“The consistency he’s had all season has been big for the program and big for our team, just knowing he would get the job done every time he stepped out on the field,” said Holmes, the team’s leading receiver with 48 catches for 853 yards and 10 TDs.

Smith acknowledged that, when the season began, he had some making up to do.

“For the most part to my teammates, to loyal Ohio State fans,” he said. “It was a letdown. It was not the right decision I made, so I had to show that I wasn’t that type of person.”

Those dues are being paid, he said, by performing well, leading on the field and staying out of trouble off of it.

Smith was never better than the regular season finale, passing for a career-high 300 yards in a 25-21 victory at Michigan.

“Most growth is through adversity,” Tressel said. “You’ve got to fight a little bit to grow. That, in my mind, may be one of the reasons why Troy’s had the extensive growth that he’s had.”

Smith, 12-2 as a starter, needs 60 yards passing against the Irish to become the first Ohio State player to throw for 2,000 yards and run for 500 in a season.

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“It might seem cliche, but we’re in the now. We worry about the now,” he said. “The things that happened last year are the things that happened last year. We can do nothing about that. We can only perfect and do the things to be positive now, so playing in this bowl game this year means a lot to me.”