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Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate Notebook No. 161 Friday, December 5, 2003 By Denny O'Brien Staff Writer and Columnist

All-star voting no exact science

©2003 Bonesville.net

You win some, you lose some. I guess that's what I can take from my first experience in voting for Conference USA football superlatives.

Sometimes, though, you have to go against the grain.

Apparently, that theory didn't pay off on my ballot, cast on behalf of Bonesville Magazine, for the league's top coach and defensive player. Otherwise, I was par for the course.

Here were my official selections for C-USA's best, and why they received top billing:

Coach of the Year: Tommy West, Memphis. True, Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower was the fashionable pick. After all, he did guide the Golden Eagles back to the Liberty Bowl after an embarrassing season opening loss to California.

However, no coach elevated his program more this season than the head Tiger.

With his job on the line — again — and the program operating on life support, West resuscitated Memphis by landing the school its first postseason invitation since 1971. The Tigers' 8-4 record was their best since 1973.
Not bad for a club picked ninth in the league.

But perhaps West's best work occurred off the field. During the off-season, he lured Joe Lee Dunn across the state line to revamp the defense. The result: Memphis had the top defense in C-USA. It arguably was the best move by any league school during the off-season.

Not to be overlooked is the impression he has made on the boosters. Memphis averaged more than 40,000 fans per game this season and flirted with the 50K mark in the finale.

If that's not enough, the Tigers' 44-34 victory over Ole Miss easily was the marquee victory in C-USA this year.

On Deck:  Art Briles, Houston. He didn't make my top three, but the Cougars will be vacationing in Hawaii for Christmas. A legendary high school coach in the Lone Star state, he is a star in the making.

Offensive Player of the Year: DeAngelo Williams, Memphis. His performance this season should be enough to earn mention for the Doak Walker Award. Only problem is, he plays for Memphis.

Williams' numbers alone are astounding: 1,430 yards rushing, 35 catches (second best on the team) for 384 yards, 13 touchdowns, and a whopping six yards per carry. He also did some of his best work against the league's best defenses.

A dangerous combination of speed and power, perhaps no player was more important to his team than Williams. Case in point, without Williams, the Tigers dropped the season finale against South Florida.

Close but no cigar: J.P. Losman, Tulane. He was robbed of a first-team selection by Stefan LeFors. No worries, though. His rifle arm and Hollywood looks will earn a pretty paycheck at the next level. Can anyone say Joe Namath?

Defensive Player of the Year: Michael Boley, Southern Miss. Teammate Rod Davis entered the season as a favorite for this honor, as did Texas Christian rush end Bo Schobel. That Boley wasn't on the preseason radar shouldn't be held against him.

No defensive player was more dominant this season. Boley finished fourth in C-USA in tackles (138), second in sacks (10), first in tackles for losses (22), seventh in forced fumbles (3), and first in fumble recoveries (3). He even broke up five passes.

Bower's greatest recruiting task this season will be keeping Boley in Hattiesburg. Yes, he's just a junior.

Hitting machine: Chris Moore, East Carolina. Need a bold prediction for next season? If Boley doesn't return, etch Moore's name in as the league's best. No player meets opposing ball carriers with a nastier disposition.

Special Teams Player of the Year: Nick Browne, Texas Christian. This always is the most difficult to select because there are so many routes to take. A legitimate case can be made for both ECU punter Ryan Dougherty and USF return man J.R. Reed. Both clearly were the best at their position this season.

But no special teams player was more consistent than Browne. Without his leg, the Frogs definitely wouldn't have made a strong BCS push. His 27 field goals this season were ten better than his next closest challenger.

With solid range — he hit 8-of-11 from 40-plus yards — and deadly accuracy (27-of-32), he has a chance to kick at the next level. His ability to make the pressure kick doesn't hurt, either.

60-minute man: Cory Rodgers, Texas Christian. Just a freshman, defense is about the only thing he doesn't play. As a receiver, Rodgers finished second on the team with 33 catches for 539 yards. On special teams, he finished third in C-USA in punt return average and sixth on kick returns.

Freshman of the Year: Kevin Kolb, Houston. Get ready for the next in a long line of great C-USA QBs. No quarterback was more accurate than Kolb, who completed 62 percent of his passes and tossed only four interceptions.

Pretty good for a player who was playing high school last year.

On the year, Kolb passed for 2,800 yards and rushed for 340, ranking him third in the league in total offense. What was most impressive was the speed with which he mastered Briles' complex system.

Cross-state rival: Robert Merrill, Texas Christian. Remember Frogs running back Lonta Hobbs? He was selected as a preseason All-C-USA performer. It's a scary thought that last year's best freshman is now the second best running back on his team.

A redshirt freshman, Merrill seized the star role in the Frogs offense and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. His 5.6-yards per carry was second best in C-USA. With both Hobbs and Merrill returning, TCU should boast the league's best rushing attack next season.

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02/23/2007 01:51:45 AM