12 Days Countdown to Kickoff: 5 Pat White

Hometown: Daphne, AL

Career: 2005-2008

Record: 42-9, Bowl Record: 4-0 including two BCS wins

Pat White’s career is one of the most memorable careers of any quarterback in college football history, period. Coming out of high school, Pat White received a lot of attention from southern schools like LSU. Most of the southern programs wanted White to play as a defensive back. Pat White, like Major Harris before him, was steadfast in his desire to play quarterback at the collegiate level. White would have to fight for his right to play quarterback at West Virginia. During his freshman season, he would split time with Adam Bednarik before winning the starting job outright midway through the season. He would launch to stardom during the 2005 season, especially following the 2006 Sugar Bowl. As a sophomore, White would take his game to the next level, becoming a stronger passer to match his exceptional ability to scramble. He would lead the Mountaineers to a Gator Bowl Victory following the 2006 season, in which West Virginia had to weather many injuries. The Mountaineers, led by White, were in search of a National Championship in the 2007 season. While WVU did not reach their goal for 2007, they did achieve a resounding victory over Oklahoma in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl amidst the Rich Rodriguez drama. White would cap off his stellar career with a fourth consecutive bowl victory in the 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl. White finished his Mountaineer career with 6,049 yards passing, 56 passing touchdowns, 4,480 yards rushing, and 47 rushing touchdowns. He is sixth on the NCAA’s all-time wins list amongst quarterbacks and is the only quarterback in NCAA history to win 4 bowl games. What is astonishing, is the fact that White was never named an All-American. His dual threat nature must have played into his being passed over for All-America all those seasons.

Memorable Game: We could easily discuss a whole host of memorable performances by Pat White, but today we look at Pat White’s last game at Milan Puskar Stadium; the 2008 South Florida game. Pat White meant so much to the West Virginia football program that the school decided to honor him with the school’s first “White Out” game. Fittingly, the game was a snowy night game in Morgantown, building a magical ambiance for White’s home finale. White would move the ball well against the Bulls defense during the first quarter, building a 7-0 lead on a touchdown pass to Tyler Urban. The game would settle into a defensive match as the snow picked up, making the game a very low scoring affair. White would pass and run to give the Mountaineer’s good enough field position to convert a pair of field goals. West Virginia would give Pat White one last win in front of the home crowd, 13-7 over USF.

Competition: No competition here. Some would mention the late Chris Henry as a great to wear #5, but would then realize that there is no rationale argument in which Chris Henry wins this selection over Pat White.

Teaser: Tomorrow we observe the career of a punishing strong safety that helped to put the 3-3-5 odd stack defense on the map. This player, out of Valrico, FL, could always be counted on to deliver the big hit.