A rep for brutality
A few flags won't dissuade Bulls lineman Ryan Schmidt from getting in his licks.
By GREG AUMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published December 31, 2007
EL PASO, Texas - Ryan Schmidt is nasty.
It's not a word you associate with an offensive lineman, but ask his teammates, his coaches, even Jim Leavitt, and that's the word that keeps coming up. Not quite "dirty," but treading the same line, enough so that the junior guard says officials know his reputation and throw flags his way as a result.
"I don't play dirty, but I definitely don't shy away from taking my shots on people," he said. "When I get my chance to hit someone when they're not looking or hit someone from behind, I'll take my shot. That's just how I've always played. My high school coach (in Boca Raton) was very adamant on taking shots at people that aren't looking. It's just playing hard. I don't think it's dirty in a sense. They'd do it to me if I wasn't looking."
Schmidt plays a key role today as the Bulls play in the Sun Bowl against an Oregon defense that led the nation in tackles for loss. He was the only USF offensive lineman named to the Big East all-conference team, earning second-team honors, and his tactics on the field aren't anything his coaches don't condone. If anything, they like the attitude he brings to the position.
"He's a gentleman off the field, but when he buckles up his chinstrap, he's going to play football and get the job done, whatever it takes," said offensive line coach Mike Simmonds, himself an NFL lineman for four seasons. "He's got a nasty disposition on the field. It's the way you're supposed to play the game."
Schmidt, who started eight games last season after transferring from Kansas State, said his reputation started last year, with a play in a win against North Carolina that didn't draw a flag, but probably should have.
"I missed a cut, and I grabbed the guy's leg and held onto it," the 21-year-old, 327-pounder said. "He couldn't make the tackle, and I didn't get a penalty. ... Evidently other people see some things. I guess I watch the tapes too and see like 'Yeah, that was a little bit ... ' A couple of penalties I got this year, I didn't think were penalties. I just think it's because the reputation is getting there and, I don't know, they're just coming after me now."
There's a fine line between a legal cut block - when a player hits another player low at the knees or lower legs to knock him down -and an illegal chop block, such as when the opposing player is engaged with another player, or when the block is administered from a player's side or back.
"I definitely didn't like it when I got cut on defense (in high school). I know it bothered me," he said. "If a guy is really aggressive and he comes off the ball really hard, I'll just come out and cut him one time and maybe he'll slow down the next time because he'll think about it."
Schmidt drew three flags in USF's win at Syracuse this season, one for a late hit out of bounds that he doesn't contest. Teammates agree the officials know to keep an eye on Schmidt, but said he has earned some of that scrutiny.
"He doesn't help himself with his reputation," center Nick Capogna said. "I've been in games where he does stuff where he deserves to get the attention he gets. He plays through the whistle and sometimes he pretends like he doesn't hear the whistle. He's one of those guys, but a guy I'm happy to play with."
As brash and confident as Schmidt is on the field, he's humble off it, saying that his all-conference selection doesn't make him better than his fellow USF linemen, but simply more fortunate to have avoided injuries.
"I was very proud to get that, but basically I was the healthiest one. That's pretty much what that means," said Schmidt, a starter at left guard since the second week of the season.
Schmidt took ownership for not playing well in USF's first loss of the season, a game at Rutgers that dropped the Bulls from a No. 2 ranking and sparked a three-game losing streak.
"We didn't do a lot of things up front. ... I had a terrible game," he said. "I felt like I hurt the team, and after that, I wanted to refocus myself and get back to playing the way I can."
Part of Schmidt's game is trying to get into opposing players' heads, which means a lot of talk across the line of scrimmage.
"He's probably the biggest talker on the line, one of the biggest on the team," defensive end George Selvie said. "He talks all the time."
Schmidt will give opposing players names - against Cincinnati, he called a linebacker wearing No. 54 "Urlacher" (after the Bears linebacker) the entire game. Against Syracuse, between the late hit and his mouth, he had 11 guys after him.
"The entire defense wanted to fight him," Capogna said. "We threw an interception, and everyone went for the ball, but Schmidt went to pick off somebody from the other team. The kid saw it coming, ducked and ripped Schmidt's helmet off and chased him with it. It's the first time I've seen somebody with that much angst against one player."
Leavitt said Schmidt has only scratched the surface of his potential, that with better focus he could add to his reputation.
"He's nasty on the line, but if I were his O-line coach, I'd like that," Leavitt said. "He doesn't even know how really good he could be. He's got a lot of talent, but he needs to keep himself focused and get a little bit older."
Schmidt plays best when he's playing with emotion, and his coaches say the key to his future is containing that aggression and channeling it into playing at a high level more consistently.
"I think he plays with intensity. It's like throwing gas on a fire with him," Simmonds said. "When he gets riled up in a game, he only plays that much better. We need that every snap out of everybody."