WVU Fullback Kayden Luke Has One Goal: 'Knock People on Their Ass'

There's only one Runaway Beer Truck, but the Mountaineers may have a close replica in Kayden Luke.

WVU Athletics Communications

It's been a long time since West Virginia had a true fullback, and the last really good one was Owen Schmitt nearly two decades ago.

Rich Rodriguez did his best to replicate the dynamic offense he had in his first stint in Morgantown by adding a dual-threat quarterback in Mike Hawkins, the nation's leading rusher in Cam Cook, and a hard-nosed fullback, Kayden Luke, that's eager to smack defenders.

It's unfair to ask that trio to match or come anywhere near the level of production that Pat White, Steve Slaton, and Owen Schmitt had, but they will do their damndest to build a legacy of their own.

Luke has embraced the fullback role, and since arriving in West Virginia, he's done his best to try to model his game after Big O.

“Anytime I can get in the game, I’m hyped up and ready to be in there. If you ever came to practice, you could hear me yelling and trying to get everybody going," he said. "I mean, just trying to help out any way I can. If that’s what I have to be, the motivator guy, the yeller, the hurrah- I can be that. Whatever you guys want me to be, I can be. At the end of the day, if you want me to go out there and put somebody on their ass, I can do that too.”

WVU Athletics Communications

Playing fullback takes an incredible amount of selflessness. You are going to lay your body on the line for the running back or, in some instances, the quarterback, and they will get all the glory. The job is very simple: go hit somebody.

“I mean, it’s pretty obvious when you’re running the ball — your yards, your touchdowns, your stats," Luke responded when asked how to measure a game performance. "But when you’re blocking, there are no stats for a block. In this game, playing fullback, you got to knock somebody back, and you got to create a new line of scrimmage in order to be successful on any given play. So anytime I get in the game to block for the running back or block for the Y, I just try to knock people on their ass, and that’s it.”

Luke is prepared to run the ball if called upon. Back in his high school days, he led the state of Arizona in rushing as a senior, racking up 2,307 yards and 29 touchdowns on 281 carries. Don't expect him to be as involved as Owen was running it, but he'll get rewarded every now and then.