Brown OL Frazier: "I've never coached one better"
Out of the over 3,200 snaps that made up the West Virginia career for center Zach Frazier it's perhaps the final one that sums him up best.
The senior center helped to get behind wide receiver Hudson Clement on a screen on the first play of a drive where the Mountaineers trailed 31-27 with only 1:14 on the clock and zero timeouts. Frazier would then literally carry Clement to the cusp of the first down marker in order to stop the clock.
But on the play Frazier was injured and instead of lying on the field which would have resulted in a ten-second runoff of the clock, was able to almost crawl on all fours before bringing himself to one leg to limp to the sidelines.
“He had an injury that’s significant. Not something that’s going to be long term, but he probably won’t play in the bowl game, but he limps off because he knows it’s a ten-second runoff if he stays down,” head coach Neal Brown said. “So, a lower leg injury, he limps off on one leg to avoid it.”
Brandon Yates could come into the game and five plays later, the Mountaineers would cap off the comeback victory with a 29-yard touchdown toss to Jaheim White. But without that sequence who knows where the drive could have gone especially with zero timeouts left to stop the clock.
“The normal person doesn’t realize that. That’s the type of kid he is. He’s as selfless as they come, ten seconds could have been the difference,” quarterback Garrett Greene said.
Frazier, who has already accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl, has been a four-year starter for the Mountaineers and developed into one of the premier centers in the entire landscape of college football.
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While he has an additional season of eligibility, Frazier confirmed that he won’t be using it in order to pursue a career in the NFL. The senior had been the one constant in a season with movement all across the offensive line due to injuries playing 806 snaps and grading out favorably in the process.
A native of Fairmont, Frazier has been everything that the Mountaineers could have wanted up front. And his intelligence was on display in one of the most critical moments despite his own ailment.
“How tough he is and he’s a great player. I plan on doing this for a long time and I don’t know if I’ll ever coach a center that’s better. I’ve had some good players, but I’ve never coached one better,” Brown said.
Never one to point the finger at himself, Frazier focused on the team and simply did his job. A job that he completed far more often than he didn’t over his time with the program.
The impact of Frazier on this team was obvious as his injury was on the minds of both the coaches and the players on the team after that thrilling touchdown drive. And while Yates filled in admirably in the clutch, you simply don’t replace the anchor of your offensive line with any single player.
“He does everything right; it really just breaks my heart. I’m probably not going to enjoy this win as much as I should just because of how much he means to me and to this entire program and state,” Greene said.
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