Smith earns 59 of 65 first-place votes en route to AP rout

NEW YORK -- The old Troy Smith was at his best on the run. The new and improved version can sit in the pocket all day and pick apart defenses with his arm.

Smith's evolution from running quarterback to precise passer made No. 1 Ohio State all but unstoppable this season -- and helped him win the Associated Press Player of the Year honor announced Tuesday.

"I am a quarterback," Smith said, "through and through."

There's no doubt about that anymore. In fact, he might be the best to ever play at Ohio State.

The Buckeyes' senior won the AP award about as easily as he won the Heisman Trophy, drawing 59 of 65 first-place votes.

Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden and Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan tied for a distant second, each receiving two votes from the AP poll voters. Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn and West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton each got one vote.

Troy Smith shows off his Heisman before an Ohio State hoops game. (US PRESSWIRE)

Smith will wrap up his college career against Florida on Jan. 8 in the BCS championship game. He'll try to lead Ohio State (12-0) to its fifth title and first since 2002, the year he arrived on campus in Columbus as part of a heralded recruiting class.

Smith was the last player signed by the Buckeyes that year, recruited more for his speed and strength than his passing ability. Coach Jim Tressel never promised him he'd play quarterback in college.

But Smith was determined and now it's hard to believe there was ever a doubt about whether he could consistently win games with his passing.

"He's gone to work on understanding the game and working on his feet and working on his set depth," Tressel said recently. "All of those type of things -- pre-snap reads, post-snap reads. He's just methodically gotten better every day that he's been here. Watching him in practice today, he was working like a son of a gun trying to get better today. It's fun to watch."

When Smith first got a chance to lead the Buckeyes in 2004, it was his ability to improvise and turn a broken play into a positive one that sparked the Ohio State offense.

In 2005, the Buckeyes implemented a lot of spread-option plays to take advantage of Smith's elusiveness.

The past two seasons, Smith ran 218 times for 950 yards and 13 touchdowns, while completing a more-than-solid 60 percent of his passes.