I am, by no means, a Justin Zwick apologist. That being said, the move by Ohio State fans Saturday to boo him was pretty classless.

I could see booing Zwick if he had gone out there and thrown three interceptions, but the guy completed two of the five passes he threw in his brief first-half stint. He finished 4-of-9, and although that certainly isn’t Smith’s 17-20, is it enough for 105,000 fans to rain down on him with boos.

Obviously Zwick has been a huge disappointment on the field. He was the No. 3 quarterback in the Rivals.com class of 2002 after setting the Ohio high school record for career passing yards. That was the year of Tressel’s infamous recruiting class that also included Maurice Clarett, A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, Troy Smith and Santonio Holmes. With all the talent from that class, two of its most touted players – Zwick and Mike D’Andrea – have turned out to be major busts.

It is frustrating to watch the Buckeyes high-powered offense screech to little more than a crawl when Zwick replaces Smith under center, but it is not as if Zwick has never done anything for this team. On Sept. 11, 2004, Zwick completed 18 of 30 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns in a 24-21 win over Marshall.

But his biggest contribution came in the Alamo Bowl that season. Zwick sufferedthrough a pulled hamstring and led the Buckeyes to a relatively easy 33-7 win over Oklahoma State. Zwick threw for 189 yards and touchdown, and although Ginn also saw time as quarterback that game, it was Zwick going back out there despite his injury that allowed the staff not to burn Todd Boeckman’s redshirt.

I’ve never understood the phenomenon of fans booing their own team unless they have good reason to believe the team isn’t trying.

Do Yankee fans really think booing A-Rod is going to have a positive effect on him? Do they think if they boo him after a strikeout, maybe he’ll try harder next at bat? Or maybe they’re actually angry enough at his inept performances in the clutch this season that they want to see their own superstar fail.

What about Alex Rodriguez is so hateable? Are people really just jealous of him or does the disdain go deeper?

He has stayed out of trouble off the field. He has always appeared to be a good husband and father, even when the New York media blasts him for having his shirt off in Central Park with his family.

And despite his gaudy numbers, his name has never come up in steroid talks. And his numbers are quite gaudy. A-Rod hit 35 homers and drove in 121 runs this year and was considered to have a down year. That’s what happens when you’re the fastest player in MLB history to 200, 300 and 400 home runs and are just 36 home runs shy of 500. What doesn’t usually happen, is getting booed by your own fans.

Like A-Rod, there seems to be little to hate about Zwick. Although he certainly does not have the on-field résumé Alex does, off the field he has handled the situation like a consummate pro, at least publicly. He chose not to transfer somewhere else to play and has not complained about his role as Smith’s backup.

For Buckeye fans it’s no big deal. If their boos have a negative effect on Zwick, what difference does it make, because Troy Smith is their quarterback – unless he were to get injured, much like what happened at the end of the first half Saturday when Smith gave way to Zwick for a series because of an ankle injury. In that case, it might be nice to have a quarterback who can step in with a little confidence.

Brandon Castel is The Lantern sports editor. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].

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