Antonio Smith Took His Chance 55 Yards to the House

Antonio Smith came to Ohio State because that was where he wanted to be. It was a simple decision.

He had scholarship opportunities elsewhere, but he grew up in Columbus and wanted to be a Buckeye.

So he walked on with no guarantees, no football scholarship, and no promise he would ever play. He was given nothing but a chance.

By Sept. 23, 2006, that chance turned into something much bigger.

Ohio State was ranked No. 1 in the country and hosting No. 24 Penn State in the Big Ten opener.

The Buckeyes won by three touchdowns, which makes things sound a lot easier than they were.

Penn State actually led 3-0 at halftime. Ohio State finally took the lead in the third quarter when Antonio Pittman scored on a 12-yard run.

Troy Smith later found Brian Robiskie for a touchdown, giving the Buckeyes a 14-3 lead.

Penn State added another field goal and with less than three minutes remaining, Ohio State led just 14-6.

Then the defense slammed the door. Malcolm Jenkins intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown.

Ohio State 21, Penn State 6.

Five plays later, Antonio Smith did the same thing, pushing the lead to the final score, 28-6.

For Smith, though, it was more than another touchdown in a big Ohio State win. It was the first interception of his college career. And his first touchdown.

Not bad for a walk-on who many doubted would ever see the field.

Smith arrived at Ohio State in 2002 as a preferred walk-on, which means Jim Tressel acknowledged he had talent, but he would have to prove his value. He redshirted during the national championship season and worked on the practice squad.

Then he slowly started working his way up, from special teams to nickel back and eventually to more playing time. And then to starter.

After the 2005 season, Ohio State put him on football scholarship and by the next season, the former walk-on was starting in the secondary for the No. 1 team in the country.

After the Penn State game, Jim Tressel talked about Smith as an example of what can happen when somebody keeps working even when there are no guarantees.

Tressel pointed out that Smith was smart, passionate, and tough. He never gave up, believed in his abilities, and kept earning the next opportunity.

Smith didn't arrive in Columbus as one of the Buckeyes everyone was waiting to see. There wasn't a recruiting circus and there was no guaranteed place waiting for him.

He simply wanted to play for Ohio State badly enough to take the hard road.

Four years later, 100,000+ people were watching him run 55 yards into the end zone.

The reward for persistence isn't immediate. Few people notice the early work or feel the doubt that inevitably tries to creep in. Nobody cheers when you're on the practice squad or writes stories about the guy who is buried on the depth chart.

Antonio Smith didn't know whether all that work would ever pay off. Most of the time, we don’t know either. But he wasn't going to let uncertainty stop him. And here’s why we shouldn’t……

On Sept. 23, 2006, the walk-on finally got his moment.

And he took it 55 yards to the house.

Walk-On Lesson: The former walk-on who arrived at Ohio State without a football scholarship finished his senior season as a first-team All-Big Ten selection and was voted the team's most inspirational player, winning the Bo Rein Award.

His story didn't end there. Smith helped establish the DRIVEN Foundation with former Buckeye Roy Hall and authored the 2012 book Waiting to Fail, encouraging others to pursue their dreams without allowing the fear of failure to stop them.