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 Friday, December 13, 2002
The most unlikely of blockers
By Marc Connolly
BCSfootball.com
MIAMI -- Walk through any athletic facility on a Division III campus and you'll see a collection of Seth Littrells.
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These are the guys who still have that wide-legged, football-player walk. They have the bulging trap muscles. They may sport a quasi-flat top as well, when they're not wearing a hat. They are high school heroes who simply weren't big enough, tall enough or fast enough to garner any sort of scholarship at the Division I level.
You'd have a hard time picking the 5-foot-10, 210-pound Littrell out of such a group, yet here he is at the FedEx Orange Bowl, playing for the only undefeated squad in the land. To then say he mans a position like fullback for the Sooners would sound more like a 20-year-old's pick-up line on a coed rather than the truth. Somehow, someway, this gritty Wayne Chrebet-lookalike is a dual-captain for the 12-0 Sooners and one of the key cogs in protecting their Golden Boy quarterback, Josh Heupel.
"Seth does so much for us," said OU head coach Bob Stoops. "He's a great pass protector. He's a very tough player, as far as blocking for his running back and protecting his quarterback."
With his career coming to a close on Wednesday night, it's safe to say that his four-year ride is one of the most intriguing of any player in this year's Orange Bowl. Growing up in Muskogee, Okla., most kids know who the best players on the Sooners are before they know how to spell their names, but even more so for Seth, whose father, Jim, was an OU fullback in the '70s.
"Ever since I was born, this has been my team," said Littrell. "My whole life that's where I wanted to be. I never even took another (recruiting) visit. I went through the recruiting process and all, but I figured there was no sense in visiting other schools since I knew I'd come here. I knew I'd be most happy here even if I didn't play a down."
Though he dominated Oklahoma's Class 6A as its second leading rusher with 1,385 yards as a senior, he didn't know if he'd ever get the chance to carry the ball for his beloved team.
"I didn't really know what would happen when I came in," said Littrell, who first came to OU in 1997. "I felt like if I could just get in, I could play some special teams my freshman year. As it turned out, some people got hurt so I was backup fullback."
This was during a dark time in Norman, when three quarterbacks -- Justin Fuente, Eric Moore, and Brandon Daniels -- were rotated in during the course of games in a 4-7 season. So hardly an eyebrow was raised when the coaching staff gave their little true freshman back a start against Nebraska in a game that the point spread was larger than everyone's age in the stands.
As expected, Nebraska had its way with its archenemies in a 69-7 bludgeoning, but Littrell stood out with 88 yards rushing. It was the most yardage allowed to an opponent by the Nebraska defense through eight games that season.
From that point on, Littrell has been firmly entrenched as the starting H-back, even though two more offensive coordinators would pass through and the team's focus would switch from the run to the left arm of Heupel.
With Air Attack 2000 in full bloom and the emergence of sophomore running back Quentin Griffin, Littrell only received 22 carries for 70 yards and one touchdown this fall. However, his coaches believe his role is more important this year because of the punishing blocks he delivers game after game.
"He's not the biggest blocking back in a major conference, but he gets it done for us. He's got the heart of a lion and he's a tough kid," said offensive coordinator Mike Mangino. "He reflects a lot of our senior class -- we have several interesting stories with our seniors, and he's one of them. He's the ultimate overachiever."
"That guy right there is an awesome player," said Griffin. "I just know that my success has a lot to do because of him. He takes out linebackers, defensive ends and anyone else regardless of their size. It's unbelievable. I'm always like, 'Man, how does he do it?' But he sticks his nose in there. I appreciate him for that."
Left tackle Frank Romero gave him the ultimate compliment in detailing how he's an extension on the offensive line.
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That guy right there is an awesome player," said Griffin. "I just know that my success has a lot to do because of him. He takes out linebackers, defensive ends and anyone else regardless of their size. It's unbelievable.
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— Quentin Griffin |
"I think Seth is by far the toughest guy on this team," said the junior standout. "He's a get down and get after you type of guy. He has a lot of guts. He overcomes his size with desire and passion for the game."
It's easy to tell that he's kept an "I'm-not-too-small" attitude throughout his career. He seems uncomfortable talking about his size. He credits his success as a blocker in one part to balance he learned in wrestling (he was a two-time state champion in high school), and to pure passion for carrying out his assignment.
"I don't think it's technique, it's just the want I have to make the play," said Littrell. "Size doesn't really matter. If you look around college football, there are guys everywhere who can be amazing who aren't very big. Look at Quentin Griffin -- he's not a big guy and he makes all kinds of plays. It's just the desire to go do something.
"If you have the determination and the heart to go out there and do well, you're going to do it."
Mangino says Littrell carried out this virtue in the off-season, particularly this past year when he cut his body fat to eight percent, lowered his 40 time to 4.45 and maxed out at a relatively astounding 425 pounds on bench.
"Seth is a guy who a lot of people thought couldn't play at this level. He's just too small and too slow. He proved them wrong," said Mangino. "He worked hard and lived in the weight room. He did everything he could to increase his speed, his strength his power."
Playing with a group of players who seemingly would be unfazed and unemotional during a nuclear war, Littrell's talkative nature and strong personality is vital to the Sooners.
"He's one of those verbal leaders," said Romero. "He'll get in your face if he has to. He's an awesome leader."
"He's a dual captain -- a special teams captain on top of being an offensive captain -- so there's no question he's a great leader for us," said Stoops.
Though the communications major mentioned he'd love to work for ESPN someday after assisting with player interviews at Sunday's Media Day, Littrell hopes to expound on his leadership abilities by securing a job on Bob Stoops' staff someday.
"I graduate next December, so I'm hoping to volunteer next fall, and then hopefully be a (graduate assistant) after that," said Littrell. "I'll know by then if I want to stay with football."
Whether or not he stays with the sport, it's safe to say that no one in this lifetime should ever count out Seth Littrell in whatever field he should pursue.
Marc Connolly is a senior writer for ABC Sports Online.
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