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News Nuggets, 12.05.03
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...
Previous Day Nuggets...
Next Day Nuggets...
Compiled from staff reports
and electronic dispatches
USM's Bower, Davis headline league's individual honors
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PREVIOUS NUGGETS |
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12.04.03: Meager
season doesn't hamper Pirates' all-league haul... .. Rouse
pays price for breaking Herrion law... .. ECU reels in seven
baseball recruits... ..
More... |
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12.03.03: Martin
follows Dosh out of Gators program... .. Bowden locks in for
long haul at Clemson... .. Four members of Gamecocks staff
canned by Holtz... .. Tulsa likely bowl foe for Yellow
Jackets... ..
More... |
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12.02.03: Contentious
bowl picture settled for C-USA... .. Weak fan support spells
end for Cincy coach... .. Blue Devils big man to transfer...
.. Bowl Championship Series standings... .. Associated Press
basketball poll... ..
More... |
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12.01.03: The
good, the bad, the ugly... .. TCU gets unwanted GMAC
invitation... .. UCF player bouncing back from spinal cord
injury... .. C- USA standings, scores, schedule... .. AP &
Coaches polls... ..
More... |
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11.30.03: Football
game briefs from around C-USA... .. Marshall names stadium
after woman benefactor... .. Pitino's recruiting haul among
nation's best... .. Tulane baseball inks elite class of
recruits... ..
More... |
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11.29.03: U
of L win over Bearcats helps Petrino change the subject...
.. Updated C-USA standings, scores and schedule... .. Exams
complicate Frogs' postseason plans... .. Maryland at Wake
Forest Saturday TV capsule... .. Central Florida player goes
down with spinal injury... ..
More... |
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11.28.03: Louisville
at Cincinnati Friday TV capsule... .. Big East wants Miami
legal action suspended... .. Auburn execs beat hasty retreat
after visit with Petrino... ..
More... |
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11.27.03: TCU
needs Pirates' help to gain league redemption... ..
Carolinas, C-USA stars on Rivals.com squad... ..
More... |
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11.26.03: Tigers
put Tangerines on Wolfpack's holiday menu... .. Bowden
contract still in limbo... .. TCU's Browne lands on
All-America team... ..
More... |
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11.25.03: Assistant
with ECU ties departs UNC-CH football staff... .. UCF
contacts O'Leary about coaching job... .. C-USA 2003-04
hoops overview... .. BCS standings: USC returns to No. 2,
TCU tumbles out... .. Associated Press basketball poll... ..
More... |
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HATTIESBURG — Southern Miss head football
coach Jeff Bower has been named Conference USA coach of the year and Golden
Eagles linebacker Rod Davis won C-USA defensive player of the year.
The awards were handed out Thursday and
voted on by the league's head coaches and media members, including
Bonesville Magazine's
Denny O'Brien.
(View O'Brien's ballot...)
Bower, 50, led the Golden Eagles to a 9-3
record, going 8-0 in conference play. Southern Miss won its first C-USA
title since 1999. Bower has a record of 89-61-1 in 13 seasons with Southern
Miss, making him the longest tenured coach in the league.
The Golden Eagles will represent the
conference at the AXA Liberty Bowl in Memphis on Dec. 31, facing Mountain
West Conference champion Utah.
Memphis sophomore running back DeAngelo
Williams was named offensive player of the year. Texas Christian kicker Nick
Browne was named the league's special teams player of the year. True
freshman quarterback Kevin Kolb of Houston was named the league's freshman
of the year.
Davis became the fourth Golden Eagles player to win C-USA defensive player
of the year honors. USM cornerback Patrick Surtain won the award in 1996.
Defensive end Adalius Thomas won it twice, in 1998 and 1999, and defensive
end Cedric Scott took the award in 2000.
Eli beats out Losman, Rivers for QB
award
LOUISVILLE — Eli Manning of Mississippi won
the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award on Thursday as the nation's top senior
quarterback, an honor his brother Peyton received in 1997.
Eli Manning has thrown for 3,341 yards and 27 touchdowns this season,
leading 17th-ranked Ole Miss to a 9-3 record. Ole Miss will play in the
Cotton Bowl for the first time in 42 years.
He was chosen over J.P. Losman of Tulane, Jon Navarre of Michigan, Philip
Rivers of North Carolina State, Matt Schaub of Virginia, B.J. Symons of
Texas Tech, and Jason White of Oklahoma.
Manning leads the Southeastern Conference in yards passing per game,
completions, TD passes and average total offense. He holds 45 school
records, 27 of which were once held by his father, Archie.
The younger Manning will be presented his award at a ceremony Dec. 12 in
Louisville.
Sun Belt football expands into Sunshine State
MIAMI — Florida Atlantic and Florida
International accepted invitations Thursday to join the Sun Belt Conference
in football beginning next season, which will pave the way for their move to
Division I-A.
Florida International is already a member
of the Sun Belt in all other sports, and Florida Atlantic is a member of the
Atlantic Sun. Both schools have been Division I-AA independents in football.
"That will certainly help our football
program move to a higher level," Florida Atlantic president Frank Brogan
said. Florida Atlantic will join the Sun Belt in other sports at an
undetermined date, possibly as soon as 2005, athletic director Craig Angelos
said.
Florida International is located in suburban Miami, and Florida Atlantic is
an hour north in Boca Raton. Both schools would spend the 2004 and 2005
seasons as conditional I-A members before gaining full membership in 2006.
The NCAA requires a I-A school to play five
home games against I-A opponents. Conference membership will help make that
possible for both teams. "Given the recent conference realignments and
changes in NCAA guidelines, it is in our best interest to make the move
now," Florida International athletic director Rick Mello said.
Coached by Howard Schnellenberger, Florida
Atlantic is 10-2 and faces Northern Arizona on Saturday for a spot in the
Division I-AA semifinals. Florida International went 2-10 this season and
finished with a 32-23 loss to Florida Atlantic.
Florida Atlantic started playing football
in 2001, and Florida International followed a year later. The state of
Florida currently has five I-A members. Florida A&M will become a
conditional member next season.
The current Sun Belt membership for
football is North Texas, Louisiana-Lafyette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle
Tennessee, Arkansas State, Utah State, New Mexico State and Idaho.
Utah State and New Mexico State will leave
for the Western Athletic Conference in 2005. Troy State will join the Sun
Belt next season.
News Nuggets are
compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member
schools, and from Associated Press and
other reports. Copyright 2003
Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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