updated 10:14 p.m. ET Nov. 18, 2006

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Troy Smith took care of Michigan one more time and tightened his grip on the Heisman Trophy.

Ohio State’s sensational quarterback passed for four touchdowns and, as usual, made several big plays in the final minutes against the Wolverines to lead the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes to a 42-39 victory on Saturday.

“Yes and yes — he’s the best player in the country and he certainly locked up the Heisman,” said wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez, who caught one of Smith’s TD passes.

Once again, the strong-armed Smith came up with a brilliant effort against the Buckeyes’ biggest rival.

The clincher was his 13-yard pass to Brian Robiskie on a quick-stop reception at the left goal-line marker with 5:38 left that pushed the lead to 42-31. That helped the Buckeyes beat the second-ranked Wolverines for the third time in a row with Smith behind center.

“Words can’t express how I feel right now,” Smith said. “I’ll probably be wearing this smile the rest of the week.”

In a series famed for “three yards and a cloud of dust,” Smith set career-highs for completions (29) and attempts (41) while passing for 316 yards. He threw an interception and was sacked once, but added 12 yards rushing on four carries.

“I would think he clinched the Heisman Trophy,” said his coach, Jim Tressel. “I don’t think there’s any question about that.”

Ohio State already has a glorious Heisman history. Archie Griffin is the only two-time winner and four other Buckeyes have captured the award, most recently Eddie George in 1995.

Midway through his sophomore season Smith was little more than a clipboard-carrier to starter Justin Zwick, a bigger-name recruit who had been declared the next great Ohio State quarterback. But then the Buckeyes went into a three-game swoon and Smith, who never left the sidelines in the first two losses, led the way to Ohio State’s only touchdown late in the defeat at Iowa.

He got the start against Indiana the next week and has never given the job back. Along the way, he has put on a show in his team’s biggest games — three showdowns with Michigan and a 342-yard passing day in a victory over Notre Dame in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.

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A year ago, in a 25-21 Ohio State victory in Ann Arbor, Smith engineered two scoring drives in the final eight minutes and finished with 300 yards passing and 37 more running.

As a sophomore, Smith passed for 241 yards and ran for 145 more as the Buckeyes upset the No. 5 Wolverines 35-21.

“I’ve said it time and time again — it’s not me beating Michigan,” said Smith, who goes to great pains to deflect any praise sent his way. “It’s the team that is lined up and took the field every year.”

A 6-foot-1, 215-pound senior working on a second degree, Smith is considered the front-runner among Heisman favorites because he leads the nation’s top team and has had a sterling season so far. For the season he’s passed for 30 touchdowns with just five interceptions.

“Troy Smith is a great quarterback and he proved that today,” said his Michigan counterpart, Chad Henne.

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When Ohio State players beat Michigan, they are given a small, inexpensive charm — a gold pair of pants with the year etched on it. The tradition stems from coach Francis Schmidt’s vow before the 1934 game that Michigan’s players “put their pants on one leg at a time just like everybody else.”

Schmidt’s quarterback was William Henry Harrison “Tippy” Dye, who beat Michigan three years in a row from 1934-36. No other Ohio State starting quarterback had equaled that feat — until Smith.

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“That means the world,” Smith said of his collection of jewelry. “You have to go through situations and games like today to earn those golden pants.”

The 91-year-old Dye was at Saturday’s game and said, “The Ohio State quarterback is outstanding. I met him yesterday and he seemed like a nice young man.”

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Smith is now 25-2 as a starter and is behind the wheel of the nation’s best team. The way he’s played in three games in particular in his career has marked him as something special in the Buckeyes’ glittering history.

“There’s no one in the country who has affected their team more positively than Troy Smith,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve said it since the beginning of the season and I’ll say it again now, he’s the greatest quarterback in history of Ohio State.”

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