EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Jeff Smoker doesn't mind all the attention for leading Michigan State's turnaround this season. Just don't call him college football's comeback player of the year.

The quarterback prefers to think his sophomore year blended right into his senior year. He wants to forget 2002, when he was suspended for a substance-abuse problem and missed the final five games as he completed a treatment program.

"It's weird because to come back, you had to be down and I don't like remembering how that was," Smoker said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"You have to be able to forget your last game, or your last year, whether you're talking about a bad game or substance abuse. It's working its way out of my mind.

"I need to move on and let my past be my past."

But that's difficult because Smoker's past is very public.

Each year, some college athletes have issues with alcohol and drugs. Some are arrested and some are kicked off teams.

But it's rare when an college athlete holds a news conference, as Smoker did 11 months ago, to tell the public about a substance-abuse problem.

"It was an awful and horrible feeling to be embarrassed like that in front of a whole nation," he said.

Now, when Smoker throws a touchdown pass, his past is dragged into the present.

"People can write and say what they want, but it's over and it's in my past," he said. "If other people can't forget about it, fine. But I can."

The 11th-ranked Spartans (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten) have reached their highest ranking since finishing seventh in 1999 -- thanks to Smoker's right arm, an aggressive defense and new coach John L. Smith's leadership. After a bye, Michigan State plays No. 13 Michigan at home Nov. 1.

Michigan State's football program was in shambles last year. On the field, the Spartans were 4-8, and off it, Smoker was not the only player having problems. Coach Bobby Williams was fired before the end of the season.

Even though Smoker and Smith downplay it, the quarterback has led the way in 2003.

Smoker has connected on a Big Ten-best 65.9 percent of his passes for a conference-high 258.8 yards a game with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. In his sophomore season, he threw 21 touchdown passes.

Michigan State's all-time leading passer has thrown 169 straight passes, spanning 18 quarters, without an interception.

"Smoker's as good a quarterback as there is in this league and maybe the country and I won't change that opinion," Illinois coach Ron Turner said.

Michigan State guard Paul Harker said Smoker is taunted with substance-abuse related insults when the Spartans are on the road.

"I can't imagine having to go through what he does," Harker said. "A lot of guys have problems, but his were so public."

The 22-year-old quarterback declined to give details about his problems.

"I know people want to know how I'm doing and what I am or am not doing," he said. "But what I do with my personal time and how I handle it is up to me. I'm not going to tell people, 'I'm not doing this,' or 'I'm not doing that.' I know the answer to that, and it's important to me, but it's not something I need to share with everyone. I didn't have to tell them before, why would I have to tell them now?

"I think what I'm doing on the field shows how I'm doing."

Smith said he is sure Smoker is clean because he has undergone drug testing.

"I am as confident as technology can make me confident," Smith said. "He's got us fooled if he still is using anything."

Smoker has never revealed what substance, or substances, he sought treatment for. He understands the fascination some have with trying to figure out if he was abusing alcohol or other drugs.

"That's just the way people are and I accept that," Smoker said. "People love controversy with athletes, and stars, and they love to know every little detail about their lives.

"But people don't have to know, and they don't have a right to know, what I'm doing with my life."

Smoker said one of the worst things about his off-the-field issues has been the shame it has brought on his family.

Jay and Sue Smoker fielded yet another call from a reporter Wednesday night, but politely postponed making comments about their son.

"It's a team sport and we just want the emphasis to be on the team because it's through everyone's efforts that Michigan State is 7-1," Sue Smoker said from their home in Manheim, Pa. "At the end of the season, we'll be happy to talk about Jeff's college experience."

Lions president and general manager Matt Millen said the 6-foot-3, 224-pound quarterback clearly has a future in the NFL.

"He's gotten better with each game that I've watched," Millen said. "What he does best is see the field. And how he's faced his deal off the field tells me the kid has a strong backbone."

Smoker knows the NFL will scrutinize his life as much as his game.

"They have that right," he said. "When they invest the amount of money they do in people, they should know everything."

Originally published Saturday, October 25, 2003