With several Conference USA teams still wrapping up spring practice and the NFL Draft on tap for this weekend, many die-hard fans are thinking football in the off-season. Though the season is still months away, you can get a sneak peek with the C-USA Spring Football Notebook.

12-GAME SCHEDULES
Most Conference USA teams will take advantage of an NCAA rule allowing teams to schedule a 12th football game this season. In fact, Cincinnati will play a school-record 13 games, as it travels to Hawai’i in late November. Louisville and Tulane played 12-game schedules in 2001.

C-USA on ESPN
Conference USA and ESPN Inc. are in the second season of an exclusive eight-year agreement to televise Conference USA football. The contract includes exclusive national cable television coverage on ESPN and ESPN 2 with 10 games annually, including Tuesday and Wednesday night games and select Thursday and Saturday contests. Below is a list of confirmed games that will appear on ESPN or ESPN 2 this fall, as of April 10. Additional telecasts will be released at a later date.

2002 ESPN/CONFERENCE USA TV SCHEDULE
Sun., Sept. 1 Kentucky at Louisville
Mon., Sept. 2 TCU at Cincinnati
Sat., Sept. 7 Illinois at Southern Miss
Sat. Sept. 14 Louisville at Colorado State
Sat., Sept. 21 Ohio State at Cincinnati
Thu., Sept. 26 Florida State at Louisville
Tue., Oct. 8 Louisville at Memphis
Wed., Oct. 30 Southern Miss at TCU
Thu., Nov. 14 Louisville at Southern Miss

COACHING NOTES
Conference USA is one of three conferences (Big East and Mid-American) that welcomes back all of its head coaches from last season. JEFF BOWER of Southern Miss is the dean of the C-USA coaches, as he begins his 12th season at the helm of the Golden Eagles program. ECU’s STEVE LOGAN has the next-longest tenure, as he begins his 11th campaign in Greenville. Bower and Cincinnati’s RICK MINTER are the only two mentors that have coached each year in C-USA since the league began playing football in 1996.

GOING BOWLIN’
Conference USA will send at least four teams to postseason in 2002. Below are C-USA’s bowl agreements for this season (as of April 11):

AXA LIBERTY (Memphis, Tenn.)
C-USA Champion vs. Mountain West Champion
GMAC (Mobile, Ala.)
C-USA vs. Mid-American
HOUSTON (Houston, Texas)
C-USA vs. Big 12
NEW ORLEANS (New Orleans, La.)
C-USA vs. Sun Belt Champion

CATCH AND RUN
Conference USA has two of the five most prolific receiving running backs in the nation. Tulane’s MEWELDE MOORE tops all returnees, while Houston’s JOFFREY REYNOLDS ranks fourth.

LONG RECEPTIONS
Conference USA has two of the nation’s top returnees in average yards per catch. Houston’s BRANDON MIDDLETON is second, while ANTOINE HARDEN of Memphis ranks 11th.

TOP TACKLERS
Two of the top five returning tacklers in Division I-A hail from Conference USA. Houston’s HANIK MILLIGAN tops all returnees, while Tulane’s ADRIAN MITCHELL is fifth.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
Conference USA teams never shy away from playing challenging non-conference competition and this season is no exception. Among the teams on C-USA’s non-conference slate in 2002 are Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Texas. Here’s a look at C-USA’s non-league opponents by conference:

ACC: Duke (2), Florida State, Wake Forest
Big East: Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Temple, West Virginia (2)
Big Ten: Illinois, Northwestern, Ohio State
Big 12: Texas (2)
Mid-American: Miami (Ohio)
Mountain West: Air Force, Colorado State
Pac-10: None
SEC: Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Mississippi State
Sun Belt: Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, North Texas
WAC: Hawai’i, Rice, SMU

MISSING YOU
The Conference USA scheduling format calls for eight Conference games beginning this fall –four home and four away – which means each institution misses one other league foe. Following are the matchups that will not take place in 2002:

Army-Cincinnati
East Carolina-Memphis
Houston-Southern Miss
Louisville-Tulane
TCU-UAB

THEY’RE BACK
A total of 11 First Team All-Conference performers are scheduled to return this fall, with five on offense, five on defense and one on special teams. Ten of the 25 Second Team all-Conference honorees are back, with two offensive returnees being joined by seven defensive performers and one special teams standout.

RETURNING STARTERS
Here’s a look at the returning starters on offense, defense and special teams (including punt and kick returners) for each Conference USA school:

School Off. Def. ST
Army 6 5 3
Cincinnati 8 8 1
East Carolina 6 6 4
Houston 7 6 2
Louisville 5 10 3
Memphis 7 7 2
Southern Miss 9 9 1
TCU 7 6 4
Tulane 6 12 1
UAB 8 2 2

RETURNING LETTERWINNERS
Here’s a look at the number of lettermen returning and lost for each C-USA school:

School Ret. Lost
Army 39 32
Cincinnati 40 21
East Carolina 48 21
Houston 45 26
Louisville 44 17
Memphis 52 18
Southern Miss 47 15
TCU 48 13
Tulane 43 15
UAB 47 21

C-USA EXPANDS
Conference USA will expand to 11 teams in football by the 2003 season as South Florida, a member of Conference USA in all other sports, will become a football-playing member in 2003. Here’s a quick look at USF:

UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
Location: Tampa, Florida
Nickname: Bulls
Colors: Green and Gold
Stadium: Raymond James Stadium (41,441)
Head Coach: Jim Leavitt

SOUTH FLORIDA 2002 SCHEDULE (8-3 in 2001)
Aug. 29 (Thu.) FLORIDA ATLANTIC 7:00p
Sept. 8 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 7:00p
Sept. 14 at Arkansas TBA
Sept. 28 at Oklahoma TBA
Oct. 5 at North Texas 8:05p
Oct. 12 SOUTHERN MISS 7:00p
Oct. 19 at East Carolina TBA
Nov. 2 CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 7:00p
Nov. 9 MEMPHIS 7:00p
Nov. 16 BOWLING GREEN 7:00p
Nov. 23 at Houston TBA

At 8-3, South Florida finished its first season as a Division I-A member with the best record of all I-A independents….The win over Utah State on November 24 increased their home winning streak to 13 games….The Bulls closed the season with six straight victories, winning all six games by at least 19 points….South Florida played before an average crowd of 25,820 at Raymond James Stadium….Junior QB Marquel Blackwell finished the season 258-of-456 (61 %) for 2,882 yards and 20 TD passes. He also rushed for nine touchdowns.

2002 RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS
Here’s a look at Conference USA’s returning statistical leaders in several major categories:

Rushing
RB Mewelde Moore, Tulane
2001: 262 for 1,421 yards; 5.4 avg; 8 TD; 2nd - C-USA

Passing Yardage
QB Dave Ragone, Louisville
2001: 383-231-7; 3,056 yards; 23 TD; 1st- C-USA

Passing Efficiency
QB Dave Ragone, Louisville
2001: 143.5; 383-231-7; 3,056 yards; 23 TD; 1st- C-USA

Receptions
WR LaDaris Vann, Cincinnati
2001: 73-for-902 yards; 12.4 avg.; 3 TD; 1st- C-USA

Receiving Yards
WR LaDaris Vann, Cincinnati
2001: 73-for-902 yards; 12.4 avg.; 3 TD; 2nd- C-USA

All-Purpose Yards
RB Mewelde Moore, Tulane
2001: 2,259 total yards; 1,421 rushing, 756 receiving, 0 punt return yards, 82 kick return yards; 1st- C-USA

Total Offense
QB Dave Ragone, Louisville
2001: 3,122 total yards; 66 rushing, 3,056 passing (475 plays) 1st- C-USA

Scoring
RB Mewelde Moore, Tulane
2001: 90 points; 15 TD; 0 XP; 0 FG; 3rd- C-USA

Field Goals
K Kevin Miller, East Carolina
2001: 1.27 FG per game; 14-17 (82.4 %); 1st- C-USA
K Nick Browne, TCU
2001: 1.27 FG per game; 14-20 (70.0 %); 1st- C-USA

Punting
P Jarad Preston, East Carolina
2001: 45 for 1,983 yards; 44.1 avg.; 2nd- C-USA

Tackles
Hanik Milligan, Houston
2001: 174 (102-72); 4 TFL; 1 INT; 1st- C-USA

Sacks
DE Dewayne White, Louisville
2001: 15 (15 solo, 0 assists): 1st- C-USA

Interceptions
CB Ronnie Gallishaw, Louisville
2001: 5; 0.42 IPG; 0 TD; 2nd- C-USA


ARMY
« Army featured a very balanced attack last season. The Black Knights attempted 361 passing plays and 430 rushing plays, totaling 2,218 yards passing and 1,812 rushing yards. The passing yardage was a new school record, as was the 196 pass completions.
« The Black Knights return their top three rushers from last season. Junior C.J. YOUNG (556 yards), senior JOSH HOLDEN (515) and sophomore ARDELL DANIELS (212) each return this fall.
« Senior WR ARIS COMEAUX was second on the club with 35 receptions, but led the club with five TD receptions. He averaged 14.4 yards per catch and his five TD grabs were the most by a Black Knight since 1990.
« Senior DE/DT CLARENCE HOLMES equaled the single season record for quarterback sacks last season with seven. Holmes became Army’s all-time sack leader against Navy last December when he logged the ninth sack of his career.
« The Black Knights offensive line allowed just nine quarterback sacks last season, the lowest total in Conference USA.
« The annual Army-Navy game will be played at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on December 7. This is the fourth time in the 103-year history of the series that the game will be played at the Meadowlands. Giants Stadium hosted the game in 1989, 1993 and 1997.

NOTING CINCINNATI
« After finishing off its second straight 7-4 regular season, Cincinnati accepted a bid to the Motor City Bowl in Pontiac, Michigan for the second year in a row. It marked the first back-to-back bowl appearances for the Bearcats since 1949-50.
« Quarterback GINO GUIDUGLI enjoyed a remarkable year as a true freshman in 2001, posting a 7-3 record in regular season games he played in. He ranked second among the nation’s freshmen in completions (18.7 per game), fourth in total offense (249.8) and fifth in passing efficiency (154.9). Guidugli threw for 2,573 yards and 16 TD’s on the season, passing for more than 300 yards on four occasions.
« Wide receiver LaDARIS VANN enters his senior season with at least one catch in 32 consecutive games, two shy of the school record. His 73 receptions last season was the second-best total in UC history while his 902 receiving yards ranked third. Vann owns Cincinnati’s career record for receptions with 133.
« The Bearcat offense returns eight starters to a unit that produced 4,579 yards of total offense (third all-time at UC) and 29.1 points per game (the fourth-highest single-season total).
« Senior defensive end ANTWAN PEEK led all UC linemen in tackles with 60 and established new school records for sacks in a game (four vs. Louisiana-Monroe), season (12.5) and career (21). He helped the Bearcat defense register 35 sacks last year, the second-highest total in school history.
« Kicker JONATHAN RUFFIN enters his senior season as the school’s all-time leader in field goals made (43) and kick scoring points (214), while ranking second in total points and field goal percentage (.719). He has hit 58 straight extra-points, just five shy of the school record.

NOTING EAST CAROLINA
« East Carolina made its third consecutive bowl appearance last season, falling to No. 25 Marshall in the GMAC Bowl, 64-61 in double overtime. It was the highest scoring bowl game in NCAA history.
« The Pirates have put together four straight non-losing records for the first time since the program was classified NCAA Division I-A in 1977.
« East Carolina was one of nine teams in Division I-A that averaged over 200 yards rushing and 200 yards receiving, finishing with an average of 214.3 yards in the air and 202.7 on the ground. However, the Pirates must replace QB David Garrard, who owns nearly all ECU career passing marks, and RB Leonard Henry, who scored 18 touchdowns while leading Conference USA in rushing.
« Sophomore PAUL TROTH is expected to take over as the Pirates signal-caller this fall. A high school all-star, Troth saw very limited action as a backup last season. Sophomore DESMOND ROBINSON will also get a look.
« Four starters return on the offensive line, led by All-Conference USA selection BRIAN RIMPF at tackle.
« Linebacker JOHN WILLIAMSON is the team’s top returning tackler (65 in 10 games) and he had 14 TFL’s and 6.5 sacks.
« All-C-USA kicker KEVIN MILLER, a two-time semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, made 14-of-17 field goal attempts last season, including a perfect 13-for-13 from 41 yards or closer.

NOTING HOUSTON
« Junior NICK EDDY has the edge among four talented quarterbacks. Eddy started four games last fall and passed for 1,023 yards and six touchdowns, including a 331-yard passing effort in his debut against Memphis. A pair of redshirt freshmen, BLADE BASSLER and BARRICK NEALY, will battle for playing time, along with TORRENCE BOTTS, a former member of the Cougar basketball team.
« Senior RB JOFFREY REYNOLDS established career-highs last season with 818 rushing yards and a team-high seven touchdowns. He ranks fifth among returning running backs in the nation in pass receptions after catching 37 passes for 349 yards in 2001.
« Houston should once again have a strong receiving corps. Deep threat BRIAN MIDDLETON has averaged 17.6 yards per catch over his first three seasons at UH (24.3 last year) and BRIAN ROBINSON (23 receptions in 2001) will look to return to his 2000 form when he caught 80 passes. Senior JEREMY McCARDELL and KEY KOWA BELL (injured most of 2001; 54 catches in 2000) also return.
« Senior S HANIK MILLIGAN returns after setting a Conference USA record with 174 tackles last season (102 solo). His tackle total led the nation and he was named Second Team All-Conference USA.
« Center AL JAMES enters the 2002 season having started all 22 games of his collegiate career. He and junior guard REX HADNOT are the anchors of the offensive line.

NOTING LOUISVILLE
« Louisville and National Champion Miami were the only teams that repeated as conference champions last season. The Cardinals made a return trip to the AXA Liberty Bowl, where they defeated Brigham Young, the champions of the Mountain West Conference, 28-10. Louisville made its fourth consecutive bowl appearance.
« The Cardinals finished the 2001 season ranked 16th in the final USA Today/Coaches Poll and 17th in the AP poll. U of L won a school-record 11 games last season while setting records for most wins over a two-year period (20), three-year period (27) and four-year period (34).
« Senior QB DAVE RAGONE has been named C-USA Offensive Player of the Year each of the last two seasons. He has a record of 20-5 as a starter and has thrown for 50 TDs and run for nine more in those 25 outings.
« Junior DE DEWAYNE WHITE was the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league (and finishing second in the nation) with 15 sacks. He set a new school record for tackles for losses in a season with 23. In 23 career games, White has 27 sacks and 41 TFL’s.
« Safety ANTHONY FLOYD enters his senior season already owning the school record for interceptions with 17. Last season, he picked off four passes after leading the nation with 10 picks during the 2000 season.
« Senior S CURRY BURNS topped the squad and ranked 10th in Conference USA with 107 tackles last season. He picked off four passes and was named the Defensive MVP of the AXA Liberty Bowl.
« The Cardinals defense forced 31 turnovers last season (10th in the nation) after leading Division I-A with 38 in the 2000 campaign.

NOTING MEMPHIS
« Tailback DANTE BROWN rushed for 902 yards last season, the fourth-highest single-season total in school history. He also rushed for 11 touchdowns, the most by a Tiger player since 1963.
« Sophomore QB DANNY WIMPRINE passed for a Memphis-freshman record 1,329 yards and 14 touchdowns (with just four INTs) in nine games last season. He tied the school-record with four TD passes against Army. Wimprine’s 14 TD passes were the most by a Tiger QB since Steve Matthews threw 18 in 1992.
« Wide receiver DARRON WHITE was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team last season after catching 34 passes for 422 yards and three touchdowns.
« Junior WR ANTOINE HARDEN posted back-to-back 100-yard receiving days against Tennessee and Army last November, the first time a Tiger receiver has done that since 1997. He caught 31 passes for 589 yards and four TDs in 2001.
« Senior JIMOND PUGH enters his third season as the Tigers’ starting center. He has played nearly every offensive snap for the Tigers over the last two years, appearing in 1,303-of-1,488 plays in his career.
« Junior LB/S DERRICK BALLARD registered 60 tackles in just nine games last season, including eight for losses. He also returned an interception for a touchdown.
« The 294 points scored by the Tigers during the 2001 season was the highest total for UM since the 1992 team scored 312.

NOTING SOUTHERN MISS
« Southern Miss finished last season with a 6-5 record, marking its eight straight winning season. The Golden Eagles are one of 12 Division I-A programs that have accomplished that feat.
« The 2002 Southern Miss schedule features six home games for the first time in 20 years and USM opens the season with three straight home games for the first time since 1920.
« The Golden Eagles return nine starters on offense, eight starters on defense and one on special teams. A total of 47 letterwinners are back this fall.
« Running back DERRICK NIX returns for his senior season after missing the entire 2001 season and half of the 2000 campaign with a kidney infection. He was a two-time All-Conference USA selection after rushing for more than 1,000 yards during both his freshman and sophomore seasons.
« Junior LB ROD DAVIS spearheads the USM defense. He posted a team-best 92 tackles and 10 sacks, to go along with four interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
« Sophomore DB GREG BROOKS, a first team All-Conference USA selection, had 16 pass breakups, a new single-season school record.
« Nose tackle SKYLOR MAGEE was named a Sporting News Freshman All-American last season, marking the fifth time in six seasons that Southern Miss has had at least one Freshman All-American.

NOTING TCU
« TCU completed first season as a member of Conference USA by playing in the galleryfurniture.com Bowl, its fourth consecutive bowl appearance. The Horned Frogs are among 19 Division I programs that have gone to a bowl in each of the past four seasons.
« TCU has posted a .500 or better record in four straight seasons. The last time the Frogs recorded as many as four consecutive winning seasons was during the 1950’s when they recorded five straight winning years from 55-59.
« Helped by a school-record –47 yard effort against Louisville, TCU’s defense finished 10th in the nation against the run. The unit allowed just 93.8 yards per game on the ground and 2.7 yards per carry.
« Junior WR ADRIAN MADISE closed out last season with four consecutive 100-yard games. Despite not starting the first three games of the season, he led the team in catches (50) and receiving yards (819). The 50 catches were the most by a TCU receiver since 1995 and the 819 yards the highest total by a Frog total since 1990.
« Junior LB LaMARCUS McDONALD ranked fourth in the nation in tackles for loss last season. He recorded 24.5 TFL’s on the year, an average of 2.23 per game. He earned second team All-Conference USA honors after finishing second on the team with 80 total tackles.
« After being held under 300 yards of offense in the first four games of the 2001 season, TCU averaged 389.1 yards per game over the last seven outings.

NOTING TULANE
« Running back MEWELDE MOORE ran for 1,421 yards last season, the second-highest total in league history. He rushed for more than 100 yards seven times, including a pair of 200-plus yard games. Moore’s 15 touchdowns (eight rushing, seven receiving) was the second-highest single-season total in school history. He is the first player in Tulane history to have 2,000 (2,311) yards rushing and 1,000 (1,106) yards receiving.
« Senior wide receiver ROYDELL WILLIAMS led Conference USA with 11 TD receptions last season. He caught 56 passes for 886 yards (third in C-USA).
« Senior kicker SETH MARLER won the Lou Groza Award after finishing the 2001 campaign making 15-of-16 field goal attempts and connecting on 39-of-40 PATs for 84 points, the most of any C-USA kicker. Marler was also named a first team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), becoming the first Tulane player to be named a first team All-American since AP honored WR Marc Zeno in 1987.
« Junior S ADRIAN MITCHELL finished the 2001 season with 137 tackles, most by a Wave player since Burnell Dent had 137 in 1984.
« Tulane’s defense returned three interceptions for touchdowns last season, with LYNARIS ELPHEAGE, TRA BOGER and JEFF SANCHEZ all scoring on picks.
« The Green Wave had four players on C-USA’s All-Freshman team last season, including TE BOOBY HOOVER who was named a First Team Freshman All-American by The Sporting News.

NOTING UAB
« UAB is aiming for its third consecutive winning season this fall.
« The Blazers defense led the nation in rushing defense last season, allowing just 57.8 yards per game. That figure was nearly 14 yards less than the No. 2 team (Virginia Tech at 71.6). The Blazers have not allowed an individual to run for 100 yards against them since Louisville’s Frank Moreau topped the century mark on Oct. 20, 1999.
« Senior QB THOMAS COX has a 6-1 record as a starter. Included are wins over then-No. 17 East Carolina in 1999 and a win at LSU in 2000. Cox set a Conference USA record for rushing yards by a quarterback against Tulane last year, gaining 177 yards on 26 carries.
« Fullback KENDAL GIBSON scored six touchdowns on just 32 carries last season. UAB was 5-1 in games that he scored a touchdown.
« CHRIS BROWN is the team’s leading returning tackler with 51 stops last season. He also picked off two passes.
« Sophomore NICK HAYES took over the kicking duties midway through last season and connected on 9-of-10 field goals inside 50 yards (10-of-15 overall). Against TCU, he set a new UAB record with a 50-yard field goal.
« JASON SOUTHALL was second in Conference USA in kickoff returns last season at 25.4 yards per return. He set a new school-record with a 93-yard return against Central Florida.