Ohio State vs. Michigan: Denard Robinson Passes Up Former Jet Brad Smith
Former New York Jets and current Buffalo Bills quarterback Brad Smith finished his legendary college career in Missouri after the 2005 season. During a 26-21 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes, Denard Robinson of the Michigan Wolverines passed Smith's illustrious mark for rushing by a quarterback.
One of the most productive college quarterbacks of all time, Smith was a pure dual-threat, throwing and running equally well. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft by the Jets, he became a wide receiver, running back, kick returner and punt returner for New York, in addition to throwing a few passes.
Smith's biggest influence now is still felt due to his rejuvenation of the Wildcat and Seminole offenses in the NFL. He paved the way for current Jets Wildcat-back Tim Tebow and was the direct motivation for convincing coaches Rex Ryan and Mike Westhoff to use Tebow within their offense and special teams respectively.
TOP NEWS
ACC's New Championship Game Tiebreaker
CFB Fantasy Postion Guide ✍️
QBs Influenced Mensah's Miami Decision 💪
Robinson—now a senior—passed Smith in the game for second place all-time with 4,395 rushing yards. Smith for his part had 4,289 yards in his college career. The last man remaining at the top of the list is Pat White of West Virginia with 4,480 yards.
Despite the great achievement, the Wolverines were unable to pull out the win. They finished their regular season 8-4 with a 6-2 Big Ten record and a 2-2 out-of-conference record. The Buckeyes finished 12-0 and 8-0 in-conference.
Robinson rushed 10 times in the game for 122 yards and a touchdown, with a long-run of 67 yards. Between the first and second quarters of the game, the Ohio State crowd honored their national championship team from 10 years ago.
After presenting a highlight clip, a group of players hoisted former head coach Jim Tressel on top of their shoulders and carried him out of the end zone.
There was history involved for both Ohio State and Michigan Saturday afternoon, some made and some remembered, some good and some bad. For his part, Denard Robinson should look back on his college accomplishments proudly.
Adam Waksman is a featured columnist for the Bleacher Report New York Jets community. Be sure to follow Adam on Twitter to receive updates right away.
