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 Friday, December 13, 2002
Kempenich always has Heupel's back
By Marc Connolly
BCSfootball.com
MIAMI -- The clichéd battle cries that pour endlessly out of the mouths from Big Uglies everywhere are rooted in a lack of respect and appreciation as well as anonymity.
|  | | Scott Kempenich protects Josh Heupel's blind side. |
That goes with the territory, though. It's expected. You hold off the raging defensive end for the much smaller stud back there in the pocket so that, hopefully, he and the wide receiver can bask in the glory of a touchdown. On the next play, you spring off the turf and ram your entire will to live into the man across from you in hope that your little running back can move the chains and, consequently, receive praise from the talking heads high above the field.
For the most part, an offensive lineman is only noticed when things go wrong. Knowing that, there aren't a lot of reasons to know the names of any of the starting lineman for a 12-0 juggernaut. Yet, from listening to experts, one would think that Florida State's ferocious defensive linemen will be wearing EZ Pass boxes on their jerseys as they run untouched at Josh Heupel on Wednesday night in the FedEx Orange Bowl (ABC, 8 p.m. ET).
Of course, this only fuels the fire for OU's trenchmen, led by senior Scott Kempenich.
"They're (Florida State's D-line) good, but so was Nebraska, so was Texas, so was K-State," said Kempenich, a strapping 6-foot-5, 310-pounder. "Everyone out there expected us to get whipped by all of those units. The same thing is happening this game, yet we don't care as long as we keep getting the same result. That's been the story all year. They always come up with a reason why we can't do it. We have to prove everyone wrong again."
Kemp's been saying that sort of thing all week as the college football world focuses on Florida State's rush ends -- Jamal Reynolds and David Warren. But talk to him away from the masses and you'll soon see that this kid from pint-sized Wagoner, Okla. knows he's blessed just to be in the situation he's been in this year, culminating in a chance to bring back a national championship to the Sooner State.
After being recruited by nearly every D-I institution in the country, Kempenich chose to stay home and play for state's fallen dynasty. He redshirted in 1996 before bursting onto the scene in '97 as the team's starting left tackle. He was an honorable mention All-Big XII selection after that freshman season. However, his next two years in Norman would be a living hell for a guy who had dreams of playing in the NFL.
First, it was a stress fracture in his foot that caused him to miss all but three games his sophomore season. In the last of those against Colorado, he cracked the starting lineup again only to hurt his knee -- ending his comeback bid. Last fall, he finally worked his way back from the knee injury before that old stress fracture acted up again, forcing a pin to be placed in his foot.
Kempenich struggled his way through the last seven games of the season at left guard, a mere shadow of the player he once was.
"It affected me mentally," said Kempenich. "You just keep getting beat down, so eventually you want to stay down. I was also taught as a kid not to quit no matter what and I signed a letter saying that I would play here and that's what I was going to do."
"He got frustrated," said offensive coordinator Mike Mangino. "I did with him a little bit at times, and had to push him a little more than maybe he wanted to."
Once he recovered from a bone graft procedure in his right foot last April, Kemp slowly began his final comeback attempt.
"He just kept sawing wood every day," said Mangino. "He improved himself tremendously. He just kept working hard, getting better, taking the coaching and listening to what we had to say."
Mangino and head coach Bob Stoops were so impressed with his progress, they moved him to a position that may be the second most important to quarterback -- right tackle. That's the role of Josh Heupel's bodyguard, seeing that he's the difference between his lefty QB having time to whiz another ball downfield or being crushed like a grape from his blind side. It's a gratifying role for Kemp, considering the success Heupel has had this fall.
"I'm sort of like his little protector," said Kempenich, a 4.0 student. "Anyone wants to mess with him, I feel like he has to mess with me. Cheap shots happen all the time, and you have to exact your revenge. Somebody gets a late shot on him -- they're going to get a late shot back on them. I take a little more pride in what I do because if I fail it means disaster.
"If he gets hit on the blind side and somebody picks up a fumble -- there's a touchdown. I just can't let my guy get to the quarterback. I can't."
That guy he speaks of, left defensive end David Warren, and his nine sacks this season, knows all about Kemp.
"I know the guy I'm playing against has a lot of experience," said Warren, a senior. "On film, he's looked very good, and I know he's the leader of that O-line."
Warren is relishing the thought of coming at a QB from his blind side since Heupel is a lefty, and has talked about mimicking Jamal Reynolds by causing fumbles with sneak-attack sacks, but Mangino is confident that won't be the case.
"He's playing against a very good player, but I think it's a good matchup. I really do," said Mangino. "The last four games have been his best. He's more confident. He's going to be in a battle Wednesday night, and I look for him to meet the challenge."
His counterpart over at left tackle, Frank Romero, isn't worried either, as Kemp's success has been inspirational to him this year in his transformation from a defensive player to an all-conference tackle.
"He has a major task every game," said Romero, a junior who goes against Reynolds on Wednesday. "And he works so hard at practice that you really can see an improvement in him week-to-week. He leads by example, kind of like the rest of the guys on offense starting with Josh. He quietly goes about his business, but he always gets the job done."
Because of that, he was named to several All-Big XII teams and was listed on the Outland Trophy watch list at midseason. Finally injury-free, Kemp is feeling differently about his chances at the next level now.
"Prior to the season, I didn't know if I'd have a shot at all," he said. "But now, due to this season and the success that we've had and my play, I think I might have a shot."
Shutting out Mr. Warren on Wednesday night will surely increase his odds.
Marc Connolly is a senior writer for ABC Sports Online.
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