Midseason Reports
Midseason
All-America Teams
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ACC
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Big 12
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Big Ten
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C-USA
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M-West
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Pac 10
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SEC
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Sun Belt
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WAC
- 2006 CFN
Midseason All-America Teams
Offensive Player of the Midseason
Brian Brohm, RB Louisville
Defensive Player of the Midseason
George Selvie, DE South Florida
Ten best Big East players in the first half of the season
1. George Selvie, DE South Florida
2. Brian Brohm, QB Louisville
3. Patrick White, QB West Virginia
4. Ray Rice, RB Rutgers
5. Steve Slaton, RB West Virginia
6. Harry Douglas, WR Louisville
7. Ben Moffitt, LB South Florida
8. Ben Mauk, QB Cincinnati
9. LeSean McCoy, RB Pittsburgh
10. Mike Mickens, CB Cincinnati
Biggest Surprise – South Florida
Feel free to put Cincinnati in this slot, since USF expected to
be good … just not this good. Not
positioned-to-play-for-a-national-championship good. With
Auburn and West Virginia already in the win column, South
Florida has become the favorite to take the Big East and play in
a BCS bowl game, the next step in Jim Leavitt’s master plan
toward building a fourth power program in the state of Florida.
The biggest one-game surprise was Syracuse’s 38-35 shocker over
Louisville, one of the most improbable results in league
history.
Biggest Disappointment – Louisville
Just how far has Louisville fallen since winning the conference
championship last season? Yeah, the defense had to be rebuilt,
but the thinking was that the high-octane offense would carry
the Cards until the D came around. Uh-uh. Even Brian Brohm and
one the best ensembles of receivers around haven’t been able to
compensate for a dreadful unit that can’t tackle. Not long ago
considered a sleeper for New Orleans, losses to Kentucky,
Syracuse, and Utah have Louisville battling to stay alive.
The Big East Champion will be ... South Florida
A close call with Florida Atlantic was a reminder that the Bulls
are hardly a lock to run away with the Big East title this
fall. However, they’re the one program that’s best constructed
to survive a league that’s deep and short on gimmes each
weekend. Along with the top defense in the conference, South
Florida has begun to run the ball better with Benjamin Williams
and Mike Ford, taking heat off QB Matt Grothe. The Bulls will
lose one game, possibly at Rutgers Oct. 18, but getting
Cincinnati and Louisville in Tampa are nice breaks in the
schedule.
Best Game of the First Half
South Florida 21 ... West Virginia 13, Sept. 29
The USF defense stuffed West Virginia's
running game, and started off the scoring when LB Ben Moffitt
picked off a Pat White pass for a 26-yard touchdown, in the
seminal win in the young program's history. The Bulls took a
14-0 lead in the first half on a 55-yard Carlton Mitchell
touchdown catch, and padded the lead on the opening drive of the
second half, finishing with a 19-yard Jamar Taylor rushing
score. The Mountaineer offense only managed two Pat McAfee field
goals until late. With Pat White out with a leg injury, Jarrett
Brown had to take over the West Virginia offense, and he came
through with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Darius Reynaud with
just under six minutes to play. The Mountaineers had one final
shot, but Brown couldn't connect on a fourth down pass to keep
the final drive going, and USF was able to run out the clock.
The two teams combined for ten turnovers.
Second Best Game - South Florida 26 ... at Auburn 23 OT,
Sept. 8
Third Best Game - Kentucky 40 ...
Louisville 34, Sept. 15
Worst Game of the First Half
Rutgers 59 ... Norfolk State 0, Sept. 15
Norfolk State hung tough for a quarter, only allowing a 30-yard
Jeremy Ito field goal, and then the second quarter started.
Rutgers cranked out 42 second quarter points, with Mike Teel
connecting with Kenny Britt on touchdown passes from 42 and 34
yards out, Tiquan Underwood caught a 28-yard scoring pass, and
Ray Rice scored three times. With the starters pulled, Jabu
Lovelace was the main man in the second half for the Scarlet
Knights with two 16-yard touchdown runs.
Coach of the Midseason – Jim Leavitt, South Florida
Brian Kelly of Cincinnati also deserves mention here, and
wouldn’t be a wrong answer. Leavitt, however, has the Bulls in
the rarified air after knocking off Auburn and West Virginia.
Barring a second-half collapse, Leavitt will contend for more
than Big East Coach of the Year, battling for national Coach of
the Year honors.
Player who'll step up in the second half – West Virginia
RB Steve Slaton
Slaton has been uncharacteristically quiet the last two games,
running for just 123 yards and no touchdowns, the first time
he’s gone back-to-back games without scoring in his Mountaineer
career. Concerns? Nah. Slaton’s undersized frame takes a
beating, making last week’s bye a much-needed break from the
action. He’ll return fresh and poised for a monster second half
of the season as West Virginia tries to work its way back into
the Big East race.
Best performance so far – The South Florida defense put
on a clinic against West Virginia, neutralizing the
Mountaineers’ speed and changing the landscape of the Big East
Conference. Closing fast and cutting off every lane, the Bulls
held the high-octane ‘eers without a touchdown for the first 55
minutes of the 21-13 signature upset. Even more impressive, USF
made West Virginia appear slow, something no other defense had
done in the Pat White/Steve Slaton era.
Top Freshman – Pittsburgh RB LeSean McCoy
For good reasons, the Panthers are going to build their offense
around McCoy, a complete back that can beat defenses with his
speed, power, and sharp cutback ability. Despite beginning the
year as a backup, he has quickly become the focal point of the
offense, while periodically taking direct snaps a la Darren
McFadden at Arkansas. Pittsburgh may not be going anywhere, but
if they can establish McCoy and fellow freshman QB Pat Bostick
as fixtures in the backfield, all will not be lost in 2007.
Coach who needs to have a big second half – Louisville
head coach Steve Kragthorpe
Although Kragthorpe isn’t in jeopardy of losing his job after
just one season, he does need to show his new bosses that he
hasn’t completely lost this Cardinals team in October and
November. Louisville has been one of the unmitigated disasters
of the first half, slipping to 3-3 and nearly losing to Middle
Tennessee, but Kragthorpe built some momentum and credibility
after a win over Cincinnati. His defensive coordinator, Mike
Cassity, could also use a huge second half, but even that may
not be enough to save his job.
Player who needs to have a big second half – Rutgers DT
Eric Foster
Where has the Scarlet Knights All-American and emotional leader
been during the first half of the season? A force on the 2006
team that opened up space for players around him, Foster has
been unusually quiet so far, making just 3.5 tackles for loss
and half a sack. The lack of pressure from the interior has
been evident in losses to Maryland and Cincinnati, in which
Rutgers allowed more than 400 yards of offense. Foster has to
tap back into his wild side over the next two months if the
Scarlet Knights are to remain in league contention.
Best remaining conference game – Cincinnati at South
Florida, Nov. 3
This year’s two big surprises out of the Big East will get
together for a game that’ll have infinitely more significance
than anyone could have imagined back in August. The winner gets
the inside track on a BCS bowl invitation and, if still
unbeaten, an outside shot at moving into one of the top two
spots in the BCS standings. It’ll also be can’t-miss viewing
for fans of fast, opportunistic defenses that deliver the
payload.
Team Mid-Season MVPs & Predictions
Cincinnati –
QB Ben Mauk
predicted wins: at Pittsburgh, Connecticut, at Syracuse
predicted losses: at South Florida, West Virginia
predicted record: 9-3
Connecticut –
LB Danny Lansanah
predicted wins: Syracuse
predicted losses: Louisville, South Florida, Rutgers, at
Cincinnati, at West Virginia
predicted record: 6-6
Louisville –
QB Brian Brohm
predicted wins: at Connecticut, Pittsburgh
predicted losses: at West Virginia, at South Florida,
Rutgers
predicted record: 6-6
Pitt –
RB LeSean McCoy
predicted wins: Syracuse
predicted losses: Cincinnati, at Louisville, at Rutgers,
South Florida, at West Virginia
predicted record: 3-9
Rutgers -
RB Ray Rice
predicted wins: South Florida, at Connecticut, at Army,
Pittsburgh, at Louisville
predicted losses: West Virginia
predicted record: 9-3
South Florida –
DE George Selvie
predicted wins: at Connecticut, Cincinnati, at Syracuse,
Louisville, at Pittsburgh
predicted losses: at Rutgers
predicted record: 11-1
Syracuse –
QB Andrew Robinson
predicted wins: Buffalo
predicted losses: at Pittsburgh, South Florida, at
Connecticut, Cincinnati
predicted record: 2-10
West Virginia –
QB Patrick White
predicted wins: Mississippi State, at Rutgers,
Louisville, at Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Connecticut
predicted losses: none
predicted record: 11-1
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