Post by mountaineer501 on Jan 5, 2008 8:40:25 GMT -5
Schmitt was heart and soul of WVU football team
By Dave Morrison
Sports Editor
GLENDALE, Ariz. — West Virginia quarterback Patrick White didn’t have to look far for the key moment in West Virginia’s 48-28 win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl Wednesday night.
It wasn’t his 46-yard run.
It wasn’t the three sacks the defense registered on Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford ... in the first half.
It wasn’t even his school bowl-record 79-yard touchdown toss to Tito Gonzales that answered an Oklahoma score late in the game.
Nope, it was the big guy, senior fullback Owen Schmitt, who showed his sprinter’s speed on a career-long 57-yard touchdown run in the first half that gave WVU a 13-3 lead.
“I think Owen got everybody started with his run,” White said. “That was the longest run of his career, right? Fifty-seven yards? That got everybody excited. Your fullback outruns a team, hey, anything can happen.”
Not only anything, but everything, as WVU dissected and road-graded what had been a pretty stout OU defense during the regular season.
“I was thinking, ‘I usually get caught from behind,’” Schmitt said of his long-distance gallop. “”Not tonight, though.”
Schmitt not only added to the scoring, but he provided key blocks on several runs, including a pair of Noel Devine TD runs.
Don’t think the freshman phenom didn’t notice.
“Owen Schmitt,” he said of the key. “I have to thank the offensive line and Owen Schmitt. He had some big blocks that really opened things up.”
“That’s West Virginia football,” Schmitt said. “That’s what West Virginia is. That’s how we’re supposed to play. Against Pitt, that wasn’t us.”
All in a day’s work for the 6-foot-3, 260-pound wrecking ball, who will do his next blocking in the National Football League. New WVU coach Billy Stewart, who had high praise for the man who has famously busted 10 face masks and banged himself in his mohawked head with his helmet after he shanked a punt (yeah, he had three punts during the regular season) in the Louisville game.
“Owen Schmitt is the heart and soul of our football team and a tremendous young man and a hard worker,” Stewart said. “You put that guy in a pro lockerroom. Somewhere they’ve got to find a place for that guy... fullback, tight end.
“He is tough. Rock ’em, sock ’em. I’ve never seen him run below a 4.59 (40-yard dash) and I’ve seen him run faster than 4.52, so he is somewhere between 4.53 and 4.58. In the fourth quarter, that’s when he is at his fastest.”
The transfer from Wisconsin-River Falls finished with three carries for 64 yards and finished his career with 1,003 yards.
“I’ll tell you what, the story could not be written any better,” he said, making his way to the WVU lockerroom late Wednesday night. “I’m just glad I got to be a part of these guys, this family.”
He’s even sure that somewhere, Rich Rodriguez, the man he said gave him a chance to play at WVU, was watching.
“I’m sure he was proud,” Schmitt said. “There were a lot of things that happened behind the scenes that nobody really knows. We’ll figure it out whenever. It is what it is.”
As he leaves WVU, he said he takes one thing.
“Memories,” he said, before disappearing into the loud, celebratory lockerroom.
By Dave Morrison
Sports Editor
GLENDALE, Ariz. — West Virginia quarterback Patrick White didn’t have to look far for the key moment in West Virginia’s 48-28 win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl Wednesday night.
It wasn’t his 46-yard run.
It wasn’t the three sacks the defense registered on Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford ... in the first half.
It wasn’t even his school bowl-record 79-yard touchdown toss to Tito Gonzales that answered an Oklahoma score late in the game.
Nope, it was the big guy, senior fullback Owen Schmitt, who showed his sprinter’s speed on a career-long 57-yard touchdown run in the first half that gave WVU a 13-3 lead.
“I think Owen got everybody started with his run,” White said. “That was the longest run of his career, right? Fifty-seven yards? That got everybody excited. Your fullback outruns a team, hey, anything can happen.”
Not only anything, but everything, as WVU dissected and road-graded what had been a pretty stout OU defense during the regular season.
“I was thinking, ‘I usually get caught from behind,’” Schmitt said of his long-distance gallop. “”Not tonight, though.”
Schmitt not only added to the scoring, but he provided key blocks on several runs, including a pair of Noel Devine TD runs.
Don’t think the freshman phenom didn’t notice.
“Owen Schmitt,” he said of the key. “I have to thank the offensive line and Owen Schmitt. He had some big blocks that really opened things up.”
“That’s West Virginia football,” Schmitt said. “That’s what West Virginia is. That’s how we’re supposed to play. Against Pitt, that wasn’t us.”
All in a day’s work for the 6-foot-3, 260-pound wrecking ball, who will do his next blocking in the National Football League. New WVU coach Billy Stewart, who had high praise for the man who has famously busted 10 face masks and banged himself in his mohawked head with his helmet after he shanked a punt (yeah, he had three punts during the regular season) in the Louisville game.
“Owen Schmitt is the heart and soul of our football team and a tremendous young man and a hard worker,” Stewart said. “You put that guy in a pro lockerroom. Somewhere they’ve got to find a place for that guy... fullback, tight end.
“He is tough. Rock ’em, sock ’em. I’ve never seen him run below a 4.59 (40-yard dash) and I’ve seen him run faster than 4.52, so he is somewhere between 4.53 and 4.58. In the fourth quarter, that’s when he is at his fastest.”
The transfer from Wisconsin-River Falls finished with three carries for 64 yards and finished his career with 1,003 yards.
“I’ll tell you what, the story could not be written any better,” he said, making his way to the WVU lockerroom late Wednesday night. “I’m just glad I got to be a part of these guys, this family.”
He’s even sure that somewhere, Rich Rodriguez, the man he said gave him a chance to play at WVU, was watching.
“I’m sure he was proud,” Schmitt said. “There were a lot of things that happened behind the scenes that nobody really knows. We’ll figure it out whenever. It is what it is.”
As he leaves WVU, he said he takes one thing.
“Memories,” he said, before disappearing into the loud, celebratory lockerroom.
