Surprise, Surprise
September 19, 2005 10:50 AM | General
September 19, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Surprise, surprise, West Virginia gave the football to its fullback Owen Schmitt during last Saturday’s 31-19 victory at Maryland. And the result was a stunning 80-yard performance on just six carries that left more than a few mouths open.
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| Fullback Owen Schmitt became the third different WVU ball carrier to lead the team in rushing this season when he gained 80 yards last Saturday at Maryland.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
One of them just happened to be teammate Pernell Williams. “He was playing like Mike Alstott, Jr.,” Williams said.
“Maryland didn’t even know that I would ever get the ball,” giggled Schmitt after the game.
Schmitt probably didn’t either.
A Washington Post columnist on Sunday cleverly referred to Schmitt’s running style as being similar to a “runaway beer truck with no parking brake.”
During MSN’s post-game show WVU play-by-play man Tony Caridi said West Virginia last gave the football to the fullback during the (Richard) Nixon administration.
Well, almost. The last fullback to really play a prominent role in West Virginia’s offense was 21 years ago in 1984 when Ron Wolfley led the Mountaineers in rushing with 475 yards and four touchdowns. Ironically, WVU coach Rich Rodriguez was a member of that ‘84 Mountaineer team Wolfley played on.
There have been other fullbacks to come from out of nowhere and distinguish themselves in big games. Dane Conwell had a big performance against Florida in the 1981 Peach Bowl and Heywood Smith ran for a career-high 146 yards in an important road win against nationally ranked Cal in 1975. Later under Coach Don Nehlen, fullbacks Rico Tyler and Kantroy Barber had their moments carrying the ball, too.
But unlike Smith, Conwell, Wolfley, Tyler and Barber, Schmitt is not a full-time fullback. In reality he’s more of a hybrid tailback, lining up at fullback sometimes in the I, or slipping back to the tailback spot when Rodriguez goes to two tailbacks. The 6-foot-3-inch, 250-pound-plus runner can also work alone in the one-back set.
“Some of the yards Owen was getting were when he was in the tailback spot,” said Rodriguez. “As I said before he’s one of our tailbacks. He’s got great hands, he’s got good vision and he made some really big runs for us.”
And that's why Rodriguez is sticking the football in his belly.
Schmitt’s emergence gives West Virginia yet another power runner to utilize late in games when it needs to milk the clock and hold onto the football. Four of Schmitt’s six carries came in the fourth quarter when the game was on line.
After Schmitt’s three-yard TD plunge gave the Mountaineers a 14-6 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, Rodriguez’ decision to use Schmitt led to another score. On first and 10 at the West Virginia 43, Rodriguez crossed up the Maryland defense with a handoff to Schmitt that netted 19 yards to the Terrapin 38. Two plays later, Schmitt got the ball once again and rumbled 34 yards to the Terp two.
“(Jason) Gwaltney had some awesome blocks on the linebackers and I just read the blocks and he made me look good,” Schmitt said.
Owen had two more key runs during West Virginia’s important seven-play, 73-yard drive that resulted in the Mountaineers’ fourth score to give them a more comfortable 28-19 lead.
“The inside fullback play we haven’t run it at all this year,” Schmitt said. “It caught them off guard and I just kind of shot through the gap there. I was so happy they even called my number. I just did what I did and we got it done.”
West Virginia offensive coordinator and running backs coach Calvin Magee said the objective in the second half was to utilize both Schmitt and freshman Jason Gwaltney, two 245-pound-plus guys.
“We just went more downhill instead of running laterally. It really paid off for us,” he said.
It was a particularly gratifying performance for Schmitt, a resident of nearby Fairfax, Va., who had some interest in returning to Maryland after spending a year at Wisconsin-River Falls.
“The funny thing is I was actually going to transfer to either Maryland or West Virginia, whoever wanted me,” Schmitt said. “I talked to the Maryland coaches and I didn’t think they were really interested. So I called up (administrative assistant) Donnie Young and just walked in one day over Christmas break with my mother and showed them some tape. The coaches sent me an email asking me to send my transcripts and I came to school and now I’m here.”
Yes, here Schmitt is.
“I’m so proud of Owen,” said Magee. “He came here from a little school in Wisconsin and he just wanted a chance. He’s worked his butt off and he’s got an even keel about himself. He doesn’t get too high or too low but after the game all he did was hug all of the coaches saying thanks for the chance. That’s special.”
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