Dec. 17, 2008
2008 C-USA Football Bowl Notebook 
IRVING, Texas - For the third time in four years, Conference USA will be sending six teams to bowl games.
Three Conference USA schools accepted bowl invitations on December 7, as the league prepares to send six teams to postseason play for the third time in four years. Tulsa will play in the GMAC Bowl on January 6 in Mobile, Ala., Houston will represent C-USA in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl on December 31 in Fort Worth, Texas and Memphis will play in the inaugural magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl on December 20 in St. Petersburg, Fla.
C-USA Champion East Carolina will face Kentucky in the Liberty Bowl after claiming the league crown on Dec. 6. The Pirates won for the sixth time in seven games in claiming the championship and will be playing in their third straight bowl game.
Tulsa will be making a postseason trip for the fourth straight season and the fifth time in six years. Led by first-year head coach Kevin Sumlin, Houston will be making a bowl appearance for the fourth straight season also, tying the school record. Memphis will be making its fifth bowl appearance in six years under head coach Tommy West.
Tulsa will play Ball State from the Mid-American Conference in the GMAC Bowl. This will be the second year in a row that the Golden Hurricane has played in the game, as TU defeated Bowling Green last year, 63-7.
Houston will make its second appearance in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl as it gets ready to play Mountain West Conference foe Air Force. The Cougars previously faced Kansas in the game (then known as the Fort Worth Bowl) following the 2005 season.
Memphis will face Big East Conference member South Florida in the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl. The inaugural contest will be played at Tropicana Field in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla.
Rice, winners of six straight games, has accepted a bid to play Western Michigan in the Texas Bowl at Reliant Stadium on December 30. Southern Miss, winners of four in a row to close out the regular season, will play Troy in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on Sunday, December 21.
Rice will be making its second bowl appearance in three years, only the second time in school history that has occurred. Southern Miss, which is bowl-eligible for the 15th consecutive winning season, will be going bowling for the 11th time in the last 12 years.
BOWL SCHEDULE
Saturday, December 20
MAGICJACK ST.PETERSBURG BOWL (ESPN 2)
Memphis vs. South Florida 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 21
R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL (ESPN)
Southern Miss vs. Troy 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, December 30
TEXAS BOWL (NFL NETWORK)
Rice vs. Western Michigan 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, December 31
BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES BOWL (ESPN)
Houston vs. Air Force 11:00 a.m.
Friday, January 2
AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL (ESPN)
East Carolina vs. Kentucky 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 6
GMAC BOWL (ESPN)
Tulsa vs. (22) Ball State 7:00 p.m.
All Times Central
ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS
COACH OF THE YEAR
David Bailiff - Rice
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Chase Clement, QB, Rice
OFFENSE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Case Keenum, QB, Houston
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Phillip Hunt, DL, Houston
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Joe Burnett, PR/KR, UCF
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Curtis Steele, RB, Memphis
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Bryce Beall, RB, Houston
2008 C-USA ALL-AMERICANS
Several C-USA players have earned All-American honors in 2008. Here is a look at the honorees this season (as of Dec. 17):
ALL-AMERICAN
WALTER CAMP
Second Team
WR - Jarett Dillard, Rice
KR - Joe Burnett, UCF
FWAA
First Team
WR - Jarett Dillard, Rice
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Second Team
WR - Jarett Dillard, Rice
CBSSPORTS.COM
First Team
WR - Jarett Dillard, Rice
SI.COM
First Team
KR - Joe Burnett, UCF
Second Team
WR - Jarett Dillard, Rice
Honorable Mention
QB - Chase Clement, Rice
QB - David Johnson, Tulsa
QB - Case Keenum, Houston
WR - Aldrick Robinson, SMU
TE - James Casey, Rice
TE - Mark Hafner, Houston
DL - Phillip Hunt, Houston
DB - Kevin Sanders, UAB
P - Matt Dodge, East Carolina
RIVALS.COM
First Team
KR - Joe Burnett, UCF
Third Team
WR - Jarett Dillard, Rice
ATH - James Casey, Rice
K - Jose Martinez, UTEP
FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN
COLLEGE FOOTBALLNEWS.COM
First Team
WR - DeAndre Brown, Southern Miss
DB - Dewuan Bembry, Marshall
Second Team
RB - Bryce Beall, Houston
OT - Tyler Holmes, Tulsa
DB - Emmanuel Davis, East Carolina
Honorable Mention
QB - Austin Davis, Southern Miss
WR - Demaris Johnson, Tulsa
WR - Tyron Carrier, Houston
LB - Marcus McGraw, Houston
SPORTINGNEWS
First Team
KR - Demaris Johnson, Tulsa
Second Team
RB - Bryce Beall, Houston
WR - DeAndre Brown, Southern Miss
CB - Emmanuel Davis, East Carolina
S - Travis Bradshaw, Rice
2008 C-USA ACADEMIC HONOREES
Two C-USA footbal players earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors, while 11 were named Academic All-District, including four student-athletes from Rice and three from Memphis. Here is a look at the honorees:
ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA
Brandon Patterson Memphis
James Casey Rice
ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Jake Ebner Houston
Brandon Pearce Memphis
Matt Reagan Memphis
Brandon Patterson Memphis
James Casey Rice
David Berken Rice
Travis Bradshaw Rice
Andrew Sendejo Rice
Mitch Enright SMU
Thomas Morstead SMU
Alex Thompston UCF
2008 C-USA ALL-ACADEMIC FOOTBALL TEAM
Jake Ebner Houston
Case Keenum Houston
Matt Altobello Marshall
*Brandon Patterson Memphis
Brandon Pearce Memphis
James Casey Rice
*Andrew Sendejo Rice
Mitch Enright SMU
Pete Fleps SMU
Austin Davis Southern Miss
Andre Anderson Tulane
Moton Hopkins Tulsa
David Johnson Tulsa
Cameron Raschke UTEP
RICE IS MOST IMPROVED
Rice’s David Bailiff has engineered the largest turnaround in Division I-A this season, leading the Owls to six more victories than in 2007 (Minnesota has also improved its victory total by six games). Here’s a look at the top turnarounds this season:
Team 2007 2008 Increase
Rice 3-9 9-3 +6
Minnesota 1-11 7-5 +6
Alabama 7-6 12-1 +5
Ball State 7-6 12-1 +5
Mississippi 3-9 8-4 +5
AIR ATTACK
Of the top nine leaders in touchdown passes this season, four hail from the West Division of Conference USA. Houston’s Case Keenum and Tulsa’s David Johnson are tied for second trailing Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford by just five TDs, each tossing 43. Here’s a look at the NCAA leaders (through games of Dec. 8):
MOST TOUCHDOWN PASSES IN 2008
48 Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
43 Case Keenum, Houston
43 David Johnson, Tulsa
41 Chase Clement, Rice
41 Graham Harrell, Texas Tech
37 Chase Daniel, Missouri
34 Max Hall, BYU
34 Tim Hiller, Western Michigan
33 Trevor Vittatoe, UTEP
AIR ATTACK II
Last season, Tulsa’s Paul Smith set a new Conference USA record by throwing 47 touchdown passes. Houston sophomore Case Keenum and Tulsa’s David Johnson have now moved into a second place tie on the list with 43. Before this season, just four QB’s in league history had thrown 30 or more TDs in a season. Currently, four have already thrown for 30+ scores. Here’s a look at the leaders:
C-USA SINGLE-SEASON TD PASS LEADERS
47 Paul Smith, Tulsa, 2007
43 Case Keenum, Houston, 2008
43 David Johnson, Tulsa, 2008
41 Chase Clement, Rice, 2008
36 Shaun King, Tulane, 1998
33 Trevor Vittatoe, UTEP, 2008
33 J.P. Losman, Tulane, 2003
CATCHING ON
Rice’s James Casey currently is second in the nation in total receptions with a C-USA record 104 (through games of Dec. 8). Here’s a look at the leaders:
MOST RECEPTIONS IN 2008
113 Casey Fitzgerald, North Texas
104 James Casey, Rice
98 Jamarko Simmons, Western Michigan
96 Naaman Roosevelt, Buffalo
95 Austin Collie, BYU
70 SOMETHING
On Nov. 15, Houston became the fourth different C-USA team to record 70 points in a game this season as it defeated Tulsa, 70-30. Prior to this season, C-USA teams had only reached the 70 point mark twice in 12 seasons. Here’s a look at the 70-point games in league history:
MOST POINTS SCORED IN A GAME
77 Tulsa vs. UTEP (35), 10-18-08
77 Rice vs. North Texas (20), 9-27-08
72 Tulane vs. Southwestern Louisiana (20), 10-31-98
70 Houston vs. Tulsa (30), 11-15-08
70 Southern Miss vs. UAB (14), 11-1-08
70 Louisville vs. Cincinnati (7), 11-27-04
DYNAMIC DUO
Chase Clement and Jarett Dillard became the all-time NCAA record holders for TDs by a duo on Sept 27. Clement and Dillard have combined for 50 scores in four seasons together at Rice. The duo has produced at least one touchdown in 34 of their last 41 games, including nine of 12 this season.
MOST TOUCHDOWNS BY A DUO
50 Chase Clement and Jarett Dillard, Rice (2005-08)
39 Tim Rattay and Troy Edwards, Louisiana Tech (1997-98)
39 Colt Brennan and Devone Bess, Hawai’i (2005-07)
HEY, JOE
UAB’s Joe Webb is currently fourth among the nation’s quarterbacks with 1,021 rushing yards, averaging 85.1 yards per game on the ground. Webb also ranks fifth in rushing yards per game by quarterbacks. Here’s a look at the nation’s QB rushing leaders (as of Dec. 8):
MOST RUSHING YARDS BY A QB
1,370 Julian Edelman, Kent State
1,115 Colin Kaepernick, UNLV
1,035 Michael Desormeaux, La.-Lafayette
1,021 Joe Webb, UAB
BALL IN THE HALL
After Rice’s Chase Clement and Jarett Dillard connected for their 40th career touchdown at the beginning of the second quarter of the Owls’ 77-20 win over North Texas, both players knew exactly what happened. That touchdown pass set an NCAA record for career scoring passes involving the same duo. So who got the ball? Well, neither of them. The infamous touchdown ball was tucked away and shipped to the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind. Clement and Dillard scored three touchdowns that night and each kept a ball from one of the other two scores.
On October 18, National Football Foundation Chief Operating Officer Matthew Sign honored the duo for their achievement at the Rice-Southern Miss game.
OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
Conference USA is currently ranked second among FBS conferences in total offense, with league teams averaging 400.8 yards per game. Only the Big 12, at 440.9 ypg., is higher. C-USA also trails only the Big 12 in touchdown passes per game, with C-USA teams throwing 2.04 per outing to the Big 12’s 2.32. C-USA has moved up to second among FBS conferences in scoring at 28.7 points per game, trailing only the Big 12 at 36.0 ppg. C-USA is also running more total plays per game (69.7) than any conference other than the Big 12 (70.8).
BOWL STREAK
For the second consecutive season, C-USA will be sending six teams to bowl games. Houston and Southern Miss have played in more bowl games than any other C-USA schools as both teams will be making their 19th bowl appearance this year. In addition, the Golden Eagles will be playing in their seventh consecutive bowl. Below is a look at the current active consecutive bowl appearance streaks.
CONSECUTIVE BOWL GAMES PLAYED
27 Florida State
18 Florida
16 Virginia Tech
12 Georgia, Georgia Tech 11 Texas
10 Boston College, Oklahoma
9 LSU, Ohio State, Texas Tech
8 USC
7 Southern Miss, Boise State, West Virginia, Wisconsin 6 California, Navy, Utah
5 Alabama
4 Houston, Tulsa, BYU, Clemson, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers, South Florida, TCU
PIRATES COLLECT BOUNTY
East Carolina’s seven turnovers gained (5 INT, 2 FMB) against Tulsa in the C-USA Football Championship game were a new C-USA championship record. The five INTs were also a new record, along with the two rumble recoveries.
The takeaways led ECU to its first C-USA Football Championship and will represent in the league in the 50th Annual Liberty Bowl. It will be ECU’s third appearance in the game (1994 & 1995).
The Pirates have won six of their last seven games, 11 of their last 15 and 13 of their last 18. ECU has also won seven of its last nine road games against C-USA opponents and six of its last seven against C-USA West Division members.
Since 1999, the Pirates have scored 42 non-traditional TDs (6 in 2008; cashing in on a pair of kick blocks, three INTs and a KOR).
TRAVIS TAKES HOME MVP
ECU’s Travis Simmons was named the 2008 C-USA Football Championship game MVP after racking up 112 defensive return yards (72 INT, 40 FMB) and 134 overall return yards again Tulsa. Simmons returned his only INT 72 yards for a score to give his team a 14-0 lead and set up another Pirate score with his 40-yard fumble recovery. He also added four tackles.
HARTMAN WINS ANOTHER
East Carolina PK Ben Hartman finished the championship game 2-of-3 on field goal attempts, with his makes coming from 32 and 36 yards. He drilled the 36-yarder with 1:43 left in the game to give his team the lead and the ultimate win. Hartman now owns the ECU record for FGs made in a season and he has made at least one FG in 11 consecutive games. The game-winner was the fifth of his career and second in 2008.
WHITLEY RUNS WILD
Pirate RB Norman Whitley rushed for 104 yards in the win over Tulsa, including a career-long 69-yard TD run in the third quarter. He recorded his second career 100-yard rushing performance (135 vs. UCF on 11/2/08). His 69-yard run was the team’s longest play of the season and he now has five total TDs in 2008 (4 rushing, 1 receiving).
PIRATES PURGE RANKED OPPONENTS
East Carolina jumped into the national polls in September, ranking as high as No. 14. The Pirates defeated No. 15 Virginia Tech and No. 8 West Virginia on back-to-back Saturdays to become the first team from a non-BCS AQ conference to win consecutive games over ranked opponents in the same season since Fresno State in 2001.
ECU NATIONAL NOTORIETY
ECU was named the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America on Sept. 8 and won the Pontiac Game Changing Performance Play of the Week on Sept. 1 for T.J. Lee’s blocked punt and return for the game-winning touchdown vs. then-No. 15 Virginia Tech.
7 FOR 10
Tulsa has won 10 games for the seventh time in school history and for the second consecutive season. It is the first time in the 113-year history of the program that it has notched back-to-back 10-win seasons. Since 2003, TU has won 46 games.
Tulsa played in he championship game as the West Division champion for the third time in four years. The Golden Hurricane defeated UCF in the inaugural game in 2005 and fell to the Knights in 2007 and to East Carolina in 2008.
OWLS PERFECT AT HOME
Rice (9-3) won nine games in a season for the first time since the Cotton Bowl champion team of 1953. Rice also went 6-0 at home this season, the first unblemished mark at Rice Stadium since 2001 (5-0). The last time the Owls went 6-0 at home was by the Cotton Bowl champion team of 1949.
TD RESPONSIBILITY
Rice QB Chase Clement is now responsible for 120 touchdowns (96 pass, 24 rush) and has sole possession of first place on the C-USA list for career TDs.
C-USA CAREER TD RESPONSIBILITY LEADERS
120 Chase Clement, Rice (2006-present)
109 Paul Smith, Tulsa (2005-07, 82 pass 27 rush)
CHASING THE RECORDS
Rice QB Chase Clement finished with 381 passing yards (28-of-41) and five touchdowns in the Owls’ 56-42 win over Houston. He has thrown for over 300 yards in six of his last seven games and the Owls improved to 8-4 when Clement throws for more than 300 yards.
With 439 yards of total offense, Clement became the first Rice player and fifth player in C-USA history to surpass 11,100 career yards. The Alamo Heights, Texas product now has 11,147 yards and trails Tulsa’s Paul Smith (11,304 from 2005-07) for fourth place on the C-USA list.
Clement moved into seventh place on the C-USA career passing yards list. He now has 9,478 passing yards and is 409 yards away from eclipsing UAB’s Darrell Hackney (9,886 yards) for sixth.
With his 58 rushing yards on 13 carries, Clement moved into 13th place on the school’s all-time list for rushing with 1,669 yards. He is the first player in C-USA history to throw for more than 8,000 yards and rush for more than 1,600 yards.
TOUCHDOWN PASSES
After throwing five TD passes against Houston on Saturday, Rice quarterback Chase Clement now has 96 career TD passes to extend his all-time Conference USA TD pass record. Check this section throughout the season to monitor his progress.
C-USA CAREER TD PASS LEADERS
1. 96 Chase Clement, Rice, 2005-present
2. 85 Kevin Kolb, Houston, 2003-06
3. 84 Chris Redman, Louisville, 1996-99
4. 82 Paul Smith, Tulsa, 2005-07
CATCH THIS
Rice sophomore WR/TE James Casey set the C-USA record for single-season receptions on Saturday against Houston after he registered 12 catches for 172 yards and three TDs. The sophomore now has 104 on the season. Here’s a look at the leaders:
C-USA SINGLE-SEASON RECEPTION LEADERS
104 James Casey, Rice, 2008 (1,045 yards)
101 Arnold Jackson, Louisville, 1999 (1,209 yards)
94 JaJuan Dawson, Tulane, 1999 (1,036 yards)
91 Donnie Avery, Houston, 2007 (1,456 yards)
91 Jarett Dillard, Rice, 2006 (1,247 yards)
91 Arnold Jackson, Louisville, 1998 (1,175 yards)
“THOR” DOES IT ALL
Rice sophomore WR/TE James Casey caught three touchdown passes from Chase Clement, scored another on a 1-yard plunge and threw a 3-yard touchdown pass in the Owls’ win over Houston. Casey had his sixth 100-yard receiving day and became the second player in Rice history to catch at least 10 TD passes in a season.
Casey has recorded at least five receptions in 18-straight games dating back to the Houston game last season and now has 150 career receptions. The mark is just two catches shy of equaling David Houser (1974, 76-78) for third place on the Rice list.
CAREER CATCHES
Rice’s Jarett Dillard now sits in second place on the all-time C-USA reception list, just 16 catches away from all-time lead. Here is a look at the career reception leaders. Check this section throughout the season to monitor his progress.
300 Arnold Jackson, Louisville, 1997-00 (3,670 yards)
284 Jarett Dillard, Rice, 2005-present (4,052 yards)
272 Vincent Marshall, Houston, 2003-06 (3,770 yards)
RECEIVING YARDS GAINED
After 43 yards against Houston on Saturday, Rice’s Jarett Dillard extended his all-time C-USA receiving yards record. Here is a look at the all-time leaders. Check this section throughout the season to monitor his progress.
4,052 Jarett Dillard, Rice, 2005-present (284 catches)
3,770 Vincent Marshall, Houston, 2003-06 (272 catches)
3,670 Arnold Jackson, Louisville, 1997-00 (300 catches)
ON THE RUN
UAB QB Joe Webb established a new C-USA mark for rushing yards in a season by a quarterback in UAB’s win over Marshall on Oct. 18. Webb now has 1,021 yards, after scampering for 80 yards against UCF on Saturday. Webb also is tied for second in the league in rushing TDs with 11.
SINGLE-SEASON RUSHING BY A QUARTERBACK
1,021 Joe Webb, UAB 2008
699 Justin Willis, SMU 2007
606 Chad Plummer, Cincinnati 1997
MOST TOUCHDOWNS
With 59 career touchdowns, Rice’s Jarett Dillard has moved into second place all-time on the C-USA career TD list, just one behind the career leader. Check this section throughout the season to monitor his progress.
1. 60 DeAngelo Williams, Memphis, 2002-05
2. 59 Jarett Dillard, Rice, 2005-present
TOUCHDOWN CATCHES
With two TD catches against Marshall on Nov. 22, Rice’s Jarett Dillard extended his own C-USA record for career touchdown catches. The senior now has 59 and also owns the NCAA career mark. Dillard is one of two active FBS players with 40 career TD receptions. Here is a look at the career touchdown catch leaders:
59 Jarett Dillard, Rice, 2005-present
35 Roydell Williams, Tulane, 2001-04
33 Ibn Green, Louisville, 1996-99
31 JaJuan Dawson, Tulane, 1996-98
31 Arnold Jackson, Louisville, 1997-00
SCORES OF SCORES
Conference USA teams have notched an impressive 34 non-offensive scores so far in 2008, including 14 interceptions that have been returned for TDs. The league also has six fumble recoveries for scores, six kickoff return TDs, two blocked field goals returned for touchdowns, two safeties, a punt return TD and has converted the rare blocked PAT that was returned for two points on two occasions.
With the safety by UAB against Marshall on Oct. 18, C-USA has put points on the board in every way possible. East Carolina, Rice, UCF and UTEP account for 18 of the 26 scores, with Owls leading the way with five non-offensive scores so far this season.
CASE IN POINT
With three straight completions to start the game against Rice on November 29, Houston QB Case Keenum set the NCAA Division I record for consecutive completions. Keenum completed his last 22 passes against UTEP (Nov. 2, 2008), the third-highest single-game total in NCAA Division I history.
Keenum finished the Rice game 30-of-54 for 494 yards and five TDs. It was the 15th multi-touchdown game of his career and he has thrown a TD in 15 consecutive games. It was the eighth game of his career with at least three TDs and the fourth straight game he has tossed for three or more scores.
The 494 yards extended his school record of 300+ yard passing games to 13-straight and it was the fifth 400-yard passing game of his career. The sophomore now has 43 TD passes on the season to become just the third Cougar to throw for 40 or more scores in a season. He joins David Klingler (52 touchdowns in 1990) and Andre Ware (46 touchdowns in 1989).
CALHOUN CATCHES
Memphis WR Duke Calhoun made his first catch of game in the third quarter on a 9-yard pass from Arkelon Hall. He extended his receiving streak to 36 games as he has caught a pass in each of his 36 career games played. He entered the game tied for 11th nationally in active receiving streaks. The 36 games is a school record for the junior.
TIGERS WITH 6 TO GET 6
Memphis scored six rushing touchdowns in the win over Tulane, which ties for third all-time in the program’s history. The U of M record is seven rushing touchdowns against North Texas State in 1971 and The Citadel in 1962. The last time the Tigers have had six rushing touchdowns came in 1972 against Wichita State and Tulsa.
With the win, Memphis improved to 6-6 and became bowl eligible for the fifth time in the last six years.
CAN’T CATCH FLETCH
USM RB Damion Fletcher broke the school’s career record for carries with a two-yard rush in the second quarter against SMU on Nov. 29 for his 769th career carry breaking Derrick Nix’s mark set from 1998-2000 and 2002. He finished the day with 19 carries, giving him 788 for his career.
GOLDEN FINISH
With its 28-12 victory Saturday over SMU on Nov. 29, Southern Miss became bowl-eligible for the 15th-straight season and secured a spot in one of the six bowl games affiliated with Conference USA. By winning its last four games to end the regular season, the Golden Eagles are one of six teams within C-USA which garnered bowl eligibility.
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS
Rice TE James Casey and Memphis DB Brandon Patterson were both recently named CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America. Casey was named to the Academic All-American second team after compiling a 3,84 GPA with a triple major in Economics, Managerial Studies and Sports Management. Patterson was named an All-American in both 2007 and 2008, and becomes the only Tiger football player to earn such a distinction twice in his career. He graduated from the U of M in August 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in finance, and currently holds a 3.7 grade point average in graduate school.
EAST CAROLINA PIRATES
East Carolina will be making its third straight bowl appearance when it faces Kentucky on January 2 in the 50th Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl. A victory will give the Pirates their first 10-win season since the 1991 squad finished 11-1 and ranked No. 9 in the nation. ECU made back-to-back Liberty Bowl appearances in 1994 and 1995, losing to Illinois in 1994 and defeating Stanford the next year. Junior DL C.J. Wilson was a first team All-C-USA selection and leads the league with 18.5 tackles for loss. Junior DB Van Eskridge also earned first team all-league honors after registering 89 tackles and four interceptions. ECU’s Conference USA championship was its first league title since winning the 1976 Southern Conference championship. Senior QB Patrick Pinkney’s father, Reggie, was an all-conference defensive back on that 1976 team. DB Travis Simmons was named the C-USA Championship game MVP. P Matt Dodge was recently named to SI.com’s honorable mention All-American team, while DB Emmanuel Davis was named a freshman All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com and The Sporting News.
HOUSTON COUGARS
Houston will be making its fourth straight bowl appearance when they take on Air Force in the 2008 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas on Dec. 31. It will be UH’s 19th overall bowl appearance and the first time they have been to four consecutive bowls since 1978-81. The Cougars will be looking to break an eight-game bowl losing streak that dates back to a 35-0 win over Navy in the 1980 Garden State Bowl. Quarterback Case Keenum was named the C-USA Offensive Player of the Year, the second time in three years a Cougar QB has won the award (Kevin Kolb in 2006). Keenum has thrown for more than 300 yards in all 12 games this season and needs 232 yards in the bowl game to become the second player in school history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season (David Klingler threw for a school-record 5,140 in 1990). Houston became the first C-USA team to win the Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year (DE Phillip Hunt) and Freshman of the Year (RB Bryce Beall) in the same season.
MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD
Marshall finished the 2008 season with a 4-8 overall record, including a 3-5 league ledger. Junior DE Albert McClellan, the 2007 preseason Defensive Player of the Year, was the Herd’s lone first-team all-C-USA selection. He returned after missing all of 2007 with an injury and recorded 57 stops, including 2.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles-for-loss. Sophomore RB Darius Marshall led the Herd with 224 carries for a career-high 1,095 yards and five touchdowns. He also topped the team with 20 kick returns for 790 yards, an average of 26.3 yards per return. Marshall rushed for more than 100 yards in a game seven times and finished 12th all-time on Marshall’s single season rushing chart. He became only the 10th individual at Marshall to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Freshman CB DeQuan Bembry was named a Freshman All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com and earned a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman team. Bembry finished third on the team with 80 tackles this season, including 7.5 tackles for loss. He also defended 11 passes and recorded an interception.
MEMPHIS TIGERS
Memphis will be going bowling for the fifth time in six years when it takes on South Florida in the inaugural Magicjack St. Petersburg Bowl on Dec. 20. Prior to that span, the Tigers had played in just two bowl games in their history. Tigers RB Curtis Steele was named Conference USA Newcomer of the Year after rushing for 1,175 yards and seven touchdowns. Due to injuries, Memphis used four different players at QB, although regular starter Arkelon Hall (176-of-304, 2,121 yards and 11 TD passes) returned to action in the final regular season game and is scheduled to start the bowl game. Senior DL Clinton McDonald was a first team All-C-USA selection and ranked fourth in the league in sacks (7), while registering 35 tackles. Junior QB Brett Toney was nominated for the second annual College Football Rudy Award, it was announced by The Rudy Foundation 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The award honors student-athletes who demonstrate exemplary character, courage, contribution and commitment as members of their collegiate football teams.
RICE OWLS
Rice will be making an appearance in a bowl game for the second time in three years when it squares off against Western Michigan in the 2008 Texas Bowl on December 30 in Houston at Reliant Stadium. The Owls are seeking their first bowl victory since defeating Alabama in the 1954 Cotton Bowl. A victory will also allow Rice to tie its school record of 10, set by Jess Nealy’s 1949 squad. The game will mark the final collegiate contest for QB Chase Clement and WR Jarett Dillard. Originally recruited to a wishbone offense at Rice, the duo has re-written the school’s passing and receiving record books, including becoming the most prolific touchdown duo in NCAA history. Dillard owns the NCAA career record for touchdown receptions (59). In addition, Dillard also holds the NCAA career mark for games with a touchdown catch (37). Clement was named the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2008 and head coach David Bailiff was named Coach of the Year. Sophomore TE James Casey set a new C-USA single-season record with 104 receptions, second-most in the FBS this season and nine shy of the 113 caught by Casey Fitzgerald of North Texas.
SMU MUSTANGS
True freshman QB Bo Levi Mitchell took the reigns of head coach June Jones’ Run n’ Shoot offense in 2008 and finished the season fifth in the league in passing yards per game, averaging 238.8 yards per contest. He racked up 2,865 passing yards and 24 TDs. His 24 TD passes were good for third in a season at SMU and he notched four 300-yard passing games in 2008, the fourth-best mark in school annals. Mitchell’s two favorite targets were WRs Emmanuel Sanders and Aldrick Robinson. Robinson currently ranks fifth (104.7), while Henderson ranks 10th (95.8) in the latest NCAA FBS stats in receiving yards per game. Robinson totaled 59 receptions for 1,047 yards, with an average of 17.7 yards per catch and 11 TD. Sanders, a second team All-C-USA pick at wide receiver, notched 67 receptions for 958 yards, with an average of 14.3 yards per catch and nine TDs. Former record-setting QB turned WR Justin Willis had his finest game in the season finale. Willis had career-highs of 11 receptions and 88 receiving yards and added his first career receiving TD, which set the SMU record for career TD responsibility with 58. He now has 51 passing TDs, 6 rushing TDs, and a receiving TD.
SOUTHERN MISS GOLDEN EAGLES
Southern Miss will be making its seventh straight bowl appearance and its 11th in the last 12 seasons when it faces Troy in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 21. A victory will allow the Golden Eagles to post their 15th consecutive winning season. Southern Miss RB Damion Fletcher led Conference USA in rushing with 1,235 yards, his third straight 1,000-yard season and he is now the Southern Miss all-time rushing leader. Junior LB Gerald McRath led the league in tackles for the second straight season, registering 126 stops (10.5 per game). True freshman WR DeAndre Brown led all of the nation’s freshmen in receiving yards (1,108) and touchdowns (12), while ranking second in catches (66). Brown was named a freshman All-American by both CollegeFootballNews.com and The Sporting News.
TULANE GREEN WAVE
A total of six Tulane football players received 2008 All-Conference USA award recognition, including two first team selections in seniors Troy Kropog and Craig Gelhardt, while junior Ross Thevenot was named to the All C-USA second team, and seniors Michael Parenton and Reggie Scott and junior Andre Anderson were each named honorable mention performers. One of the hottest running backs in the nation this season, Anderson rushed for 864 yards and seven touchdowns on 174 carries and had 25 receptions for 202 yards and a score through seven games before suffering a season-ending injury in the second quarter against Rice. At the time of his injury, he ranked first among Conference USA running backs in rushing (142.0) and all-purpose yards (175.67) and was fourth nationally in both categories. Anderson rushed for 100 or more yards in four games, including two contests with 200+ yards and owned two of the nation’s top rushing performances with 219 yards vs. SMU and 255 yards and two touchdowns at UTEP.
TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE
Tulsa will be playing in a bowl game for the fourth year in a row and the fifth time in six years when it faces Ball State on Jan. 6 in the AutoZone Liberty in Memphis, Tenn. Senior QB David Johnson has thrown 43 touchdowns, which is second only to Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford (48) among FBS quarterbacks. The Golden Hurricane is second in the FBS in total offense at 565.08 yards per game and second in scoring offense at 47.4 points per game. Tulsa is the only team in the FBS that ranks in the top 10 in both rushing offense (254.8 ypg) and passing offense (310.2 ypg).The Golden Hurricane are seeking back-to-back bowl victories for the first time in school history and have already compiled the first back-to-back 10-win season in program history. RB Tarrion Adams leads the TU ground attack with 1,316 yards and 11 TDs. Brennan Marion leads a deep WR corps for head coach Todd Graham, as he has collected 43 receptions, for 1,112 yards and eight TDs. Freshman WR/KR has already set the league’s single-season record for season kickoff return yards with 1,319 yards on 51 returns.
UAB BLAZERS
The Blazers won their final two road games and finished the season with its first-ever shutout of a C-USA opponent to finish 4-8 overall, 3-5 in league play. Junior QB Joe Webb became the first quarterback in league history to top 1,000 rushing yards in a season, as he finished with 1,021. Webb threw for 2,367 yards and 10 TDs to become just the sixth quarterback in major-college history to pass for 2,000 and rush for 1,000 in a season. Senior K Swayze Waters tied a C-USA record with five field goals in his final game and became the first kicker in league history to earn all-conference honors as both a punter and placekicker in the same season. Waters concluded his career at UAB with 50 field goals in 64 tries for 78.1 percent. His 50 field goals rank No. 8 all-time in Conference USA history and are second at UAB behind Nick Hayes who kicked 57 from 2001-04. Waters’ accuracy mark of 78.1 is first all-time at UAB and No. 6 in C-USA history. UAB also ran for 18 touchdowns this season after scoring just five times on the ground last year.
UCF KNIGHTS
The Knights closed out the season at 4-8, going 3-5 in C-USA play. Senior Joe Burnett became just the third player in C-USA history to earn first team All-Conference honors in four straight seasons and also earned All-American honors from several outlets. Burnett finished the year with 102.2 all-purpose yards per game despite having no rushing or receiving yards. Since 2000, only two other players in the nation have finished in the Top 100 nationally in all-purpose yardage with no offensive gains. In 2008, Burnett is the only player in the nation to rank in the top 20 of both kickoff and punt returns, presently ranking seventh in kickoff returns and 11th in kickoff returns. Three members of the UCF secondary finished their careers ranked among the top 12 active NCAA leaders in interceptions. Burnett tied for second with 16, Sha’Reff Rashad is fifth with 15 and Johnell Neal is 12th with 12. Those three players, along with Jason Venson, combined for 183 starts and 50 INTs. Four different freshmen (QB Rob Calabrese, RBs Brynn Harvey, Latavius Murray and Ronnie Weaver) scored touchdowns for UCF this season. Sophomore DT Bruce Miller had four tackles for loss against UAB, giving him 17 on the season, the seventh-highest total in school history.
UTEP MINERS
UTEP senior center Robby Felix, senior kicker Jose Martinez and senior linebacker Adam Vincent each garnered first team All-Conference USA honors on Tuesday, based upon a vote by league coaches. The Miners had four overall selections, with senior safety Josh Ferguson making the second team as a punt returner. Martinez led the squad with 105 points. The Lou Groza Award semifinalist was 20-for-27 on field goal attempts and 45-for-46 on PATs. He hit a 64-yard field goal against UCF, the second-longest without a tee in NCAA history. Martinez is tied for fifth nationally in field goals (1.7 avg.) and 17th in scoring (8.8 ppg). Vincent ranked second in Conference USA and tied for 25th in the country in tackles with 9.2 per game, and had double-digit stops in eight of 12 contests. He ended the year with 110 tackles, 7.5 tackles for losses, 1.5 sacks, five pass break-ups, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble. Sophomore QB Trevor Vittatoe had another outstanding season in 2008. He completed 246 of 418 passes for 3,274 yards and a school-record 33 touchdowns. Vittatoe is tied for 20th nationally in total offense (270.3 ypg), and also rates 20th in passing efficiency (146.39). He threw for three or more touchdowns in eight games this season, and had a career-best 410 yards passing versus SMU.
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