Patrick White says goodbye with final home win

Wednesday 17, December 2008

Andrew Little

On a frigid night in Morgantown on December 6^th, Mountaineer field held a “White Out” and the stadium was covered in white from white t-shirts and towels in the stands, white uniforms worn by the Mountaineers, and the snow that fell throughout the game. It couldn’t have been a better night to honor the seniors and possibly the greatest senior of all time, (Sr. QB #5) Patrick White. After West Virginia finally defeated the South Florida Bulls 13-7, the seniors embraced their final moments in their home stadium.

If you read my last article, I was against the “White Out” because I thought it was a poorly developed plan by our athletics department who turned their backs on the rest of the great senior class. Although I felt that (Sr. QB #5) Patrick White was deserving of special treatment, I didn’t feel that it was fair to the others. However I learned throughout that week that the “White Out” was voted on by players, and the team would wear their white away uniforms. After knowing that, I was fully on board and decked myself out in white layers.

The Mountaineers scored their only touchdown of the game on their first drive. (Sr. QB #5) Patrick White hit (Fr. TE #89) Tyler Urban on a twelve yard touchdown pass to put the Mountaineers up 7-0 on a snowy field. (So. RB #7) Noel Devine stood on the sidelines to start the game, (So. RB/WR #9) Jock Sanders took the carries at the beginning. There is a lot of speculation to why Devine didn’t start, some say he has poor grades, some say he’s unhappy and wants out of West Virginia, at this moment it’s unknown the real reason why but no matter what it is, something’s not right.

West Virginia was out gained on offense (356-280) although the Mountaineers picked up one more first down than the Bulls (22-21). Once again it was the WVU defense that saved the day by snagging three turnovers. (Sr. QB #5) Patrick White was efficient on offense throwing for 14/23 on 141 yards throwing of one touchdown, White also rushed for 40 yards on 15 carries. (So. RB #7) Noel Devine came off the bench to rush for 90 yards on 17 carries. (So. RB/WR #9) Jock Sanders led all receivers catching five passes for 38 yards.

South Florida had marched downfield in the final minutes of the fourth quarter and it appeared that the Bulls would take a page out of the Pitt playbook and snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat. Fortunately for WVU, our defense was able to stop the Bulls on a fourth and twelve from the Mountaineers 16 when (Jr. QB #8) Matt Grothe threw an incomplete pass with 24 seconds left. As the Mountaineers won the game, the seniors took in their final moments at home as the fans sang “Country Roads” to (Sr. QB #5) Patrick White and the rest of the senior class.

The end of the game belonged to (Sr. QB #5) Patrick White as the video board played highlights of White’s storybook season in a West Virginia uniform. The crowed decked in white, stayed as long as they could as White took a lap around the stadium slapping hands of fans how were hanging over the lower level wall. As White took his lap, the song “Simply the Best” echoed throughout the hills. (Sr. QB #5) Patrick White is one of the players I’m proud to say that I’ve been a student throughout his entire career as a Mountaineer and I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to follow his career unlike many other fans. Steve Slaton and Owen Schmitt are among others I’ve been blessed to see wear the Gold and Blue. As many fans see this season as a disappointment, (Sr. QB #5) Patrick White is main reason why WVU fans remained positive. Although White will never again play at Mountaineer field in a WVU uniform, he still has one more game as the West Virginia Mountaineers will face the North Carolina Tar Heels on December 27^th in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina.