Devine was 'a little too excited'
January 3, 2008
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Among the many motivations floating around the burdened minds of West Virginia's football players on Wednesday night, Noel Devine's was slightly different.
He was out for a little pride.
No, the true freshman from Fort Myers, Fla., was not worried about his statistics. He knows he needs no more accolades to be attached to his name or his game, both of which approached a mythical status with the proliferation of his high school highlight runs on the Internet.
Devine scored on a 17-yard touchdown run in the third quarter of the 48-28 Fiesta Bowl victory against Oklahoma ... and then fell flat on his back.
"I was a little too excited. I didn't know what I was going to do. I had people back home watching. I wanted to take a knee for my friend and for my mother up above watching, but I slipped and never got a chance to," said Devine, who lost both parents to AIDS by the time he was 11 years old and later watched a friend get shot and killed.
Teammates took playful digs at Devine on the sideline, but he had the last laugh.
"I took care of it the second time," he said.
Devine effectively ended the game and whatever ideas the Sooners were entertaining about a comeback with a 65-yard run in the fourth quarter. He then found the back of the end zone, dropped to one knee and lowered his head.
"This felt good," he said.
Devine ran for 108 yards and two scores on a career-high 13 carries, improbably rendering meaningless the fact starter Steve Slaton left the game with a hamstring injury in the first quarter.
"I told him to do his thing and play his game," Slaton said. "His game is what got him here and his game is what he showed out there.
Slaton carried only one time and lost 2 yards and when he was running to catch a pass with 5:44 to go in the first quarter, he felt his left hamstring pop.
"I knew I was done," he said.
There was no panic, perhaps because the Mountaineers (11-2) are used to these things. Slaton was injured in preparations for last season's Gator Bowl against Georgia Tech and carried just three times for 11 yards and never after the first quarter.
The backup that day was fullback Owen Schmitt, whose line was strangely similar to Devine's: 13 carries, 109 yards and two scores.
"It was Noel's turn to step up," Schmitt said.
He wasted no time. After Slaton was helped off the field, Pat McAfee kicked a 38-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead and Devine ran 9 yards on the first play of the following drive.
"I knew I had to step up for my team and carry them and make them feel comfortable with me in there," he said. "I wanted to go out and make plays."
His first touchdown run came after Oklahoma (11-3) botched an attempted onside kick and gave WVU the ball at the 39-yard line. Devine bounced outside and split blocks by right tackle Ryan Stanchek and fullback Owen Schmitt.
Devine didn't have as much help on the second run, but he didn't need it, either, as he weaved through the Sooners defense.
"I saw a lot of open area inside, so I cut back across the field," he said. "From there, it was a race."
The 5-foot-8, 170-pound Devine doesn't lose many races, particularly when he's moving in multiple directions and leaves defenders spinning.
"He has quicker lateral movement than I do," Slaton said. "When he makes up his mind, he can stop on a dime -- he can stop on pennies -- and then he's gone."
Slaton laughed when asked about his future plans and said he didn't want to dilute the victory and talk about the NFL. Should he leave and skip his senior season, Devine showed he was a capable replacement.
He finished his first season with 658 yards and six touchdowns and averaged more than 9 yards over his 73 carries.
"Coming from someone like myself and the freshman year I had, to see him come here and do what he is did amazing," said Slaton, who had 1,128 yards and 17 touchdowns as a freshman in 2005 and was MVP of the Sugar Bowl with 204 yards and three touchdowns. "He learned even faster than I did."
