|
2007
Conference USA Football Preview
by
Raphielle Johnson
After a 2006 season that saw five of the league’s
twelve members go to bowl games, four schools made head coaching changes in the
off-season. The first domino in the process was Steve Kragthorpe leaving Tulsa
to replace Bobby Petrino at Louisville. From there, Todd Graham left Rice after
one successful season there to return to Tulsa. Rice hired David Bailiff from
Texas State, Tulane acquired the services of former UCLA head coach Bob Toledo,
and UAB hired Georgia offensive coordinator Neil Callaway. So out of the four
coaching changes, you have two schools looking to keep their positive momentum
(Rice and Tulsa), and two schools looking to move up the CUSA pecking order (UAB
and Tulane).
As for the league itself in 2007, Southern Miss once
again is a favorite to win the conference. Under USM alum Jeff Bower, the Eagles
have been to bowls in 9 of their last 10 seasons, but anything less than a
conference title could be seen as a disappointment. Given the familiarity that
Todd Graham has with Tulsa, the same could be said for the Golden Hurricane. But
there will be some roadblocks, such as East Carolina in the East, and Houston
and SMU in the West. Member schools will have some noteworthy non-conference
games as well, most notably Central Florida opening their on-campus stadium
against Texas September 15th. All in all, this could be a year in
which Conference USA, while they don’t have the trendy “BCS crasher” teams,
makes a claim for being the nation’s deepest non-BCS league.
Overall Conference Champion: Southern Miss
Players of the Year: WR Jarrett Dillard
(Rice) and DE Albert McClellan (Marshall)
Best Kicker and Punter: Jarod Tracy (Tulsa)
and Thomas Morstead (SMU)
Special Team Player of the Year: Michael
Grandberry (Memphis)
Best Wide Receivers: Dillard and Donnie Avery
(Houston)
Best NFL Prospect: Dillard
Coach of the Year: Todd Graham (Tulsa)
How they’ll finish
Eastern Division
-
Southern Miss (2006: 9-5, 6-3; returning starters- 15: 6 offensive, 9
defensive)
Last year, the Eagles won the East but couldn’t take
care of Houston in the championship game. The key to taking that next step will
be the play of senior quarterback Jeremy Young. Physically, the tools are there.
It’s just all about consistency with Young, who led USM to the nation’s 99th
ranked passing offense. The defense will be good once again, so expect to see
Southern Miss at the top of the standings, as well as the league defensive
rankings.
-
East Carolina (2006: 7-6, 5-3; returning starters- 12: 5 offensive, 7
defensive)
Skip Holtz is back for his third season with a good
shot to win the East, even though the Pirates have to replace James Pinckney at
quarterback. This team is young, yet experienced, with only ten seniors that are
expected to see playing time. While ECU has enough talent to challenge Southern
Miss now, they’ll definitely be the prohibitive favorite in 2008. The key to
this season will be how they run the football (85th in the nation in
2006), as well as how they stop the run (71st in the country in
2006).
-
Central Florida (2006: 4-8, 3-5; returning starters- 17: 8 offensive, 9
defensive)
The great news for George O’Leary and his program is
that they no longer have to play in the aging Florida Citrus Bowl, moving on
campus into the Bright House Networks Stadium. Unfortunately, awaiting the
Knights will be the Longhorns of Texas on September 15th. Then again,
a tremendous challenge is also a tremendous opportunity. Kyle Israel takes over
at quarterback for UCF, but a defense that was 106th overall and 111th
against the pass must improve if they are to make any headway in the Eastern
Division.
-
Marshall (2006: 5-7, 4-4; returning starters- 15: 8 offensive, 7 defensive)
Marshall Alum Mark Snyder didn’t exactly inherit a
full wardrobe in terms of talent when he took over for longtime coach Bob Pruett
in 2005. But after a couple of seasons in Huntington, it’s time for the
Thundering Herd to make their move. The most important task is replacing running
back Amhad Bradshaw, who ran for more than 1,500 yards last season then decided
to enter the NFL Draft. The defense, ranked 101st in the nation in
2006, must improve if Marshall is to surpass its win total from 2006. A player
to watch will be junior college transfer Darrius Passmore at wide receiver.
-
Memphis (2006: 2-10, 1-7; returning starters- 14: 7 offensive, 7 defensive)
After a season of turmoil that saw head coach Tommy
West fire defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn after three games, and then release
a couple more defensive assistants after the season (other coaches left as well,
leaving only three assistants who started 2006 still at UM), the Tigers are
ready to get back to business. Given how young last year’s squad was, it’s easy
to see how much of an impact those changes had. Most importantly, Memphis needs
to find an answer at quarterback, be it Martin Hankins or Will Hudgens. The
running game, led by senior Joseph Doss, must improve, as does a defense that
was downright poor (111th overall) last season. But with the new
staff firmly in place (we think), the Tigers should win more than the two games
they won in 2006.
-
UAB (2006: 3-9, 2-6; returning starters- 8: 4 offensive, 4 defensive)
Neil Callaway brings a new level of accountability
to Birmingham, something that many around the UAB program cite as a missing
quality in seasons past. Either Joseph Webb or Sam Hunt (or even both) will be
the quarterback for this team that lacks experience at just about every area
besides the secondary. Coach Callaway and his assistants will turn this program
around; it just won’t be in 2007. Expect the Blazers to take their lumps this
season.
Western Division
-
Tulsa (2006: 8-5, 5-3; returning starters- 12: 7 offensive, 5 defensive)
Todd Graham makes the move within the division, let
alone the conference, but at least he and his players look at each other and see
a familiar face. While an assistant at Tulsa, Graham recruited and/or coached a
good portion of this roster. Add to this fact new co-offensive coordinators Gus
Malzahn and Herb Hand, and you have a team poised to replace Houston at the top
of the Western Division. After the opener at Louisiana-Monroe, the Golden
Hurricane host BYU and Oklahoma the following two games. The question for one of
the league’s best offenses is how they replace four starters on the offensive
line. And speaking of the new offense, look for a breakout season from senior
quarterback Paul Smith.
-
Houston (2006: 10-4, 8-1; returning starters- 16: 8 offensive, 8 defensive)
When head coach Art Briles arrived on campus, there
was worry about who would run the offense. Only the incoming freshman, Kevin
Kolb, had any experience running Briles’ version of the spread offense. Well,
Kolb is now plying his trade in Philadelphia, leaving Coach Briles with the task
for finding his replacement. At least sophomore Blake Joseph and redshirt
freshman Case Keenum have worked in the offense. Unfortunately for whoever takes
the snaps, wide receivers Vincent Marshall and Biren Ealy are gone. But Donnie
Avery and Jeron Harvey are back. In order for the Cougars to repeat as
conference champions, a defense that was average for most of 2006 must improve
in light of the quarterback change.
-
SMU (2006: 6-6, 4-4; returning starters- 16: 9 offensive, 7 defensive)
It looks like Phil Bennett’s program may finally be
starting to turn the corner. With this being the 20th season since
the SMU program was hit with the death penalty by the NCAA, it’s appropriate
that a program that was considered finished by many has to focus on finishing
games if they are to become bowl eligible in 2007. Close losses to Houston and
Rice cost them a shot at their first bowl game since 1984. That’s the difference
between tying for the division title and staying home for the holidays. Luckily
for the Mustangs, many of the youngsters who were pressed into action last
season are now hardened veterans, especially sophomore quarterback Justin
Willis. Both units should be improved, making a bowl game in 2007 a distinct
possibility.
-
Rice (2006: 7-6, 6-2; returning starters- 13: 8 offensive, 5 defensive)
Thanks to the Owls overcoming a 1-5 start to win
their last six regular season games, optimism abounds on a campus that’s had
little reason to feel good about football. It’s David Bailiff’s goal to keep
that feeling, and get the ball to junior wide receiver Jarrett Dillard as often
as possible. The key will be the health of junior quarterback Chase Clement, who
spent a good chunk of 2006 nursing various nicks and bruises. And yet he still
threw for 21 touchdowns and five interceptions. But if the Owls are to even
think of competing for a conference title, a defense that was 112th
in the nation last season must improve. Maybe returning only five starters on
that side of the ball is a good thing.
-
UTEP (2006: 5-7, 3-5; returning starters- 12: 8 offensive, 4 defensive)
After an inconsistent 2006 that saw the Miners head
back south of .500 after two straight 8-win campaigns, head coach Mike Price is
in search of a starting quarterback after the graduation of Jordan Palmer. As of
right now, it looks like redshirt freshman Trevor Vittahoe has beaten out a trio
of seniors for the starting nod, but who knows who could become the concrete
number one. In order for UTEP to get back to the winning was of 2004 and 2005,
the offensive line must stay healthy (UTEP was 116th in rushing
offense in 2006), and a defense that was horrid (104th in the nation)
must improve.
-
Tulane (2006: 4-8, 2-6; returning starters- 13: 5 offensive, 8 defensive)
Dealing with Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath
proved to be too much for Chris Scelfo, who was let go following the 2006
season. Enter Bob Toledo, who has years of coaching experience, most notably his
stint at UCLA in which the Bruins made two Rose Bowl appearances under his
watch. While losing Lester Ricard at quarterback, the Green Wave do get back
running back Matt Forte, who is on the Doak Walker Award Watch List. Given the
lack of experience at quarterback, Tulane will need Forte to stay healthy. An
experienced defensive line will help matters for a unit that was one of the
nation’s worst in 2006, finishing 108th in total defense and 113th
in scoring defense. The coaching change could be a welcome change for this
group, but a tough September schedule (Mississippi State and LSU visit the
Superdome) could leave this team in need of an emotional boost.
|
From