Dec. 4, 2008
Complete Football All-Academic Team Release in PDF Format 
Irving, Texas- Led by a trio of graduate students, the 2008 Conference USA Football All-Academic Team also consists of three seniors, five juniors, two sophomores, and a redshirt freshman. A student-athlete must have a 3.2 cumulative grade point average or better and be a starter or key reserve on the football team to be eligible. Houston, Memphis, Rice, SMU and Tulsa landed two student-athletes apiece on the 14 member team, while Marshall, Southern Miss, Tulane and UTEP each had one.
Brandon Patterson of Memphis receives his second consecutive C-USA All-Academic Team honor as a graduate student. The free safety recently received CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors as an MBA student with a 3.54 GPA. Fellow Tiger Brandon Pearce was also named to the All-Academic Team as a graduate student. The offensive lineman owns a 3.53 GPA and is currently working towards a master's in English Literature.
Rounding out the list of graduate students is Marshall offensive guard Matt Altobello. Altobello has a perfect 4.0 GPA as a master's student in the math education program. The Keyser, W. Va. native has started every game this season for the Thundering Herd and is a leader for a unit that leads C-USA in sacks allowed with just one per game.
Sophomore tight end and wide receiver James Casey of Rice lands on the All-Academic Team after joining Patterson on the CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team. Setting a school record with 208 yards receiving against Memphis and a C-USA season record for receptions with 104 this season, Casey is a triple major in economics, managerial studies, and sport management and owns a 3.84 GPA.
Owl teammate Andrew Sendejo receives his second consecutive All-Academic Team honor as a sport management major with a 3.59 GPA. On the field, he leads Rice in tackles with 90.
Mitch Enright of SMU was named to the All-Academic Team after capturing a 3.99 GPA as a management major. Sophomore teammate Pete Fleps also represents the Mustangs on this year's squad. The linebacker is a marketing major with a 3.54 GPA and notched 23 tackles in one game at Navy, which ranks as the fourth-most ever in a game by a C-USA player.
Case Keenum of Houston joins fellow Cougar Jake Ebner on the All-Academic Team. Keenum is a redshirt sophomore and owns a 3.23 GPA in kinesiology while leading the nation in passing yardage (4,768) and the conference in touchdown passes (43).
Ebner a senior defensive tackle and a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI First-Team selection is a double major in marketing and finance. The Friendswood, Texas native tied for second on the team with two fumble recoveries and two breakup passes while maintaining a 3.54 GPA.
Southern Miss quarterback Austin Davis captures his first all-academic accolade as a business major with a 3.69 GPA. The redshirt freshman is the first freshman QB to start the season since 1991 for the Golden Eagles and broke nine school single-game records and five single-season marks that include most passing yards in a game (461) and most rushing touchdowns in a contest (5).
Andre Anderson of Tulane adds to his list of academic honors a C-USA All-Academic Team member. The junior running back was twice named the Tulane Student-Athlete of the Week this season as a computer information science major with a 3.43 GPA. He was leading C-USA in rushing prior to suffering a season-ending injuring in mid-October.
The Golden Hurricane placed a pair of seniors on the All-Academic Team. Moton Hopkins was named Tulsa's 2008 Homecoming King and carries a 3.37 GPA as a communication major. Senior quarterback David Johnson also represents the Golden Hurricane as an exercise sports science major with a minor in education. Johnson was the only C-USA quarterback named as a semifinalist for the 2008 Davey O'Brien Award and has led the nation in pass efficiency the entire season (66.1 pct). The Portland, Ore. native owns a 3.92 GPA.
Filling the last slot on the roster is Cameron Raschke of UTEP. The junior left guard has been an integral part of an offensive line which has helped UTEP rank 19th nationally in passing efficiency (146.4 ypg). Raschke is an occupational therapy major with a 3.66 GPA.
Although the regular season has wrapped up, six teams are bowl-eligible and The University of Tulsa will host East Carolina University in the 2008 Conference USA Football Championship this Saturday, Dec. 6. Kickoff is Noon Eastern/11 a.m. CST and will be televised live on ESPN2. Tickets are also available by calling the Tulsa Box Office at (918) 631-4688.
2008 CONFERENCE USA FOOTBALL ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Name/School/Class/GPA/Major
Jake Ebner/Houston/Senior/3.54/Marketing, Finance
Case Keenum/Houston/R-Sophomore/3.23/Kinesiology
Matt Altobello/Marshall/Graduate/4.00/Masters in Math Education
*Brandon Patterson/Memphis/Graduate/3.45/Masters in Business Administration
Brandon Pearce/Memphis/Graduate/3.53/Masters in English Literature
James Casey/Rice/Sophomore/3.84/Economics, Managerial Studies,Sport Management
*Andrew Sendejo/Rice/Junior/3.59/Sport Management
Mitch Enright/SMU/Junior/3.99/Management
Pete Fleps/SMU/Sophomore/3.54/Marketing
Austin Davis/Southern Miss/R-Freshman/3.69/Business
Andre Anderson/Tulane/Junior/3.43/Computer Information Science
Moton Hopkins/Tulsa/Senior/3.37/Communication
David Johnson/Tulsa/Senior/3.92/Exercise Sports Science (Minor: Education)
Cameron Raschke/UTEP/Junior/3.66/Occupational Therapy
*Repeat Selection
