Mountaineer Rewind: No Doubt Left As Mountaineers Crush Sooners in 2008 Fiesta Bowl

Pat White and the Mountaineers Trounce Sooners in Historic Fashion in 2008 Fiesta Bowl

Over the course of Mountaineer football's 129-year history, certain games demand a higher degree of reverence- the 1993 upset over Miami, the 2006 Sugar Bowl thriller against Georgia and the thrashing of Clemson in the 2012 Orange Bowl- just to name a few. Even in that pantheon, though, West Virginia's showing in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl stands tall. 

It wasn't just the job West Virginia did on the field that night in Glendale, AZ- and what a job it was, posting 525 yards and 48 points on the No. 3 ranked Sooners- on a larger scale, it was a prime example of the steely reserve underlying the very foundation of the Mountaineer spirit. Make no mistake - beating that Sam Bradford-led team, even in the best of circumstances, would have been a mighty undertaking. Those weeks leading up to the Fiesta Bowl, however, weren't at all good. They were downright calamitous.

It all started with 13-9. Nothing beyond that bears repeating. As deep as that wound was (and in some cases still is), it was the proverbial salt of Rich Rodriguez making a very sudden, very surreal move to Michigan that amplified the pain of that aforementioned loss tenfold. 

Losing out on a likely national championship date is one thing, losing your head coach and the architect of your program seemingly overnight is quite another. Playing revisionist history is a dangerous gambit, but looking back on the 2007 season, it's hard to argue that West Virginia wasn't (at the very least) one of the top-3 teams in the nation that year and had all the tools to take down eventual national champs LSU. On top of it all, West Virginia would have to share its Big East crown with a Connecticut Huskies team it atomized 61-22 just a week earlier. When the mighty fall, they tend to fall suddenly and dramatically . 

So it happened that on January 2nd, the Mountaineers suited up inside the University of Phoenix Stadium with, quite literally, the entire nation betting heavily on a Sooners win. And why not? Led by superstar quarterback Sam Bradford, that Oklahoma team had taken down no. 1-ranked Missouri in its previous game to capture the Big 12 crown and was averaging 448.9 yards of offense and 42.3 points per game. They were a legitimate beast. 

West Virginia, meanwhile, was running triage and the man in charge of bringing order to the chaos was longtime assistant and mountain state native, Bill Stewart. Coach Stew, as he was better known, was not Rich Rodriguez. Where Rodriguez was all fire and fury, Stew radiated quiet, fatherly grace. While the entirety of America was painted Sooner Crimson, West Virginia alone remained the deepest shade of blue. Call it unshakable faith or just unconditional love for an ultra-talented team that suddenly found itself on the ropes, Stewart, the Grafton native, didn't harbor an ounce of doubt. 

What Stewart said in those minutes leading up to kickoff are now the stuff of legend. If there's a time capsule for Mountaineer football that someone unearths a hundred years from now, the footage of the late coach's speech will undoubtedly sit atop the bundle in a place of honor. So, it should come as no surprise that the ensuing 60 minutes of football was just as legendary as the speech that inspired them. 

Oklahoma, whose defense had only given up a paltry 91.9 rush yards per game all season (7th nationally in rush defense), found itself on the receiving end of a Pat White-driven freight train that collected 349 yards and four scores. The evisceration of Oklahoma's run defense looks even more impressive when you factor in that Steve Slaton, Pat White's superstar co-pilot in West Virginia's prolific spread-option attack, was injured on a short route across the middle of the field at the 5:44 mark of the first quarter and never returned to the game. In fact, Slaton ended the day - and ultimately his college career - with 0 yards from scrimmage. Can you say "team effort"?

White, arguably the best to ever do it in gold and blue, was predictably sensational. His 326 total yards and two scores showcased the Alabama native completely at ease and not, as often happens to star players looking to redeem themselves for recent down performances, trying to do too much. The headlining plays that night were made elsewhere, in fact. 

There was Tito Gonzalez, owner of 21 career receptions, who hauled in a beautiful grab that went for 79 yards in the fourth quarter that well and truly put the game out of reach. 

There was Noel Devine, only a freshman, ripping off 155 yards and two scores of his own, flashing his five-star pedigree at a stunned nation and leaving would-be tacklers in his wake. 

There was human supercharger Darius Reynaud, ripping off 72 yards and a pair of scores, including a dream of an end-around at the end of the third quarter punctuated by an exultant dive across the goal line. Then, of course, There was Owen Schmitt. The former walk-on and hulking everyman that became a runaway beer truck midway through the second quarter when he ran 57 of the most memorable yards in program history.

As good as the offense was that night in the desert, an argument can be made that the defense was even better. Against a Sooner offense that featured a future Heisman winner and an eventual All-Pro NFL left tackle in Trent Williams, one which scored at least 40 points on eight occasions during the regular season, Jeff Casteel's 3-3-5 played with absolute fury. 

Reed Williams, channeling the collective angst of the mountain state, tallied one of West Virginia's three sacks on the day along with two TFL's and a forced fumble. Between blitzing relentlessly and bottling up Oklahoma's more athletic receivers downfield, Williams, along with Quinton Andrews and Ryan Mundy, humbled a Sooners offense that only really started to find its footing in the fourth quarter when Quentin Chaney and Juaquin Iglesias hauled in a pair of touchdown catches from Bradford. By then, though, the Mountaineers had taken the Sooners' heart. Central Arizona, at least for a night, would be annexed by Mountain Mama. 

It's hard to quantify the jubilation felt that night and, perhaps, the closest you can get is by replaying Owen Schmitt's post-game interview as 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' bellowed in the background. Seeing that battle-scarred, tank of a man reduced to tears and broken words tell you all you need to know. It wasn't just a win over a heavily-favored, vaunted opponent that remains stirring. After all, games are won and lost in every way, shape, and form on an endless cycle. In a larger sense, it was the Mountaineers' journey back from heartbreak and near-disaster to triumph that elevates this game to rarefied air. 

Then there was Stewart, a grown kid from Grafton, a centerpiece on the podium with White standing proudly by his side. Riding the tidal wave of emotion resulting from the win and a strong vote of support from his players, Stewart was named head coach mere hours after the stadium lights were turned out. It's a move that proved divisive at the time, highlighted by mega-booster and co-owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Ken Kendrick, very publicly voicing his concerns. While it was an emotional hire, it's hard to argue that Stew didn't deserve the nod. When you pilot a program through a raging tempest the way he did, no other move seems so right or nearly as dignified. 

While Stewart's time at the helm of West Virginia did not extend the golden age of Rodriguez's tenure, the 2008 Fiesta Bowl is a seminal moment in Mountaineer football history. Of all of West Virginia's notable wins throughout the years, perhaps none meant more at the time than this one and, perhaps, none ever will. To this day, you won't find a shred of doubt left out under the Arizona stars.