East
UAB
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UCF
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East
Carolina
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Marshall
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Memphis
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Southern
Miss
West
Houston
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Rice
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SMU
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Tulane
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Tulsa
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UTEP
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2008 CFN All-CUSA Team
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2008 CFN Preseason All-CUSA Team
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2007 Conference USA Lookback/Recaps
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2009
Conference USA Early Lookaheads
East
Carolina
CFN Preseason Prediction: 6-6 Final
Record: 9-5
Recap:
The Pirates needed the Costco-sized box
of Dramamine last fall to combat a year
filled with ups and downs. East Carolina
opened by stunning Virginia Tech and
West Virginia, rising all the way up to
No. 14 in the polls. Over the next two
months, it plummeted back to reality,
losing 4-of-7 games. However, the
Pirates rose up in November to win the
East and upset Tulsa for a Conference
USA title. Naturally, the Pirates
suffered a tough Liberty Bowl loss to
Kentucky, winning the first half and
dropping the final two quarters. Even
after all the twists and turns, this
goes down as one of the best seasons in
school history.
Offensive Player of the Year:
QB Patrick Pinkney
Defensive Player of the Year:
LB Pierre Bell
Biggest Surprise: Suffocating No.
8 West Virginia, 24-3. Even after
shocking Virginia Tech, many people
still felt the Pirates were going to be
a one-hit wonder. The program proved
otherwise, hammering the defending Big
East champs with a physical and
attacking defense. The three points was
the Mountaineers’ worst output in almost
seven years.
Biggest Disappointment: Losing
the Liberty Bowl. The Pirates appeared
headed to back-to-back bowl wins and
their first 10-win season since 1991
before tanking in the second half. Sure,
Kentucky caught a pivotal break from the
officials, but that doesn’t excuse East
Carolina for scoring three points in the
last 39 minutes.
Looking Ahead: The new king of
the hill in Conference USA will spend
the offseason working to stay there.
Retaining head coach Skip Holtz, who
gets wooed by bigger schools every year,
was a pleasant surprise. The Pirates
expect to be strong along both lines
once again, which will help offset
losses elsewhere.
Houston
CFN Preseason Prediction: 6-6
Final Record: 8-5
Recap:
If the Houston administration had any
early buyer’s remorse about hiring Kevin
Sumlin, it was gone by October. The
Cougars erased a slow start by finishing
7-2, capping the run with a win over Air
Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. Under
Sumlin, there was no drop-off on offense
from the days when Art Briles was in
town. In fact, Houston was more potent
than ever, averaging 40 points a game
and finishing second nationally to only
Tulsa in total offense.
Offensive Player of the Year:
QB Case Keenum
Defensive Player of the Year:
DE Phillip Hunt
Biggest Surprise: Embarrassing
Tulsa on Nov. 15. Houston wanted
redemption for last year’s 56-7 loss at
Skelly Stadium. Mission accomplished. It
scored at will, only slowing down in the
fourth quarter of a 70-30 rout of the
nation’s No. 25 team. Keenum brought
national attention to the program,
accounting for seven touchdowns and
throwing for more than 300 yards in a
school-record 13th straight
game.
Biggest Disappointment: Losing to
Rice two weeks later. With the West
Division title at stake, Houston
couldn’t overcome its defensive
breakdowns. Chase Clement threw for 381
yards and five touchdown passes, making
sure the Cougars wouldn’t mount a second
half challenge. Instead of a shot at a
league championship, Houston was
resigned to a rematch with Air Force in
the Armed Forces Bowl.
Looking Ahead: As good as the
offense was in 2008, next year’s edition
has a chance to be better. Keenum is
back as the triggerman along with
precocious 1,000-yard rusher Bryce Beall
and 14 of the 15 players that caught a
pass last fall. The defense will
continue to have problems, especially
with the loss of Hunt, the league’s
premier sacker.
Marshall
CFN Preseason Prediction: 7-5 Final
Record: 4-8
Recap:
The Herd got off to the fast start that
it so desired, but getting to 3-1 wound
up being a tease. Marshall would win
once for the rest of the season, often
falling victim to an offense that had
trouble getting into the end zone. The
season did mark the return of DE Albert
McClellan, the former Conference USA
Defensive Player of the Year, who missed
2007 with a knee injury. Despite a
fourth straight losing year, head coach
Mark Snyder survived, earning at least
one more year to return the Herd to
glory.
Offensive Player of the Year: RB
Darius Marshall
Defensive Player of the Year: LB
Maurice Kitchens
Biggest Surprise: Upsetting
Houston on Oct. 28. Marshall was primed
for a toe tag when the red-hot Cougars
visited on a Tuesday night, but left
with a surprisingly easy 37-23 victory.
With a rare display of balance on
offense, the Herd jumped all over its
visitors, while limiting them to their
lowest point total of the year.
Biggest Disappointment: Losing to
UAB on Oct. 18. This one really hurt. At
the time, the Herd was 3-3 and unbeaten
in league play, having only lost to
prominent BCS schools. Dropping a game
to lowly UAB, however, was the first
sign that the season wouldn’t end as
well as it started. Despite moving the
ball through the air, Marshall didn’t
score an offensive touchdown in the
second half, coming up short in its
comeback bid.
Looking Ahead: Snyder feels the
school is close to turning the corner,
but at some point, he has to deliver
results. Although there’s skill position
talent on this team, it needs a
consistent quarterback to spread the
ball around. Mark Cann got mixed reviews
as a freshman, opening the door for
Brian Anderson and a couple of junior
college transfers to compete in the
spring.
Memphis
CFN Preseason Prediction: 5-7 Final
Record: 6-7
Recap:
The Tigers bowled for the fifth time in
the last six years, but does straddling
the .500 mark and playing in second-rate
postseason games qualify as progress?
It’s a question some within the fan base
have started to ponder. Attendance
continues to decline and complacency has
set in at a program that’s yet to win a
conference championship since joining
the league 12 years ago. To its credit,
Memphis rallied to bowl eligibility
after an 0-3 start, and was competitive
in the majority of its losses.
Offensive Player of the Year:
RB Curtis Steele
Defensive Player of the Year:
DT Clinton McDonald
Biggest Surprise: Steele. While
not overly hyped when he arrived from
Northwest Mississippi Community College,
Steele quickly blossomed into the
program’s best tailback since DeAngelo
Williams left for the NFL. He finished
his first season in Memphis with 1,253
yards, fourth best in school history,
and scored seven touchdowns.
Biggest Disappointment: The St.
Petersburg Bowl. No, Memphis wasn’t
expected to beat South Florida,
especially near its campus, but getting
blown out, 41-14, was a lost opportunity
to make a statement against an
up-and-coming BCS opponent. The Tigers
allowed almost 500 yards and had
problems getting Steele rolling.
Looking Ahead: JUCO QB Arkelon
Hall should be better in his second
season at Memphis, especially since
he’ll be supported by one of the best
casts of skill position players in the
league. The program is also buzzing
about the transfers of defensive players
Jamon Hughes, Derrick Odom, and DeRon
Furr from the SEC, and RB Lance Smith
from Wisconsin.
Rice
CFN Preseason Prediction: 3-9 Final
Record: 10-3
Recap:
For the second time in the last three
years, the Owl football team authored a
historical season that’ll forever go on
the school timeline. This year’s squad
actually topped the 2006 edition,
winning a bowl game for the first time
since 1954 and spitting out its first
10-win season since 1949. The catalyst
was once again a Chase Clement-led
offense that was held below 35 points
just three times all year, and in Jarett
Dillard and James Casey, had two of the
most exciting receivers in the country.
The Clement-to-Dillard connection
finished the year as the most prolific
pitch-and-catch combo in NCAA history.
Offensive Player of the Year:
QB Chase Clement
Defensive Player of the Year:
LB Brian Raines
Biggest Surprise: Routing Western
Michigan in the Texas Bowl. While no
shocker that the Owls beat the Broncos,
the margin of victory and play of the
defense was unexpected. In what was
supposed to be match up of equals, Rice
scored the game’s first 38 points, and
completely shut down the high-powered
Western Michigan passing attack until
the outcome had been decided.
Biggest Disappointment: Never
competing against Tulsa on Oct. 4. Had
this game been played a month later, the
results might have been different. Rice
hung tough for about 20 minutes before
succumbing to the Hurricane offensive
machine, 63-28, dropping its only league
game of the season.
Looking Ahead: While Clement and
Dillard have helped laid the foundation
for a program that had been crumbling,
they’ve also set the bar ridiculously
high for the next generation of Owls.
Plus, Casey has decided to leave for the
NFL with two years of eligibility
remaining. A lot will be expected from
new QB John Thomas Shepherd and a
defense that returns nine starters.
SMU
CFN Preseason Prediction: 3-9 Final
Record: 1-11
Recap:
Those expecting much more than a 1-11
record from the Mustangs were probably
giving a little too much credit to new
head coach June Jones. Yes, the program
is building, but there’s still a talent
gap versus the rest of the league, and
Jones preferred to use a ton of
underclassmen, including true freshman
QB Bo Levi Mitchell, rather than look
for quick fixes that might have added an
extra win or two. Percolating just below
that one-win season was a young team
that started growing up in October and
November with a bunch of near-misses.
Offensive Player of the Year:
WR Emmanuel Sanders
Defensive Player of the Year:
DE Youri Yenga
Biggest Surprise: Nearly knocking
off Tulsa and Houston in back-to-back
weekends in October. Those on the
Hilltop looking for a silver lining in
an otherwise dismal year should
concentrate on these two games. Despite
being substantial underdogs, the
Mustangs stayed with the Hurricane and
Cougars before falling short in a pair
of uplifting six-point losses.
Biggest Disappointment: Going
winless in conference play. While no one
expected miracles in Jones’ first
season, even one win against a league
opponent would’ve made the long
offseason just a little more tolerable.
Moral victories didn’t go unnoticed, but
SMU had hoped to put someone other than
Texas State-San Marcos in the win
column.
Looking Ahead: Look out,
Conference USA. SMU is about to take the
next step in its rebuilding plan under
Jones. Playing so many freshmen and
sophomores will start paying dividends,
and the run-and-shoot won’t look so
foreign in 2009. Mitchell figures to be
more comfortable throwing to an emerging
corps of receivers that’s led by Sanders
and Aldrick Robinson.
Southern Miss
CFN Preseason Prediction: 8-4 Final
Record: 7-6
Recap:
Considering the complete change in
philosophy that took place when Jeff
Bower was let go, 2008 was a clear-cut
success in Larry Fedora’s first year in
Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles reeled
off four straight wins down the stretch
just to become bowl-eligible and then
came from behind to beat Troy in the New
Orleans Bowl and finish above .500. As
building-block seasons go, Southern Miss
has laid a solid foundation while using
a bunch of underclassmen on both sides
of the ball.
Offensive Player of the Year:
RB Damion Fletcher
Defensive Player of the Year: LB
Gerald McRath
Biggest Surprise: Shutting down
East Carolina to remain alive for the
postseason. The eventual Conference USA
champs could not move the ball on the
Golden Eagles, making just 10 first
downs and failing to reach the end zone.
It was a game until the fourth quarter,
when a pair of touchdowns blew the game
open.
Biggest Disappointment: Dropping
a heartbreaker to UTEP on Oct. 4.
Southern Miss lost four games by a
touchdown or less, but none more
excruciating than this one to the
Miners. Despite generating 541 yards of
offense, the Golden Eagles were forced
to settle for a few too many field goals
when touchdowns were needed, losing in
double overtime, 40-37.
Looking Ahead: The offseason got
off to a rocky start when star WR
DeAndre Brown broke his lower leg in the
bowl win. A scratch for the spring, it
remains to be seen whether he’ll be
ready for the opener. Freshman QB Austin
Davis came on very strong in his first
year in Fedora’s system, and should be
even better in 2009. McRath has declared
early for the NFL Draft, leaving a large
hole on the defense.
Tulane
CFN Preseason Prediction: 5-7
Final Record: 2-10
Recap:
At 2-2, the Green Wave felt pretty good
about itself. And why not? It played
unexpectedly well against Alabama and
East Carolina, and was riding a two-game
winning streak. Unfortunately, that
would be the high point for the program
in 2008. Tulane dropped the rest of its
games, matching a school-record for
losses in a season. What’s worse, the
Green Wave failed to develop a
quarterback and stopped being
competitive at the end of October,
losing the final six games by at least
17 points.
Offensive Player of the Year:
RB Andre Anderson
Defensive Player of the Year:
DE Reggie Scott
Biggest Surprise: Giving Alabama
one of its toughest tests of the regular
season. The Green Wave may have lost
20-6, but it earned the respect of the
Tide, which scored a single offensive
touchdown and generated a season-low 172
yards of total offense. Unfortunately
for Tulane, it would be its best showing
of the year.
Biggest Disappointment: Getting
crushed at home by Army, 44-13. After
four games, the Green Wave was playing
as if it planned to be one of this
year’s upstarts in Conference USA. The
Black Knights, however, ended that
chatter behind FB Collin Mooney, who
ripped the Tulane D for 187 yards and
four scores on just 19 carries.
Looking Ahead: After two years with
Bob Toledo calling the shots, Tulane
isn’t any closer to being a threat in
Conference USA. In fact, the Green Wave
regressed in 2008, particularly on
defense. The program needs to get faster
on both sides of the ball and somehow
transform one of the young quarterbacks,
Kevin Moore or Joe Kemp, into a
productive passer.
Tulsa
CFN Preseason Prediction: 8-4 Final
Record: 11-3
Recap:
Although the Golden Hurricane lost in
the Conference USA title game for a
second straight December, it was still a
banner year for the program. Tulsa set
all kinds of offensive records en route
to a school-best 11 wins and a second
bowl victory in-a-row. An 8-0 start had
it thinking BCS bowl game until
back-to-back losses to Arkansas and
Houston ended that dream. After 21 wins
in the last two years, head coach Todd
Graham has a new 10-year deal and a
solid foundation to build the future
upon.
Offensive Player of the Year:
QB David Johnson
Defensive Player of the Year:
S James Lockett
Biggest Surprise: True freshman
WR Damaris Johnson. While Graham was
thrilled to land Johnson back in
February, he couldn’t have figured he’d
be this good, this fast. The 5-8,
175-pound jackrabbit finished No. 5
nationally in all-purpose yards, doing
damage as a kick returner and catching
53 passes for 743 yards and 10
touchdowns.
Biggest Disappointment: Losing
for the first time to Arkansas on Nov.
1. If the Hurricane was going to earn
some national respect, it knew it had to
win this game, the only one on the
schedule against a team from a BCS
conference. Tulsa failed the test,
scoring just three points in the second
half of a deflating 30-23 defeat.
Looking Ahead: Much like a year
ago, one of the spring goals will be to
determine a new starting quarterback.
Jacob Bower has the early edge to
replace Johnson. Whoever gets the ball
will be running the same wide-open,
no-huddle offense that’s been so
successful even though offensive
coordinator Gus Malzahn has left the
school for Auburn.
UAB
CFN Preseason Prediction: 2-10 Final
Record: 4-8
Recap:
Although it may be a long process,
progress is beginning to happen in
Birmingham. Sure the Blazers won just
four games, but that’s two more than a
year ago, and they played their best
ball at the end of the season. After a
rough start, UAB finished 3-2 and a
respectable game out of second place in
the East Division. The campaign was
marked by the emergence of dual-threat
QB Joe Webb, who, like Darrell Hackney
before him, has the skill set to carry
the program to new heights.
Offensive Player of the Year:
QB Joe Webb
Defensive Player of the Year:
LB Joe Henderson
Biggest Surprise: Beating UCF on
Nov. 29. Two weeks after snapping a
19-game road losing, UAB got a
winning streak started away from
Legion Field thanks to five Swayze
Waters field goals. What’s more, the
Blazers blanked the Knights for their
first shutout in a decade of Conference
USA play.
Biggest Disappointment: Losing a
heartbreaker to East Carolina on Nov.
22. The Blazers came awfully close to a
nice effort in November into a torrid
stretch run. The Pirates had trouble
moving the ball on the resurgent UAB
defense, needing a Brandon Simmons
touchdown run in the final minutes to
pull out a 17-13 squeaker.
Looking Ahead: Now that there’s a
flicker of momentum, UAB needs to seize
it and build on it in the offseason.
With Webb and all of his favorite
targets back in 2009, the offense is in
good shape. If the defense can keep
playing the way it did in the second
half, the Blazers could make a serious
push for bowl eligibility.
UCF
CFN Preseason Prediction: 7-5 Final
Record: 4-8
Recap:
As disappointments go, none was bigger
in Conference USA than the UCF season. A
year after winning the league
championship, the Knights were out of
bowl contention in early November,
largely due to the nation’s most feeble
offense. Ironically, UCF had a penchant
for rising against better competition
and lying down against average
opponents. The Knights came within a
touchdown of beating South Florida,
Miami, and East Carolina, yet were blow
out by UTEP and shutout in the finale by
UAB.
Offensive Player of the Year:
LT Patrick Brown
Defensive Player of the Year:
CB Joe Burnett
Biggest Surprise: Hanging with
the ‘Canes in Miami for four quarters.
The defense and special teams kept the
Knights close throughout, but as was the
case all season, the offense didn’t do
enough to complete the upset. Despite
producing just 78 total yards and no
offensive touchdowns, UCF had a chance
to pull this game out late.
Biggest Disappointment: Getting
shelled by UTEP on Sept. 27. The one
area that the Knights could count on
throughout the season was its
defense…until this trip to El Paso. The
Miners got three touchdown passes from
Trevor Vittatoe and scored a pair of
defensive touchdowns in a 58-13 rout.
This was the first clear sign that 2007
was over and 2008 was not going to be
memorable year.
Looking Ahead: If George O’Leary is
going to find his way off the hot seat
in 2009, he’s got to figure something
out on offense. Freshman Rob Calabrese
could get a crash course in being the
starting quarterback. On defense, the
front seven will be among the league’s
best, but the secondary loses four
starters who played a ton of football in
Orlando.
UTEP
CFN Preseason Prediction: 5-7
Final Record: 5-7
Recap:
The clock is ticking for head coach Mike
Price. Hey, they still like him in El
Paso, but three consecutive losing
seasons has the locals getting worried.
The Miners actually reached .500 with a
win over SMU on Nov. 15, but couldn’t
pick up the additional needed to become
bowl eligible. As has been the trend
throughout Price’s five-year tenure,
UTEP had no problems putting up points,
but struggled mightily to stop decent
offenses.
Offensive Player of the Year:
QB Trevor Vittatoe
Defensive Player of the Year:
LB Adam Vincent
Biggest Surprise: WR Kris Adams.
Jeff Moturi began the season as the
Miners’ one sure-thing at wide receiver.
Adams ended the season as Vittatoe’s
favorite target and on the Conference
USA honor roll. A year after catching
just five passes, he hauled in 50 for
958 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Biggest Disappointment: Losing to
New Mexico State on Sept. 20. When UTEP
looks back on the season, this is one
that got away and could have cost the
program a bowl berth. In a see-saw game,
the Miners were forced to go without
their top two backs and Vittatoe, who
hurt his ankle in the first quarter.
Even a couple of defensive touchdowns
were not enough, as the Aggies scored
late to pull a 34-33 win.
Looking Ahead: This could be the
season that UTEP finally produces a
winning record. It better be. Very few
seniors contributed to the 2008 team,
and Vittatoe and his mates will be
expected to roll in the passing game.
The defense gets a much-needed boost
from S Braxton Amy, the star of the unit
who missed all of last season with a
knee injury.
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2009
Conference USA Early Lookaheads