Conference USA:
Up for
grabsby Brian Hamilton,
CNN/SI
Posted: Fri Aug 28, 1998
Tulane senior quarterback Shaun King was the first player in Green Wave history to have 3,000 total yards in a season. (Peter Read Miller) | |
Projected Order
of
Finish
|
1.
Tulane
2.
Southern
Miss
3. East
Carolina
4.
Memphis
5. Houston
6.
Cincinnati
7.
Louisville
8.
Army
|
|
| |
|
|
Offensive Player of the
Year
|
|
Shaun
King, QB, Sr.,
Tulane
| | Racked up more than 3,000 total yards. Threw 24
touchdown passes. Scored five TDs on 511 yards rushing. Probably
could darn socks while returning kickoffs,
too.
| |
|
Defensive Player of the
Year
|
|
Jeff
Kerr, LB, Jr., East
Carolina
| | Gobbles opponents—167 stops in '97. Like Daniel Day-Lewis
in
The Last of the
Mohicans, wherever you go, Kerr will find
you.
| |
|
Newcomer of the
Year
|
|
Mark
Word, DE, Jr., Southern
Miss
| | Teams know about all-conference end Adalius Thomas. But if
this
juco transfer steps up, the
Golden Eagles will be devastating up
front.
| |
|
Coach on the Hot
Seat
|
|
Tommy
Bowden, Tulane (7-4 in
'97)
| | Not because Bowden's job is in danger—after a turnaround from
2-9, Bowden could change Tulane's nickname to the Pastel
Pink Wave and no one would care. Rather, Bobby's boy needs
one more successful year to move on up to Big Name
U.
| |
|
Conference
Game-Breaker
|
|
Tinker
Keck, S, Sr.,
Cincinnati
| | Scintillating safety tied the
NCAA mark with a quartet of scores on punt returns last
season.
| |
|
Most Underrated
Player
|
|
Ibn
Green, TE, Jr., Louisville
| | Perhaps "most anonymous" is more like it, but
then, this
is Louisville. Green was the best receiving tight end in all
the land in '97, with 731 yards and eight
TDs.
| |
|
Best
Name
|
|
Michael
Jordan, CB, Sr.,
Tulane
| | Runner-up:
Tim
Hardaway, K, Sr., Southern
Miss
| |
|
Toughest
Schedule
|
|
Southern
Miss, if only because of what's at stake for the Eagles—namely,
the conference title and, potentially, a major
bowl. Opener at
Penn State, with a visit from Texas A&M and a trip
to Alabama. Plus, Tulane on the
road.
| |
|
Creampuff
Schedule
|
|
Tulane
plays SMU, Navy, Rutgers and Southwest Louisiana and gets
Southern Miss at home. No East Carolina. Couldn't be
easier.
| |
|
Red-Letter
Games
|
| Southern Miss at Penn
State, Sept.
5 | | We'll know how C-USA matches up to the biggies real quick.
A respectable performance is critical to Southern Miss'
postseason
aspirations.
|
|
Southern Miss at
Tulane, Oct.
3 | | This one could decide the conference title very
early.
|
| Army at
Rutgers, Sept.
26 | | Perhaps the worst game to be played in Division 1-A this
season.
| |
|
Drop This Name to Make Yourself Sound Smarter at the Water
Cooler
|
|
Jason
McKinley, QB, So.,
Houston
| | Freshman of the Year in '97, and could conjure visions of
explosive Cougars teams of the past if he continues to
improve.
| |
|
Going
Bowling
|
Locks: Tulane, Southern
Miss
Maybes:
East Carolina, Memphis, Houston,
Cincinnati
No
Way: Louisville, Army
| |
|
Top Three
Storylines
|
|
Getting
Offensive
| |
Will Tulane complete its emergence from the dregs and reach
the post-season on the strength of an offense that set 26
school records in
'97?
|
| Getting
Defensive
| |
A formidable defensive line should help Southern Miss
challenge the Green Wave for
supremacy.
|
| Schedule
This
| |
With the addition of Army,
C-USA is now an eight-team league. Still, schools will play just
six conference games. Thus, Tulane misses East Carolina
while Southern Miss doesn't, a quirk that could have huge
title
implications.
| |
|
