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The Daily OrangeFB | Paving the way
West Virginia's Owen Schmitt does the dirty work for Pat White and Steve Slaton
By Brian Tahmosh
Posted: 10/4/07, 12:10 AM EST Section: Sports
Owen Schmitt has heard all the talk that his position is dying. He's heard that he is a glorified blocker - nothing more than a lineman with a crooked number. He doesn't care. In fact, he loves it.
See, Schmitt doesn't worry about carrying the ball or catching a pass. What he really wants to do is knock defenders on their backsides.
"Yeah, it's always nice to score a touchdown," Schmitt said. "But it's even nicer to make a killer block for a touchdown."
If that's all it takes to make the 6-foot-3, 255-pound senior who bench presses 365 pounds and squats 640 pounds happy, he must be having a whole lot of fun blocking for the West Virginia rushing attack. Just five games into the season, the Mountaineers have 20 rushing touchdowns and average 323.2 yards per game on the ground.
Schmitt has been an integral part of that dominance on the ground, paving the holes for All-American stars Steve Slaton and Pat White to tear up opposing defenses and etch their names into West Virginia football history.
"They're dynamic players, very explosive," Schmitt said of Slaton and White. "They make your job a lot easier because they're so good you don't have to hold your blocks as long. That makes you look a lot better."
But it is Schmitt who helps make Slaton and White better by sacrificing his body - and sometimes his equipment - to keep defenders away from the star players.
His aggressive style has put a strain on the equipment managers: Schmitt has broken nine facemasks in his career. Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez was so impressed by his fullback's toughness that he kept the first broken facemask and put it in his office.
"He leads the right way," Rodriguez said. "He blocks with his face up, and when you get a 255-pound guy coming full speed, sometimes the equipment won't stand up."
That toughness is nothing new for the former walk-on from Fairfax, Va. At just 8 years old, Schmitt was feeding his dog when it bit a hole in his hand. Schmitt started crying, and his grandfather told him to "suck it up." He poured alcohol on his grandson's hand, bandaged him up and sent him to school.
See, Schmitt doesn't worry about carrying the ball or catching a pass. What he really wants to do is knock defenders on their backsides.
"Yeah, it's always nice to score a touchdown," Schmitt said. "But it's even nicer to make a killer block for a touchdown."
If that's all it takes to make the 6-foot-3, 255-pound senior who bench presses 365 pounds and squats 640 pounds happy, he must be having a whole lot of fun blocking for the West Virginia rushing attack. Just five games into the season, the Mountaineers have 20 rushing touchdowns and average 323.2 yards per game on the ground.
Schmitt has been an integral part of that dominance on the ground, paving the holes for All-American stars Steve Slaton and Pat White to tear up opposing defenses and etch their names into West Virginia football history.
"They're dynamic players, very explosive," Schmitt said of Slaton and White. "They make your job a lot easier because they're so good you don't have to hold your blocks as long. That makes you look a lot better."
But it is Schmitt who helps make Slaton and White better by sacrificing his body - and sometimes his equipment - to keep defenders away from the star players.
His aggressive style has put a strain on the equipment managers: Schmitt has broken nine facemasks in his career. Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez was so impressed by his fullback's toughness that he kept the first broken facemask and put it in his office.
"He leads the right way," Rodriguez said. "He blocks with his face up, and when you get a 255-pound guy coming full speed, sometimes the equipment won't stand up."
That toughness is nothing new for the former walk-on from Fairfax, Va. At just 8 years old, Schmitt was feeding his dog when it bit a hole in his hand. Schmitt started crying, and his grandfather told him to "suck it up." He poured alcohol on his grandson's hand, bandaged him up and sent him to school.
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