Wayback Wednesday: Maryland Finds Out That “Schmitt Happens”

The date is September 17, 2005. The location is Byrd Stadium, located in the heart of College Park, MD and the home of the University of Maryland Terrapins. The visiting West Virginia Mountaineers enter with a record of 2-0 but still have more questions than answers. Gone from an 8-4 2004 squad are quarterback Rasheed Marshall, wide receiver Chris Henry, and cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones. However, there are several promising players getting their first shot at playing time.

Under center is a physically gifted dual-threat quarterback getting his first chance to see the field. His name is Adam Bednarik. In the backfield is an elite athlete with the seemingly in-explainable ability for a true freshman in Jason Gwaltney. Bednarik does, however, have some competition at quarterback from an inexperienced freshman who was lightly recruited as a quarterback and expected to move to another position if he had not landed in Morgantown. This young native of Daphne, AL is named Patrick White.

The Terps have stumbled out to a 1-1 record but still provide a terrifying threat in the form of tight end Vernon Davis, an elite power-size-speed combination with school strength records including a 460 lbs bench press and 685 lbs squat, along with a 4.38 40-yard dash time, all in a 6’3″, 248 lbs body. The Mountaineers and Terrapins have been bitter rivals for decades and on this day, it will be no different.

In such a rivalry game as this, it may be expected. that both offenses will attempt to. come screaming out of the gate and score early to set the tone. Neither team would do this successfully this day.

Following the opening kick, the two teams proceeded to trade five straight punts to start the game and headed into the second quarter with a scoreless tie. Eventually, WVU took over on its own two yard-line. From there, a pair of short runs led to a third and nine situation, while backed up against his own end zone, Bednarik found wide receiver Brandon Myles for a 48-yard pick up that finally got the offense moving.

After a couple touches for tailback Pernell Williams, Bednarik turned and handed the ball to his sophomore fullback, a walk-on transfer named Owen Schmitt. The beefy ball carrier had only been at WVU since the spring after transferring from tiny Division III Wisconsin-River Falls where he broke 1,000 yards as a true freshman in 2004. The big man had received just three touches all season, each one coming in the previous week’s game against Wofford. On the day, however, he would make his presence felt for the first time. On this key third and one, Schmitt broke through for a thirteen yard gain to put WVU in business on the Maryland 27. From there, three straight Bednarik runs to put the Mountaineers inside the ten and three plays later, Gwaltney punched it in from a yard out, making the score 7-0.

Maryland’s Jo Jo Walker returned the ensuing kickoff back 58 yards into WVU territory but the offense stalled out and the Terps turned the ball over on downs. Three more punts gave Maryland the ball back on the WVU 47 where quarterback Sam Hollenbach completed a 27-yard pass on the first play of the drive. The Mountaineer defense bent but did not break, forcing the Terps to resort to a 33-yard field goal by Jeris Smith that was good. After getting the ball back, WVU was only able to run three plays before the half ran out, taking this defensive struggle into the break with the visitors leading, 7-3.

West Virginia took the ball to start the second half and proceeded to punt the ball away after just five plays. The two teams then traded three and outs before Maryland took another short drive starting around midfield. A long pass from Hollenbach to Davis set up the Terrapins deep in WVU territory and a ten-yard completion to Walker on fourth and six gave Daniel Ennis the opportunity to kick from 34 yards and make the score 7-6. The Mountaineers took the ball back on the twenty and, after White came in at QB, drove eighty yards down the field. A run-heavy attack spearheaded by White and Williams, the Mountaineers drove deep inside the Maryland ten. On first and goal from the three yard-line, who else would the ball go to but Owen Schmitt and the sophomore powered through the Maryland line to score the first touchdown of his career.

A three and out gave the visitors the ball back and this drive was all Owen Schmitt. Two of the first three plays went to the fullback and he did not disappoint, rumbling for nineteen yards on the first play of the possession and then thirty-five yards to the Maryland one on the third. Williams took it in on the very next play and the Mountaineers led 21-6. However, Maryland came right back and on the second play of the drive. Hollenbach found Davis on a deep route and the big tight end went 73 yards for the score to cut the lead down to just eight.

WVU gave the ball back almost immediately and Hollenbach drove his troops down the field once again allowing a Gwaltney fumble. Three plays later, Hollenbach hit Walker again in the end zone and the difference was at just two points, but the Terps went for two and Hollenbach’s pass fell incomplete so the score remained 21-19. Getting the ball back, WVU never once put the ball in the air and a combination of White, Schmitt, Gwaltney, and wide receiver Darius Reynaud led a quick seven-play drive into the end zone as the freshman Gawaltney capped it off with a 15-yard scamper.

A few plays later, the Mountaineers took over again, this time at the Maryland 28 after a Hollenbach fumble. The offense stalled and true freshman Pat McAfee was called on to attempt a 40-yard kick to extend the WVU lead. The newcomer did just that and the Mountaineers led 31-19 with just two minutes two play. Maryland was unable to muster a scoring drive and after a turnover on downs, WVU had nothing left to do but take a knee and claim their third win of the season.

This game was a microcosm of the transition period that was the 2005 football season. Adam Bednarik was the starting quarterback and the top two running backs were Jason Gwaltney and Pernell Williams. However, the first of the massive contributors over the next few years emerged as Owen Schmitt led the team in rushing with eighty yards and a touchdown on just six carries.

Spending the previous season in a Division III program, no one expected Schmitt to see the field, let alone be a major contributor to the team. As the season progressed, Pat White would come on to relieve an injured Bednarik and Steve Slaton would emerge from the shadows to claim the running back position. This would set up the most recent golden era in WVU football history and pave the way for the nucleus that won two BCS bowls in three years.

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