Athlon's Names Two C-USA Football Players First Team Preseason All-Americans

Rod Davis

Two Conference USA players have been named as First Team Preseason All-Americans by Athlon’s Magazine, the publication announced recently. Southern Miss senior LB Rod Davis and Louisville KR Broderick Clark were named as first team selections, while Southern Miss senior DB Etric Pruitt also received All-American recognition as a third team member.

One of only two returning AP All-American linebackers, Davis averaged 12.9 tackles a game, 0.81 sacks a game and 1.8 tackles for loss per game. He also registered two interceptions, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He led Conference USA in tackles, solo tackles and sacks and was second in tackles for loss.

Davis, who received the 2002 Conerly Trophy signifying the top player in the state of Mississippi, was also a first-team All-Conference USA member for the second year in a row in 2002. He led Southern Miss in tackles (168), solo tackles (122), sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (23.5) and was ranked among the nation’s best in each of the listed categories, No. 3 in solo tackles, tied for No. 6 in total tackles, tied for 13th in tackles for loss and No. 18 in sacks.

Clark was named as Conference USA’s Special Teams Player of the Year in 2002 after finishing second in the nation in kick return average at 28.9 per return. Clark matched both the school and league marks with a pair of returns for scores, including a league-record 100-yard scamper against Kentucky in the season opener, en route to first team all-conference and all freshman laurels as a return man. Clark recorded 31 returns for 897 yards, just four yards shy of the school and conference marks for single-season return yardage.

Pruitt was named as a 2002 second-team All-American by CNNSI.com and CollegeFootballNews.com and he earned Fourth Team All-American honors from The Sporting News. A first team all-Conference USA selection, he was a 2002 Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist.

He started all 13 games last season, finishing third on the Southern Miss defense in tackles with 139 (10.7 average). Pruitt collected six interceptions (tying a C-USA record with three vs. Army), and added 13 pass breakups, 1.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and three blocked punts.


2003 ATHLON SPORTS' PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS

FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICA
OFFENSE
QB – Cody Pickett, Washington
RB – Steven Jackson, Oregon State
RB – Darren Sproles, Kansas State
WR – Reggie Williams, Washington
WR – Rashaun Woods, Oklahoma State
TE – Kellen Winslow, Jr., Miami
OL – Sawn Andrews, Arkansas
OL – Jammal Brown, Oklahoma
OL – Nick Leckey, Kansas State
OL – Antonio Hall, Kentucky
OL – Jacob Rogers, USC

DEFENSE
DL – Claude Harriott, Pittsburgh
DL – Tommie Harris, Oklahoma
DL – Darrion Scott, Ohio State
DL – David Pollack, Georgia
LB – Teddy Lehman, Oklahoma
LB – Courtney Watson, Notre Dame
LB – Rod Davis, Southern Miss
DB – Chris Gamble, Ohio State
DB – Brandon Everage, Oklahoma
DB – Marlin Jackson, Michigan

SPECIALISTS
K – Nate Kaeding, Iowa
KR – Broderick Clark, Louisville
P – Andy Lee, Pittsburgh
PR – Derek Abney, Kentucky

SECOND-TEAM ALL-AMERICA
OFFENSE
QB – Brad Smith, Missouri
RB – Anthony Davis, Wisconsin
RB – Maurice Clarett, Ohio State
WR – Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh
WR – Mike Williams, USC
TE – Ben Utecht, Minnesota
OL – Robert Gallery, Iowa
OL – David Baas, Michigan
OL – Stephen Peterman, LSU
OL – Rob Petitti, Pittsburgh
OL – Calvin Armstrong, Washington State

DEFENSE
DL – Will Smith, Ohio State
DL – Jason Babin, Western Michigan
DL – Nathaniel Adibi, Virginia Tech
DL – Andrew Shull, Kansas State
LB – Derek Johnson, Texas
LB – Karlos Dansby, Auburn
LB – Kirk Morrison, San Diego State
DB – Vontez Duff, Notre Dame
DB – Jamaal Brimmer, UNLV
DB – Jim Lionhard, Wisconsin
DB – DeAngelo Hall, Virginia Tech

SPECIALISTS
K – Mike Nugent, Ohio State
KR – Jason Wright, Northwestern
P – Matt Payne, BYU
PR – Dan Sheldon, Northern Illinois

THIRD TEAM ALL-AMERICA
OFFENSE
QB – Matt Schaub, Virginia
RB – Michael Turner, Northern Illinois
RB – Kevin Jones, Virginia Tech
WR – Bernard Berrian, Fresno State
WR – James Newson, Oregon State
TE – Heath Miller, Virginia
OL – Wesley Britt, Alabama
OL – Rob Droege, Missouri
OL – Nick Kaczur, Toledo
OL – Chris Colmer, NC State
OL – Tony Pape, Michigan

DEFENSE
DL – Kenechi Udeze, USC
DL – Brandon Kennedy, North Texas
DL – Cedric Hilliard, Notre Dame
DL – Howard Hodges, Iowa
LB – Matt Grootegoed, USC
LB – Grant Wiley, West Virginia
LB – Jonathan Vilma, Miami
DB – Etric Pruitt, Southern Miss
DB – Derrick Strait, Oklahoma
DB – Bob Sanders, Iowa
DB – Corey Webster, LSU

SPECIALISTS
K – Billy Bennett, Georgia
KR – Nate Jones, Rutgers
P – Cody Scates, Texas A&M
PR – Wes Welker, Texas Tech