MIAMI – As the West Virginia Mountaineers celebrated their first Orange Bowl victory, safety Darwin Cook shared a hug with the game’s mascot, Obie.
They had run into each other earlier in the end zone when Cook scored the night’s pivotal touchdown, then leaped on the smiling orange. Only after the game did he learn a woman was wearing the Obie outfit.
“I didn’t know you were a girl,” he told her. “I apologize.”
The Mountaineers ran over everything in their path Wednesday night, including the Clemson Tigers. Geno Smith tied the record for any bowl game with six touchdown passes, and the No. 23-ranked Mountaineers set a bowl scoring record with their high-powered offense by routing No. 14 Clemson 70-33.
But it was a defensive player — Cook — who made the most memorable play by returning a fumble 99 yards for a touchdown to break the game open.
Standing in the sideline, Smith watched a video replay of Cook’s touchdown in disbelief.
“Crazy, man,” Smith said. “When I saw that, I knew things were breaking our way.”
Cook collided comically with mascot Obie after scoring one of the Mountaineers’ five TDs in the second quarter, including three in the final 2:29 for a 49-20 lead.
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