2006 Sugar Bowl: Steve Slaton
June 05, 2015 11:29 AM | General
 |
|
| Steve Slaton talks to reporters following his 204-yard, three-touchdown performance against Georgia in the 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl. | |
| Brent Kepner photo |
There were other great moments, such as his career-high 215 yards rushing at Pitt in 2006, or the entire 2006 campaign when he ran for a school-best 1,744 yards to become only the 11th consensus All-American football player in school.
All of those Slaton performances will be forever etched into our memories, but for the Levittown, Pennsylvania, native, he believes a non-descript loss to Virginia Tech in 2005 may have been the most important game of his collegiate career.
If you recall, at the beginning of the season Slaton was No. 4 on the depth chart behind Pernell Williams, Jason Colson and fellow freshman Jason Gwaltney, pegged by many West Virginia’s star running back of the future.
But Gwaltney’s college career fizzled after a couple of games and the two veteran guys ahead of Slaton were not performing up to par in Coach Rich Rodriguez’s eyes, so that gave Super Steve the opportunity he needed against the Hokies.
“That game gave me the confidence to perform,” Slaton recalled recently from his home in Houston. “I think Jason was hurt or missed a practice or something and my opportunity came. Some of the other guys had trouble holding onto the football and Coach Rod was upset and he gave me a chance.”
Slaton actually dropped the first handoff he took during that game in the end zone, but he picked it up and eluded several tacklers for one of the prettiest five-yard runs you will ever see.
After that the rest is history.
“I got some of the nervousness out of me and then the little things that happened, getting first downs, that helped me build my confidence to where coach just went with me all the way,” Slaton said.
Slaton didn’t arrive on campus with a lot of fanfare and he didn’t draw a lot of attention to himself when he first got here, but his teammates could tell right away that he was a special talent.
Offensive tackle Garin Justice, now the head football coach at Division II Concord, said it was Slaton’s work ethic that separated him from the rest of the pack.
“(The freshmen) came in early and I remember watching this guy and he finished every single drill – even the player-run drills when the coaches weren’t around,” Justice said. “I remember thinking, ‘This guy is going to be alright.’ Well, it turns out he was alright.”
“When Steve’s class came in we knew that he could run and it was just a matter of him getting his opportunity,” added wide receiver Brandon Myles, now an assistant strength coach on Butch Jones’ Tennessee football staff. “Then when he got his opportunity he just took it from there.”
Slaton rushed for more than 1,000 yards all three years he played at WVU, finishing his career with 3,923 yards – still good for fifth all-time. His 50 rushing touchdowns are the most by any player in school history.
And it was those three TDs Slaton scored against Georgia in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta that represent three of the most important touchdowns any Mountaineer has ever scored.
West Virginia was a heavy underdog in that game and was representing a conference (the Big East) that many believed shouldn’t even be a part of the now-defunct Bowl Championship Series (BCS).
#10 | Steve Slaton | RB
Height: 5-10
Weight: 190
Home: Levittown, Pa.
Seasons: 2005-07
CAR
664
YDS
3,923
AVG
5.9
TDS
50
Louisville, USF and Cincinnati replaced departed schools Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College, leaving many to wonder about the viability and overall competitiveness of the league on a national level.
But Slaton went a long way in erasing many of those doubts with his breathtaking performance against SEC champion Georgia that included a pair of 52-yard touchdown runs.
Twice, Slaton was able to out run All-SEC defensive back Greg Blue to get into the end zone. It was Blue who bragged all week about how Georgia was going to introduce West Virginia to “SEC speed.” In reality, it was the other way around.
“Steve just flew past that Blue character,” recalled center Dan Mozes. “It’s funny because Blue had the angle on him both times, too.”
Slaton understood even then that the Sugar Bowl provided a platform for him to showcase his immense talents in front of a captive, national audience.
“(Senior defensive back) Jahmile Addae, I remember him talking to me before the Sugar Bowl telling me before we went out onto the field, ‘You know this is a big stage and this is your opportunity to let the world know who you are,’” Slaton recalled. “His speech was big to me.”
And Slaton’s performance was big for West Virginia University and even Eastern football, for that matter.
Following his junior season, in 2007, Slaton opted to forgo his senior campaign and enter his name into the NFL draft. Taken in the third round (89th overall pick) by the Houston Texas, it looked like he was headed for a long and successful professional career.
He rushed for a team-best 1,282 yards and scored nine touchdowns during his rookie season in 2008, but debilitating injuries and an inability to hang onto the football limited his production over the next three seasons.
Slaton appeared in three games for the Texans and then three more with the Miami Dolphins during the 2011 season before being released.
Last year, Slaton revived his pro career in Canada with the Toronto Argonauts, running for 510 yards and one touchdown and catching 46 passes for 388 yards and four touchdowns, but an opportunity to attend culinary school in Houston this spring was too tempting for him to pass up.
“I’ve been here since I got drafted and I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon,” he said.
Slaton admitted some of the injuries that he’s sustained through the years were becoming too burdensome to overcome.
“Football isn’t the same,” he said.
Slaton and his high school sweetheart Kimberly Sierra have two children, Julian (8) and Brennan (6).
Wren Baker | May 19
Tuesday, May 19
NCAA Selection Show
Wednesday, May 13
WVU Baseball Defensive Highlights
Tuesday, May 12
Kansas Recap
Tuesday, May 12
