 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged more than 10 yards an attempt against a stout defense and it reinforced he was one of the best players in college football.

“We didn’t make the plays we needed to make,” Texas coach Mack Brown said after the game, via ESPN. “We had our chances there, even in the fourth quarter. Everyone tried, everyone played hard. Give Ohio State credit.”

McCoy showed promise but Smith simply looked great.

Anthony Gonzalez caught eight passes for 142 yards and a score while Ted Ginn Jr. also nabbed a touchdown pass in Ohio State’s 24-7 win over Texas.

“We haven’t claimed anything yet,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said after the game, via ESPN. “We still have to go back to the Horseshoe and keep winning games.”

“Anytime you hold a team like Texas to 7 points in their own stadium is incredible,” Tressel said.

Thanks to Smith, the Buckeyes were also able to enact revenge on Texas for a loss at the Horseshoe in a game that Smith only played part of the time.

“I try not to think about last year because I didn’t want to come in with a chip on my shoulder or a revenge factor,” Smith said.

The win by No. 1 Ohio State was the first for the top team over the No. 2 team in the regular season since 1989. That was when No. 1 Notre Dame beat No. 2 Michigan on Sept. 16.

The fact that Smith stole the show instantly made him the Heisman favorite.

He lived up to that and eventually won en route to leading Ohio State to the BCS title game vs. Florida. Urban Meyer’s team got the better of the Buckeyes that night before his team was beaten by Urban Meyer and Florida in the national title game.

But in Austin, he played from start to finish in what ended up sparking a Heisman Trophy campaign.