Eight.

 

It's a number that probably tells you all you need to know about how West Virginia University fullback Owen Schmitt plays the game of football.

 

On a recent broadcast of a Mountaineers football game, someone made mention of the fact that Schmitt has apparently broken eight of his facemasks in his collegiate career.  And in this day and age of single-back offenses and five-receiver sets, the very idea of a badass lead-blocking fullback playing with such old school ferocity that he could actually manage to mangle more than one facemask was duly compelling.  That Schmitt had to make his journey to big-time college football from utter obscurity and on his own dime makes his story that much more remarkable.  

 

  

In 2003, Schmitt ran for 1,063 yards at Division III Wisconsin-River Falls.  Although it was a stellar season, it was at a school on the very fringe of college athletics and seemed about as far away from the bright lights of the national college football spotlight as one could get.  So, Schmitt traded in his status as a big fish in a small pond (and, at 6'3", 260 pounds, he was a mighty big fish) for a chance at one of the fastest rising big-time football programs in the country, Rich Rodriguez's West Virginia Mountaineers.

 

The Mountaineers were Big East Co-Champions in 2003, and bigger things were expected in 2004.  So, Schmitt literally walked into a program that was on the cusp of going from good to great.  And the key for Schmitt was that he did, in fact, have to walk onto to the WVU practice field.  He was not offered a scholarship to make the jump from Wisconsin-River Falls to Morgantown.  Instead, he needed to make the team as a walk-on in 2004, pay his own way that year if he did, and then wait for the chance to be taken on as a full-scholarship member of the team.  It was a situation that promised so little and so much all at the same time.

 

Driven by the lure of that scholarship and a chance at big-time college football, Schmitt was a scout-team marvel.  Though he had little to no chance of ever actually seeing the playing the field in a live game that year, the big fullback wowed his coaches all season long with his drive and determination.  He practiced as though his life depended on it.  And, in truth, his football life probably did.

 

In 2005, all of his hard work paid off.  Schmitt got his scholarship and the unexpected nod as starting fullback.  And the West Virginia backfield was the place to be in 2005.  A pair of freshman phenoms, QB Patrick White and RB Steve Slaton, vaulted the Mountaineers all the way up to the #5 ranking in the AP and the #6 ranking in the USA Today national polls en route to an 11-1 season.  The WVU ground game was absolutely devastating.  Slaton ran for 1,128 yards and 17 TD's while White befuddled defenses with 952 rushing yards of his own.  All the while, big Owen Schmitt flattened anything that got in his way to create running room for both.  

 

  

As a reward for all of those bruising lead-blocks, Schmitt wound up with 48 carries of own and made the most of them, gaining 380 yards - an impressive 7.92 per carry average - and two scores.

 

In 2006, the Mountaineers again won 11 games but losses to Lousiville and South Florida knocked them out of National Championship consideration.  However, Slaton and White were even more spectacular as sophomores.  While Slaton tore through defenses for 1,744 yards and 16 TD's, White even outdid that.  The second-year QB not only passed for over 1,600 yards and 13 scores, but he ran for over 1,200 more (at a remarkable 7.39 per carry clip) and found the end zone 18 times.  

 

  

And you-know-who continued his devastating lead-blocking ways.

 

In fact, Schmitt continued to show he was a dangerous runner in his own right.  In 2006, he ran for 351 yards and scored 7 TD's of his own.

 

So, without question, 2007 shaped up to be the pinnacle of not only Owen Schmitt's remarkable journey through college football but also for his WVU teammates.  They were national championship contenders and had one of the most dangerous offenses in the country thundering on all cylinders.

 

Slaton and White were still lethal.  In fact, White's ever-improving passing game made him even more dangerous.  In leading the Mountaineers to a 4-0 start, he had completed better than 70% of his passes with 6 TD's and no interceptions.  WVU had even added another spectacular RB to their already embarrassingly rich rushing attack.  Freshman Noel Devine was quickly proving to be as much of a home run threat as either Slaton or White, with over 260 yards and a pair of scores on just 24 carries.  And Owen Schmitt had done as he has always done - provided bruising blocks, tough inside running, and an unstoppable will to fight.  

 

  

Two weeks ago, though, there was a hiccup against a tough South Florida team, and WVU's undefeated season was gone, 21-13.

 

However, another 11-win season remains a possibility for Rich Rodriguez's team, and the Mountaineers need only to look toward their senior fullback for reassurance that the fight is still on.  Owen Schmitt, the Division III expatriate and former walk-on, has six regular season games left in his collegiate career, and he doesn't look like he's about to let-up on that throttle any time soon.

 

After all, eight broken facemasks are all you need as proof of that.  

 

  

Stats:

http://www.uwrf.edu/sportsrecords/fb.yby.stats.leader.php

http://www.cfbstats.com/2005/team/768/rushing/index.html

http://www.cfbstats.com/2006/team/768/rushing/index.html

http://www.cfbstats.com/2006/team/768/passing/index.html

http://www.cfbstats.com/2007/team/768/rushing/index.html

http://www.cfbstats.com/2007/team/768/passing/index.html

http://www.cfbstats.com/2007/player/768/84069/passing/gamelog.html

http://www.cfbstats.com/2007/player/768/1012044/rushing/gamelog.html

 

Other:

http://westvirginia.scout.com/a.z?s=159&p=8&c=1&nid=3026176

http://www.msnsportsnet.com/page.cfm?story=8057

http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigeast/west_virginia/yearly_results.php?year=2000

http://www.cfbstats.com/2005/team/768/index.html

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindex?seasonYear=2005

http://www.cfbstats.com/2006/team/768/index.html

http://www.cfbstats.com/2007/team/768/index.html

http://www.msnsportsnet.com/page.cfm?story=11233