1.21.2004 Final 2003 Football Notebook
Lonta Hobbs |
The 2003 season will go down as one of the most successful in Conference USA's brief eight year history. After reaching as high as No. 6 in the BCS rankings, TCU finished the season nationally-ranked for the second straight season. Southern Miss became the first C-USA team to go 8-0 in league play. Five teams played in a bowl game for the second straight year. The league posted 11 regular season wins vs. BCS league teams and eight schools showed an increased average attendance from the previous season. Take one last look back at the 2003 season in the final football notebook.
AMONG THE RANKED
TCU's final ranking of 24 in the Coaches poll and 25 in the AP poll gave Conference USA a ranked team in the final polls for the third straight year and the sixth time in the last seven seasons. It was the second straight year that TCU was ranked in the final polls. Louisville, Memphis and Southern Miss each received votes in the final polls.
NOTE OF CHAMPIONS
Southern Miss is the fourth team in Conference USA to post an undefeated conference season and the first to post an 8-0 record. The Golden Eagles have accomplished the feat three of the times (2003, 1999 and 1997) and are joined by the 1998 Tulane team. USM has now won at least a share of four of the first eight regular season championships. Here's a look at C-USA's year-by-year champions:
2003 Southern Miss (8-0)
2002 TCU (6-2), Cincinnati (6-2)
2001 Louisville (6-1)
2000 Louisville (6-1)
1999 Southern Miss (6-0)
1998 Tulane (6-0)
1997 Southern Miss (6-0)
1996 Houston (4-1), Southern Miss (4-1)
USM IN AXA LIBERTY BOWL
Regular season champion Southern Miss represented Conference USA in the 45th annual AXA Liberty Bowl on December 31. The Golden Eagles were making their third appearance in the game, but fell to Mountain West Conference champion Utah, 17-0.
LOUISVILLE BACK TO GMAC
Louisville made its second straight trip to Mobile, Ala., to play in the GMAC Bowl. The Cardinals lost to No. 14 Miami (Ohio), champions of the Mid-American Conference, 49-28, on December 18. It marked the sixth consecutive bowl appearance for U of L.
TCU IN FORT WORTH
After winning 11 games for the first time since its 1938 National Championship team accomplished the feat, then-No. 19 TCU played in the inaugural PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl. The Horned Frogs lost to No. 16 Boise State, champions of the Western Athletic Conference, 34-31. TCU was in the postseason for a school record sixth straight year and played in a first-year bowl for the sixth time in school history. The PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl was one of eight bowl games that featured a pair of Top 20 teams.
HOUSTON GOES TO HAWAI'I
Houston headed to postseason play for the first time since 1996 when it played in the second annual Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. The Cougars and the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors battled in the longest and highest scoring bowl game this year, with Hawaii winning, 54-48 in triple overtime. Under the direction of ART BRILES, the Cougars were one of nine teams led by first-year coaches that reached postseason play.
MEMPHIS WINS NEW ORLEANS BOWL
Memphis concluded its most successful season in fourty years with a win in the New Orleans Bowl on December 16. The Tigers defeated North Texas, champions of the Sun Belt Conference, 27-17, to finish the season with a 9-4 record. The bowl game was the first for Memphis since 1971 and the victory gave the Tigers their first nine-win season since 1963.
BOWL REGULARS
Louisville and TCU each played in a bowl game for the sixth consecutive season. Both of these programs are among the 16 I-A programs that have played in a bowl game in each of the last six seasons. The entire list includes:
ACC: Florida State, Georgia Tech
Big East: Miami, Virginia Tech
Big Ten: Michigan, Purdue
Big 12: Kansas State, Nebraska, Texas
C-USA: Louisville, TCU
Pac-10: Oregon
SEC: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee
BIG IMPROVEMENT
Memphis has increased its win total by 5.5 games from last season, the second-largest increase in Division I-A this season. It also ranks as the second-best increase in league history. Here's a look at the biggest improvements:
MOST IMPROVED 2003 I-A TEAMS
School 2002 2003 Gain
Tulsa 1-11 8-5 +6.5
MEMPHIS 3-9 9-4 +5.5
Navy 2-10 8-5 +5.5
Miami (Ohio) 7-5 12-1 +4.5
Utah 5-6 10-2 +4.5
Rutgers 1-11 5-7 +4.0
Kansas 2-10 6-7 +3.5
Michigan State 4-8 8-5 +3.5
MOST IMPROVED C-USA WON-LOST RECORD
6 Louisville (1-10 in 1997; 7-5 in 1998)
5.5 Memphis (3-9 in 2002; 9-4 in 2003)
5 Houston (0-11 in 2001: 5-7 in 2002)
5 Tulane (2-9 in 1996; 7-4 in 1997)
FOUR FOR EIGHT
For the first time in Conference USA's eight seasons, four different teams won at least eight games in a season. TCU reached the 10-win mark for the second straight season and third time in four years. Southern Miss won at least eight wins for the fifth time in eight years. Louisville reached the eight-win mark for the third time in four years and Memphis won eight games for the first time since 1973.
FOUR OUT OF EIGHT
Southern Miss has won at least a share of four Conference USA championships since 1996. Only three schools in Division I-A (Florida State, Marshall and Miami (Fla.)) have won more regular season conference titles over that span. Here's a look at the schools with the most league titles over that period:
7 Florida State (ACC)
6 Marshall (Mid-American)
5 Miami (Fla.) (Big East)
4 Southern Miss (C-USA)
4 Colorado State (WAC/Mountain West)
TACKLE THIS
Conference USA produced three of the five top tacklers in I-A this season (as ranked by tackles per game). Here's a look at the leaders:
TACKLES PER GAME
Rank Player Total (per Game)
1. Rod Davis, USM 164 (13.67 pg)
2. Chris Moore, ECU 148 (13.45 pg)
3. Grant Wiley, West Va. 167 (12.85 pg)
4. David Lusky, E. Mich. 153 (12.75 pg)
5. Zac Woodfin, UAB 149 (12.42 pg)
POSTSEASON PLANS
Several C-USA players have committed to play in postseason All-Star games. Here's a look at those players:
BLUE GRAY ALL-STAR CLASSIC
Damene Duckett, DT, East Carolina
Vonta Leach, FB, East Carolina
Ronnie Ghent, TE, Louisville
Josh Minkins, DB, Louisville
Richard Owens, TE, Louisville
DeJuan Green, RB, USF
Maurice Jones, LB, USF
Huey Whittaker, WR, USF
EAST-WEST SHRINE GAME
Ryan Kent, LB, Army
Etric Pruitt, DB, Southern Miss
Bo Schobel, DE, TCU
HULA BOWL
Rex Hadnot, C, Houston
Maurice Jones, LB, USF
Nick Browne, K, TCU
LAS VEGAS ALL-AMERICAN CLASSIC
Rex Hadnot, C, Houston
THE VILLAGES GRIDIRON CLASSIC
Ronnie Ghent, TE, Louisville
Maurice Jones, LB, USF
J.R. Reed, FS, USF
Ronald Jones, DL, Southern Miss
Robert Pollard, DE, TCU
Chad Pugh, DT, TCU
SENIOR BOWL
Brian Rimpf, OL, East Carolina
Ronnie Ghent, TE, Louisville
Greg Brooks, CB, Southern Miss
Rod Davis, LB, Southern Miss
Etric Pruitt, DB, Southern Miss
J.P. Losman, QB, Tulane
Mewelde Moore, RB, Tulane
Additionally, TCU head coach GARY PATTERSON served as a coach in the Hula Bowl.
CLOSE CALLS
Fourteen of Conference USA's 44 league games were decided by five points or less this season, more than any other I-A conference. The SEC was next with 12 of its league games decided by five points or fewer.
C-USA's average margin of victory in conference games was 14.36. Only the Mountain West (12.0) and the Sun Belt (12.2) had closer margins than Conference USA.
RISING ATTENDANCE
Eight of Conference USA's 11 schools showed an increased attendance average during the 2003 season from the attendance figures from the 2002 campaign. Memphis, Houston and TCU showed the largest increases. As a league, Conference USA had an average attendance increase of 2,886 fans per game.
School 2003 Avg. 2002 Avg. Inc./Dec.
Memphis 40,662 29,257 + 11,405
Houston 25,794 14,986 + 10,808
TCU 36,155 27,813 + 8,342
Houston 21,807 14,986 + 6,821
UAB 22,704 16,447 + 6,257
USF 30,512 26,403 + 4,109
East Carolina 33.012 29,629 + 3,383
Southern Miss 28,641 26,961 +1,684
Louisville 36,771 36,743 + 28
Army 30,794 32,606 -1,812
Tulane 25,635 27,901 - 2,266
Cincinnati 21,827 28,071 - 6,244
C-USA 29,870 26,984 +2,886
GREAT DEBUT
Among the Division I-A freshman quarterbacks that started the majority of the 2003 season, Houston true freshman KEVIN KOLB led in most statistical categories:
FRESHMAN STARTING QB PASSING MARKS
Wins As A Starter
7 Kevin Kolb, Houston (7-6)*
7 Reggie Ball, Georgia Tech (7-6)*
6 Chris Leak, Florida (6-3)*
6 Vince Young, Texas (6-1)
Pass Attempts
360 Kevin Kolb, Houston*
350 Reggie Ball, Georgia Tech*
320 Chris Leak, Florida*
Pass Completions
220 Kevin Kolb, Houston*
190 Chris Leak, Florida*
181 Reggie Ball, Georgia Tech*
Passing Yards
3,131 Kevin Kolb, Houston*
2,435 Chris Leak, Florida*
1,996 Reggie Ball, Georgia Tech*
Touchdown Passes
25 Kevin Kolb, Houston*
16 Chris Leak, Florida*
10 Reggie Ball, Georgia Tech*
Total Offense
3,477 Kevin Kolb, Houston*
2,382 Chris Leak, Florida*
2,380 Reggie Ball, Georgia Tech*
TDs Responsible For
32 Kevin Kolb, Houston*
18 Chris Leak, Florida*
17 Vince Young, Texas
*- denotes true freshman
OVER FOURTY CLUB
Just three Division I-A schools scored 40 or more points in more games than Houston (7) in 2003. Louisville and Memphis each reached the 40-point mark five times. Here's a look at the leaders in topping the 40-point mark:
11- Miami (Ohio)
8- Texas, Texas Tech
7- HOUSTON, Boise State, Oklahoma, USC
6- Hawaii, Minnesota, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State
5- LOUISVILLE, MEMPHIS, Bowling Green, Kansas State, LSU, Mississippi, Missouri,
HUNDRED YARD DAYS
Two C-USA players ranked among the national leaders in 100-yard receiving games this season:
100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES IN 2003
10 Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh
8 Brandon Middleton, Houston
8 James Newson, Oregon State
7 Jerricho Cotchery, N.C. State
7 Mark Clayton, Oklahoma
7 Geoff McArthur, California
7 Mike Williams, USC
6 J.R. Russell, Louisville
6 Braylon Edwards, Michigan
6 Derek Hagan, Arizona State
6 Lance Moore, Toledo
6 Martin Nance, Miami (Ohio)
6 Jonathan Smith, Georgia Tech
6 James Terry, Kansas State
LOSMAN'S LEDGER
Tulane senior QB J.P. LOSMAN tied for seventh in Division I-A in TD passes this season:
PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
52 B.J. Symens, Texas Tech
40 Jason White, Oklahoma
38 Matt Leinart, USC
37 Ben Roethlisberger, Miami (Ohio)
37 Rod Rutherford, Pittsburgh
34 Philip Rivers, North Carolina State
33 J.P. Losman, Tulane
33 Dan Orlovsky, Connecticut
C-USA SINGLE-SEASON PASSING TDs
36 Shaun King, Tulane (1998)
33 J.P. Losman, Tulane (2003)
29 Chris Redman, Louisville (1999)
29 Chris Redman, Louisville (1998)
27 Dave Ragone, Louisville (2000)
KICKIN' IT
TCU's NICK BROWNE set a new Conference USA record for field goals in a season with 28, ranking second in the nation. That breaks the old record of 26, set in 2000 by Lou Groza Award winner JONATHAN RUFFIN of Cincinnati. Here's a look at the top single-season totals:
FIELD GOALS MADE IN A SEASON
28 Nick Browne, TCU 2003
26 Jonathan Ruffin, Cincinnati 2000
23 Nick Browne, TCU 2002
23 Brad Palazzo, Tulane 1997
19 Rhett Gallego, UAB 2000
With 65 career field goals, Browne fell just one field goal short of tying C-USA's mark for career field goals, held by Tulane's Seth Marler.
CAREER FIELD GOALS MADE
66 Seth Marler, Tulane 1999-02
65 Nick Browne, TCU 2001-03
62 Jonathan Ruffin, Cincinnati 1999-02
52 Kevin Miller, East Carolina 1998-02
LIGHTNING ROD
Southern Miss senior LB ROD DAVIS closed out his career as Conference USA's all-time leader in tackles with 541 Pernell Griffin of East Carolina (1998-01) had set the previous record at 460. Here's a look at the top five tacklers in C-USA history:
526 Rod Davis, USM (2000-present)
460 Pernell Griffin, ECU (1998-01)
417 Kamal Shakir, MEM (1997-00)
405 Hanik Milligan, HOU (2000-02)
383 T.J. Slaughter, USM (1996-99)
Davis has also broken the conference's all-time tackles for loss record with 61.5.
BOBBY ROSS NAMED HEAD COACH AT ARMY
On Dec. 9, BOBBY ROSS was named head coach at Army. Ross compiled a 94-76-2 (.552) in 15 seasons as head coach at The Citadel (1973-77), Maryland (1982-86) and Georgia Tech (1987-91). He guided the Yellow Jackets to an 11-0-1 record and shared the national championship with Colorado in 1990. During nearly nine seasons at the helm of the San Diego Chargers (1992-96) and Detroit Lions (1997-2000), Ross authored a 77-68 overall record (.531), including a Super Bowl appearance in 1994 with San Diego.
CINCINNATI NAMES MARK DANTONIO AS HEAD COACH
On Dec. 23, Cincinnati named MARK DANTONIO as its new football coach. Dantonio comes to UC after three highly-successful seasons as defensive coordinator at Ohio State, where he helped guide the Buckeyes to the 2002 National Championship. He has 23 years of collegiate coaching experience, including 12 years in the state of Ohio. He also served as Associate Head Coach at Michigan State during part of his six-year stint in East Lansing (1995-2000).
BCS WINS
Conference USA posted a total of 11 wins over BCS league teams in the 2003 season. The 11 wins is a C-USA record, surpassing the old mark of nine in 1999. A total of seven different Conference USA teams (Cincinnati, Houston, Louisville, Memphis, TCU, Tulane and UAB) defeated at least one BCS league team in 2003. Five of C-USA's 11 wins came on the road.
The 11 over BCS leagues were the second-most of any Division I-A conference during the regular season. Only the Big Ten with 13 had more.
Wins over BCS league teams in 2003
15 Big Ten
13 ACC
12 SEC
11 Conference USA
11 Pac-10
8 Big 12
7 Big East
7 Mid-American
6 Mountain West
5 WAC
1 Sun Belt
ARMY BLACK KNIGHTS
Three days after the conclusion of the 2003 season, the Black Knights named veteran collegiate and NFL mentor BOBBY ROSS as the Academy's new head football coach. Sophomore QB ZAC DAHMAN concluded the season as Army's season record-holder for completions (230), attempts (436) and yards (2,234). He eclipsed the previous yardage standard of 2,174, set by Leamon Hall in 1976. Dahman had 11 touchdown passes in 2003, which tied for the third-best total in Army history. Junior WR AARON ALEXANDER set a season record for receptions to 64. He amassed 861 receiving yards in 2003, the second-highest total in Army's history. For his career, Alexander ranks on Army's career charts for receptions (90, fifth), yards (1315, third) and touchdowns (8, tied for eighth.) Senior WR WILLIAM WHITE closed out his career with 2,675 all-purpose yards, which ranks sixth all-time for the Black Knights.
CINCINNATI BEARCATS
On Dec. 23, Cincinnati named former Ohio State Defensive Coordinator MARK DANTONIO as its new head football coach. Junior QB GINO GUIDUGLI closed out the 2003 campaign as the school's all-time leader in pass completions (670), pass attempts (1,214), passing yardage (8,822) and passing touchdowns (53). He ranks among the top six in C-USA history in all four categories. Junior DE TRENT COLE tied for fourth in Conference USA with 17 tackles for loss. He had a total of 75 stops and added 5.5 sacks. Junior CB DAVEN HOLLY tied the UC single-season school record with six interceptions. The Bearcats posted a league-high 19 interceptions in 2003, the eighth-most in school history. Cincinnati's special teams unit blocked five field goals this season, returning two of the blocks for touchdowns. Five of the Bearcats seven losses in 2003 were by a touchdown or less.
EAST CAROLINA PIRATES
During his final season in Greenville, senior WR TERRANCE COPPER set an East Carolina single-season record for receiving yards with 897. Earlier in the year he set the school record for catches and he finishes the season with 87 receptions, the fourth-highest total in C-USA annals. Copper concludes his Pirate career with 1,683 receiving yards, fourth-best all-time at ECU. Junior RB MARVIN TOWNES ran for 1,128 yards on the season, the eighth-highest total in school history. He became the third different Pirate to run for 1,000 yards in the last three seasons (Leonard Henry in 2001 and Art Brown in 2002). Despite missing one game due to injury, sophomore LB CHRIS MOORE finished with 145 tackles for the season. In his first 21games in a Pirate uniform, Moore has registered 217 tackles.
HOUSTON COUGARS
The Cougars finished the 2003 season at 7-6 under first-year head coach ART BRILES, the second-most wins in school history by a first-year mentor. Houston also made its first bowl appearance since 1996, falling to Hawai'i in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, 54-48 in triple overtime. True freshman QB KEVIN KOLB, the Conference USA Freshman of the Year, closed out his rookie campaign by passing for 3,131 yards and 25 touchdowns with just six interceptions. Nine times he threw two or more touchdown passes in a game and three times he ran for at least two scores, finishing with seven rushing scores. Sophomore RB ANTHONY EVANS became the 20th player in school history to run for 1,000 yards in a season, finishing the season with 1,149 yards in 2003. With senior WR BRANDON MIDDLETON finishing with a Conference USA-record 1,250 receiving yards, UH has a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver in the same season for the first time since 1989. Houston scored 42 or more points in seven games this season.
LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
The Cardinals made their sixth consecutive bowl appearance, but lost to No. 14 Miami (Ohio) in the GMAC Bowl on Dec. 18, 49-28. In his first season as a starter, junior QB STEFAN LeFORS earned first team All-C-USA honors, becoming the third straight U of L signal-caller to accomplish that feat. He finished the season 219-of-357 for 3,145 yards and 17 touchdowns, while rushing for 405 yards and three scores. The 405 rushing yards are the most ever by a Cardinal QB. Junior WR J.R. RUSSELL closed out the year with 1,213 receiving yards, marking the fifth time in six years that U of L has produced a 1,000-yard receiver. Louisville also broke the 46-year old school record for team rushing yards, gaining 2,966 yards on the ground this season. Three Cardinals ran for more than 500 yards, led by junior LIONEL GATES with 817. Sophomore RB ERIC SHELTON, who missed nearly four full games with a knee injury, ran for 790 yards and 10 TDs, while freshman MICHAEL BUSH added 503 yards and six scores.
MEMPHIS TIGERS
The Tigers won their first bowl game in 32 years, defeating Sun Belt Conference champion North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl, 27-17. Junior QB DANNY WIMPRINE was named as the game's Most Valuable Player. In 30 career starts, Wimprine has set 25 Memphis records and will enter his senior season as the all-time leader in pass completions (583) and attempts (1,071), passing yards (7,323) and TD passes (59). In 2003, he set new school single-season marks in completions (246), attempts (440) and passing yardage (3,174). The 393 points scored by the Tigers in 2003 is the highest total in school history. The 1949 team had previously held the record with 385. Memphis averaged 181.5 yards per game on the ground, its highest rushing average since the 1991 season. With an average of 444.5 yards of total offense, the Tigers shattered the school record of 412.4, set in 1969. Memphis averaged a league-high 40,621 fans this season at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, its best-ever home attendance average.
USF BULLS
USF finished the 2003 season at 7-4, the sixth straight year that the Bulls have won at least seven games. Senior FS J.R. REED closed out his collegiate career by playing a key role in all three USF touchdowns in the season-ending win at Memphis, returning a kick 96 yards for one score, picking up a fumble and racing 45 yards for another TD and setting up a third score by returning an INT to the 14-yard line. With three picks, Reed extended his school-record for interceptions to 18. Reed led the nation in kickoff returns, with an average of 31.67 per return. The Bulls tied a school record by forcing seven Memphis turnovers on Nov. 29, giving them 25 turnovers gained for the season. Senior LB MAURICE JONES broke the school's single-season record for tackles, finishing with 119, two more than Kawika Mitchell's 2002 total of 117. USF is 18-1 in its last 19 games following a loss, with its only back-to-back defeats coming at Arkansas and at Oklahoma last season.
SOUTHERN MISS GOLDEN EAGLES
The Golden Eagles were the first C-USA team to post a perfect league mark since the 1999 USM squad, becoming the first squad to finish 8-0. The nine overall wins by the Golden Eagles tie for the most ever under head coach JEFF BOWER, who earned his third Conference USA Coach of the Year honor. The Southern Miss defense, led by seven senior starters, finished in the Top 25 in four statistical categories, ranking fifth in pass defense, 13th in pass efficiency defense, 14th in scoring defense and 23rd in total defense. Junior LB MICHAEL BOLEY led the league and finished seventh in the nation in tackles for loss with 22.5, while registering 151 total tackles (13th in the country). Sophomore DB JOHN EUBANKS had three scores this season - one each on a kickoff return, a fumble return and an interception return. He finished the season ranked fourth in the nation in kickoff return average (29.35).
TCU HORNED FROGS
TCU finished nationally-ranked in both polls, marking the first time since the 1950's that the Horned Frogs finished back-to-back seasons nationally-ranked. At 11-2, the Frogs posted their first 11-win season since the 1938 National Champion TCU squad went undefeated. Running back ROBERT MERRILL became the second straight TCU freshman to run for 1,000 yards, finishing with 1,107 yards, the most ever by a first-year Horned Frog. Merrill becomes just the ninth player in TCU history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Junior WR REGGIE HARRELL became the first TCU receiver to ever have 1,000 receiving yards, setting a single-season school record with 1,012. Sophomore RB LONTA HOBBS led the team in touchdowns for the second straight season with nine and he now has 22 TDs in his first 19 collegiate games. Junior LB MARTIN PATTERSON posted a team-high 103 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss (second on the squad). TCU played six games that were decided by exactly three points in 2003, going 5-1 in those games.
TULANE GREEN WAVE
The Green Wave finished the 2003 season with a 5-7 record, suffering all seven losses to teams that played in bowl games. Senior QB J.P. LOSMAN closed out his collegiate career by passing for 227 yards and four touchdowns in the season finale vs. East Carolina. A top NFL prospect, Losman finished the season with 3,077 passing yards and 33 touchdowns. Both of those figures led C-USA, while the 33 passing touchdowns tied him for seventh place nationally. Over the last three games of the season, junior WR CHRIS BUSH caught six passes and five of them were for touchdowns. Junior WR ROYDELL WILLIAMS finished the season with 1,006 receiving yards, becoming the eighth player in Tulane history to post 1,000 receiving yards in a season. He has also moved into fifth place on the school's all-time receiving list with 2,381 yards.
UAB BLAZERS
Over the last three games of the season, true freshman RB COREY WHITE averaged 108.3 yards rushing, with 100-yard games against Tulane and Houston. Junior WR RODDY WHITE extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one catch to 23 with a 54-yard TD reception in the season finale and finished the season with a 21.6 yard per catch average with 39 receptions for 844 yards. Junior K NICK HAYES successfully connected on 17-of-20 field goal attempts this year. Junior LB ZAC WOODFIN finished the year with a school-record 149 tackles. UAB will lose just four seniors from this year's squad. Since the Blazers joined Conference USA for the 1999 season, UAB has posted a 20-15 record in league play. Only Louisville and Southern Miss have won more C-USA games over that span.
ACADEMIC HONORS
TCU senior K NICK BROWNE has been selected as a first team Academic All-American for the second straight season. A total of seven Conference USA football players have earned Verizon Academic All-District Honors this fall.
First Team Academic All-American
Nick Browne, Sr., K, TCU
District III
Brian Rimpf, Sr., OL, East Carolina
Richard Hourigan, Sr., WR, East Carolina
District IV
DeAngelo Williams, So., RB, Memphis
District VI
Nick Browne, Sr., K, TCU
Michael Roberts, So., DL, Tulane
Joe Traina, So., OL, Tulane
Matt Traina, So., OL, Tulane
SEVEN FORMER C-USA STANDOUTS ARE SUPER
Seven players from Conference USA schools will participate in Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston on February 1 when the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots play for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. NFC Champion Carolina has just one player with league ties, former Memphis CB Reggie Howard, while the AFC Champion Patriots have six former C-USA standouts. Headlining the Pats players is former Houston running back Antowain Smith, a key figure in New England's last Super Bowl win two years ago, who will be returning to the city where he played his college ball. Former UH guard Wilbert Brown is also listed on the Pats Super Bowl roster, along with Southern Miss defensive end Bobby Hamilton, and three former Louisville Cardinals: wide receiver Deion Branch, running back Frank Moreau and nose tackle Ted Washington.