Conference USA Preview
ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM
2001 record: 6-5
Coach: Watson Brown
Outlook: Alabama-Birmingham has lost nine starters from its vaunted 2001 "Steel Shield" defense. The only returning starters are senior FS Chris Brown and junior CB Dio Hill. On the other side of the ball, senior QB Thomas Cox has been challenged for the starting job by redshirt freshman Darrell Hackney. Whoever wins the post will have a solid receiving corps to throw to, led by senior WR Willie Quinnie, who has 4.32 speed. The leading returning RB is sophomore Theron Dudley, who gained just 164 yards in a backup role last season.
Noteworthy: The Blazers' defense has not allowed a 100-yard rushed in 24 straight games.
Schedule: UAB begins its season on Aug. 31 at powerhouse Florida, a team it has never faced. Two weeks later, it hosts Pittsburgh, which defeated the Blazers in the final game of last season, 24-6. The Blazers do not face TCU in Conference USA play.
ARMY
2001 record: 3-8
Coach: Todd Berry
OUTLOOK: The Black Knights have to replace a league-high 32 lettermen, but that is common for service academy teams. While they will have a new starting quarterback -- likely mobile sophomore Reggie Nevels -- senior RB Josh Holden, who averaged 6.2 yards per carry, returns. Three 2001 starters are back on an all-senior offensive line, which should open up holes for Holden and fellow RB C.J. Young. Two of the team's four leading tacklers are back from last year -- ILB Jason Frazier (99 tackles) and OLB Ryan Kent (80). Overall, the Black Knights return six starters on defense.
Noteworthy: Army's two wins in conference play last season tied for its most in four seasons in Conference USA.
Schedule: Army misses Cincinnati in Conference USA play. The Black Knights' final three games are away from home: at Tulane and Memphis and against archrival Navy at Giants Stadium.
CINCINNATI
2001 record: 7-5 (lost to Toledo in Motor City Bowl)
Coach: Rick Minter
OUTLOOK: Sophomore QB Gino Guidugli returns after throwing for 2,573 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. Cincinnati's leading rusher, DeMarco McCleskey, also is back, as are all three starting receivers. The defense is led by senior DE Antwan Peek, who recorded a school-record 12 1/2 sacks in 2001. Three starters in the secondary return, including sophomore SS Doug Monaghan, who led the team with 115 tackles as a true freshman.
Noteworthy: Cincinnati shocked defending Big 10 champion Wisconsin two years ago and nearly knocked off 2000 champ Purdue last season. This year the Bearcats face perennial Big 10 power Ohio State.
Schedule: Cincinnati has a fairly difficult non-conference slate, with a home contest against West Virginia and a neutral-site game against Ohio State at Paul Brown Stadium. In conference, the Bearcats do not face Army, but they have to face Southern Mississippi, East Carolina and Louisville on the road.
EAST CAROLINA
2001 record: 6-6 (lost to Marshall in GMAC Bowl)
Coach: Steve Logan
Outlook: Pirates sophomore Paul Troth, who completed just two passes last season, will fill the shoes of departed QB David Gerrard, the team's all-time passing and total offense leader. Junior FB Art Brown averaged 5.7 yards per carry in a backup role for 1,600-yard rusher Leonard Henry last season. Opening holes for Brown will be an experienced offensive line, which returns four starters. Only two of the front seven return, but all four members of the secondary are back, including top cover corner Kelly Hardy. Senior P Jarad Preston was 12th in the nation last season with a 44.1-yard average on his punts, and senior K Kevin Miller was a Groza Award semifinalist last year, making 18 of his 21 field goal attempts.
Noteworthy: East Carolina has only one contest on turf, at West Virginia on Sept. 28.
Schedule: The Pirates commence their season with back-to-back road games against intrastate opponents Duke and Wake Forest. In conference, they do not face Memphis.
HOUSTON
2001 record: 0-11
Coach: Dana Dimel
Outlook: Houston is riding a school-record 15-game losing streak since a triple-overtime victory at Memphis in 2000, but do not count on a second straight winless season. Junior QB Nick Eddy passed for 1,000 yards in a backup role last season and will have talented receivers to throw to, including junior Brandon Middleton, who averaged 24.3 yards per catch last season. Four of last year's starting offensive line are back to open holes for RB Joffrey Reynolds, who will get more carries after Chris Robertson tore up his knee in spring practice. The best returning unit on a defense that allowed 435 yards per game last season is the secondary, which brings three starters back, including senior FS Hanik Milligan, who is the leading returning tackler in the country (174).
Noteworthy: Houston's winless season last year was the first in its 56-year history.
Schedule: The Cougars hope to end their losing streak by their third contest, at home against Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 14, before heading to Austin to take on national title contender Texas on week later.
LOUISVILLE
2001 record: 11-2 (beat BYU in Liberty Bowl)
Coach: John L. Smith
Outlook: Heisman hopeful QB Dave Ragone hopes to lead the potent Cardinals to more than just a third straight Liberty Bowl this season. His targets include first-team all-conference TE Ronnie Ghent and Damien Dorsey, who averaged 17.2 yards per catch in five starts last season. Speedy and strong sophomore RB Lionel Gates tries to bounce back from a shoulder injury sustained three games into last season. On defense, an incredible 10 starters return, including all four members of the secondary, which is led by sophomore CB Ronnie Gallishaw, who made second-team all-conference last season as a redshirt freshman.
Noteworthy: Last year, Ragone set a Conference USA record for the lowest interception percentage (1.9, or eight in 411 attempts).
Schedule: The Cardinals' toughest test will be at home against perennial national power Florida State in a Thursday night contest on Sept. 26. They can avenge their sole conference loss last season when they host TCU two games later. Louisville's most difficult road contests come at Memphis and Southern Mississippi.
MEMPHIS
2001 record: 5-6
Coach: Tommy West
Outlook: The Tigers bring back nine starters on offense, including junior WR Antoine Harden, who led Conference USA with a 19-yard-per-catch average in 2001. Senior RB Dane Brown, who originally signed with Clemson, was a second-team all-conference selection last year and rushed for more than 900 yards and 11 touchdowns. Expect those numbers to go up behind a veteran offensive line that loses only one starter. Senior DE Tony Brown, the team's best defensive lineman last year, is back after recording seven sacks last season, as are three starters in the secondary. P James Gaither averaged nearly 41 yards per punt last season as a freshman.
Noteworthy: Memphis has not had a first-team all-conference player on offense since 1996.
Schedule: Memphis does not face East Carolina in Conference USA play. The Tigers host conference favorite Louisville on Tuesday night, Oct. 8.
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
2001 record: 6-5
Coach: Jeff Bower
Outlook: The Golden Eagles have a conference-high 17 starters back, including nine from a defense that allowed just 101 points in seven league games last year. Junior CB Greg Brooks, a first-team all-Conference USA player last year, set a school record in 2001 by breaking up 18 passes. Junior Rod Davis leads what is arguably the best linebacking corps in the conference, and super sophomore DT Skylor Magee had 11 starts as a redshirt freshman for a unit that brings back all four starters after allowing just 2.9 yards per carry last season. On offense, senior RB Derrick Nix, a former first-team all-conference rusher, is back after missing most of the last two seasons with kidney problems. A veteran offensive line should be able to clear pathways for him. Though sophomore QB Micky D'Angelo will be a new starter, he will have three experienced WRs and senior TE Bobby Garner as targets.
Noteworthy: Southern Mississippi allowed the fewest points in conference play last season. In seven games, the Golden Eagles yielded just 101 points.
Schedule: The Golden Eagles begin the season with three home games, including defending Big 10 champion Illinois, before playing three in a row on the road. Southern Mississippi does not face lowly Houston in conference play, but gets Memphis, Cincinnati, Louisville and East Carolina at home.
TEXAS CHRISTIAN
2001 record: 6-6 (lost to Texas A&M in Galleryfurniture.com Bowl)
Coach: Gary Patterson
Outlook: The Horned Frogs lose just 13 lettermen, the fewest in Conference USA. Eight starters are back on offense, including four members of the offensive line, which should open holes for RBs Ricky Madison and Texas transfer Kenny Hayter. Senior Sean Stilley, who played in just five games last season, will take over QB duties, and he will have talented WR Adrian Madise and LaTarence Dunbar as targets. On defense, senior LB LaMarcus McDonald, who had 97 tackles -- 21 1/2 for losses -- is one of six starts returning. K Nick Browne and P Joey Biasatti both can kick for distance, with Brown making six of eight 40-yard field goal attempts and Biasatti netting 39.2 yards per punt.
Noteworthy: TCU went 4-3 in conference play in 2001 but was outscored in those games, 194-192.
Schedule: The Horned Frogs play at Cincinnati and Northwestern just five days apart to begin the season, and also face Louisville and East Carolina on the road. They do not face UAB.
TULANE
2001 record: 3-9
Coach: Chris Scelfo
Outlook: Option QB J.P. Losman takes over for Patrick Ramsey, and he will have junior RB Mewelde Moore to take the pressure off him. Moore set the school and Conference USA record for all-purpose yards last year, with 2,259. Junior WR Roydell Williams led the league last year with 11 touchdown catches. Tulane's defense gave up more than 43 points per game in conference play last season, but nearly every starter is returning, including all four up on the defensive line, so look for improvement on that side of the ball.
Noteworthy: The Green Wave is 0-10 on the road in Conference USA play under Scelfo.
Schedule: Tulane plays non-conference lightweights Louisiana-Monroe and Navy but hosts national title contender Texas on Sept. 28. The Green Wave luckily avoid Louisville in Conference USA play.
