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2007 Sun Belt Preview
Trojans favorite to win the Sun Belt
by
Raphielle Johnson
2006 was an exciting season in the Sun Belt, as Troy
and Middle Tennessee tied for the regular season title with a conference mark of
6-1. The championship, and which bowl these two teams ended up going to was
decided in the regular season finale for both, a 21-20 Troy victory. While the
Blue Raiders lost to MAC champion Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl, Troy
defeated Rice in the New Orleans Bowl. Heading into 2007, the Trojans have
enough pieces at their disposal to repeat as conference champions, but the names
of the challengers have changed.
Howard Schnellenberger has built the Florida
Atlantic program from scratch into a team poised to make a move to the top of
the Sun Belt. And Arkansas State was a win in their finale over
Louisiana-Lafayette from possibly heading to a bowl themselves. Middle Tennessee
State will still be competitive, but they’ll have their hands full replacing
departed quarterback Clint Marks. Louisiana-Monroe, even with their loss to
Tulsa Thursday night, should be improved due to the return of all eleven
offensive starters in 2006. And while Florida International and North Texas may
have a long way to go before they challenge for Sun Belt supremacy, head
coaching changes at both schools (Mario Cristobal at FIU and Todd Dodge at UNT)
have infused some much needed enthusiasm into both programs. Here’s a quick
preview of the conference and how the teams will finish in 2007.
Players of the Year: QB Omar Haugabook (Troy)
and FS Damon Nickson (MTSU)
Best Kicker and Punter: K Drew Edminston
(UL-Lafayette) and P Truman Spencer (North Texas)
Special Teams Player of the Year: Lionell
Singleton (Florida International)
Best Running Backs: Tyrell Fenroy
(UL-Lafayette) and Calvin Dawson (UL-Monroe)
Best NFL Prospect: Nickson
Coach of the Year: Howard Schnellenberger
(Florida Atlantic)
How they’ll finish
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Troy (2006: 8-5, 6-1; returning starters- 15: 6 offensive, 9 defensive)
Well, Trojan fans excited about the team’s 41-17 win
in the New Orleans Bowl over Rice may be expecting the momentum to keep rolling.
But the schedule offers a significant challenge to a team who tested both
Florida State and Georgia Tech last season. First up is Arkansas, with Heisman
favorite Darren McFadden and partner in crime Felix Jones. The following week
calls for a visit to Gainesville to play the defending national champions.
Finally, Oklahoma State, one of the nation’s most explosive offenses, visits
Troy in their home opener.
As for their chances in the Sun Belt, Omar Haugabook
performed well in the new spread offense brought in by offensive coordinator
Tony Franklin. Now, with all the offensive players having a year under their
belts in the new system, look for the offense to put up even better numbers in
2007. The only question mark will be a line that has to replace four starters.
On defense, look for the unit to be led by middle linebacker Boris Lee and
incoming junior college transfer Chris Bradwell at defensive tackle. The young
talent arriving on campus will have a baptism by fire in the early going, but
look for the reward of a Sun Belt title to be the end result.
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Florida Atlantic (2006: 5-7, 4-3; returning starters- 19: 9 offensive, 10
defensive)
The Owls come into 2007 with their best chance to
win the Sun Belt since entering the league in 2005. And when you take into
consideration the fact that the program itself has only been around since 1998,
that makes the job being done by Howard Schnellenberger all the more remarkable.
But it isn’t a shock, given what he started at both Miami and Louisville. Rusty
Smith and Sean Clayton give the Owls two experienced options at quarterback, but
look for Smith to get the nod. Experience is present at running back, and wide
receiver Franz Simeon is one of the Sun Belt’s best.
On defense, a unit that was 16th
nationally against the pass only has to replace one starter. If the defensive
line, led by Josh Pinnick, can continue its improvement over the past couple of
seasons, the Owls should be better than 97th against the run, which
is what they finished at in 2006. And kicker Warley Leroy is one of the better
kickers in the conference. The Owls close the season with three straight road
games, the last of which at conference favorite Troy. How the defense performs
up to that point will determine how much the game means.
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Arkansas State (2006: 6-6, 4-3; returning starters- 14: 7 offensive, 7
defensive)
The Indians look to build on a 2006 season that saw
them stay in the Sun Belt race until they lost four of their last five, with
three of the defeats coming in conference play. Luckily for ASU, sophomore
running back Reggie Arnold is back on the heels of a 1,000 yard freshman season.
He’ll be joined in the backfield by classmate Corey Leonard, who should become a
better passer with the year of experience under his belt. But after a
disappointing 2006, the wide receivers need to step up in order for Leonard to
experience that improvement.
On the other side of the ball, the defensive line
will need players such as Brandon Rollins and Alex Carrington to stay healthy if
they are to improve in stopping the run. The nation’s 32nd ranked
overall defense struggled against the run, giving up an average of 148.5 yards
per game. Senior linebacker Koby McKinnon, who was recognized with
all-conference honors in 2006, will be back to lead the defense alongside middle
linebacker Ben Owens. And all four starters in a secondary that was 12th
in the country against the pass will be back as well. So, success for the ASU
defense in 2007 will come down to health, and stopping the run. Get good answers
to those issues and the Indians could find themselves bowling come December.
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UL-Lafayette (2006: 6-6, 3-4; returning starters- 12: 7 offensive, 5
defensive)
After three straight seasons with no more than four
wins per campaign, the Ragin’ Cajuns have put together back-to-back six-win
years. Increasing that total to a bowl-friendly seven or more will all hinge on
how much help quarterback Michael Desormeaux (or John Hundley) can give to
running back Tyrell Fenroy. Fenroy is well on his way to being the king when it
comes to the Lafayette rushing records, but if teams are able to put eight or
nine defenders in the box due to inconsistency in the passing game, his numbers
and the team’s win total will suffer. Receivers who had to play before they were
ready to contribute in 2006 return with added knowledge, and should be able to
improve the nation’s 114th ranked passing offense from a year ago.
On the other side of the ball, a defense that was
average in terms of statistics has to replace Mack Fair and Wes Simon at
linebacker, but it’s a secondary group that struggled at times last season who
will need to improve. Senior Lamar Morgan, who goes from free to strong safety,
will be counted on to bring this group along. The special teams, led by kicker
Drew Edminston, should once again perform well, and this isn’t a shock when you
recognize that head coach Rick Bustle was a longtime assistant at Virginia Tech
under Frank Beamer. Can the Cajuns compete for the Sun Belt title? Yes, but more
than likely they’ll have to settle for the role of spoiler.
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Middle Tennessee (2006: 7-6, 6-1; returning starters- 12: 6 offensive, 6
defensive)
Junior Joe Craddock steps in to fill the hole left
by the departure of Clint Marks, who started his last 34 games in Murfreesboro.
What’s the best way to help an inexperienced quarterback out as he learns the
ropes? Develop a strong running game. Unfortunately for the Blue Raiders, they
have to replace the departed Eugene Gross as well. Demarco McNair and Desmond
Gee will both have the opportunity to make plays in the backfield. Luckily for
Craddock, the top five contributors at wide receiver return, a fact that should
make his job a little easier.
The Blue Raiders, who had the best run defense in
the Sun Belt last season, return a wealth of experience up front, including Erik
Walden and Sean Mosley. The line will be needed with the lack of depth at
linebacker, as both Ivon Hickmon and Chance Dunleavy were lost to knee injuries
during spring ball. Damon Nickson and Bradley Robinson will lead a secondary
that should be one of the better units in the conference this season. On special
teams, the graduation of kicker/punter Colby Smith leaves a gaping hole. How the
Blue Raiders deal with this along with the lack of linebacking depth will
determine whether or not they can stay at the top of the Sun Belt.
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UL-Monroe (2006: 4-8, 3-4; returning starters- 17: 11 offensive, 6
defensive)
The Warhawks come into 2007 looking to reverse some
of their luck from 2006. Five of their eight losses were by five points or less,
showing just how much the little things affect victory and defeat. Three of
those losses came in conference games, which has to make Monroe fans get a case
of the “what ifs” in regards to 2006. Kinsmon Lancaster is back at quarterback,
and he should be more comfortable after his 7 touchdown, 14 interception
campaign in 2006. At least head coach Charlie Weatherbie and offensive
coordinators Nate Kaczur and Steve Farmer hope he’ll be more comfortable. At
running back, Calvin Dawson will look to improve upon a 1,200 yard season, which
led to first team All-Sun Belt honors. The defense has plenty of holes to fill
on all three levels, which could put even more pressure on the offense to put
points on the board. Luckily, the Warhawks do have kicker Cole Wilson back, and
he went 14-for-15 on field goals last year. While the offense returns pretty
much in tact, it’s the defense that could cost Monroe this season.
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North Texas (2006: 3-9, 2-5; returning starters- 15: 5 offensive, 10
defensive)
After an illustrious career at Texas and national
high school football power Southlake Carroll (96-11 record), Todd Dodge looks to
return the Mean Green to the level they were at back in the early portion of the
decade: winning conference title after conference title. The last two seasons
have seen the Mean Green win a total of five games, and in order for this trend
to change a defense that brings back a lot of talent will need to lead the way.
UNT will go back the 4-3 defense this year, and there are talented players at
all three levels, led by all-conference defensive end Jeremiah Chapman. On
offense, UNT will need someone to step up a quarterback. Matt Phillips, Woody
Wilson and Daniel Meager will all have a chance to lead the new spread offense,
dubbed “Dodge Ball” in honor of its creator. With Coach Dodge in charge, look
for the Mean Green to move on up the standings in the very near future. But 2007
should be looked at as a building block, as this team doesn’t have the
consistency on offense to make a major move.
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Florida International (2006: 0-11, 0-7; returning starters- 15: 7 offensive,
8 defensive)
As if a tough year marked by close losses hadn’t
been tough enough for the FIU program, there was the brawl. Benches cleared in
their game at Miami, and a season that had already been trying for the program
became lost. Don Strock resigned at the end of the season, making room for
former Miami offensive lineman and assistant Mario Cristobal. Cristobal has
infused excitement into a program that had none prior to his arrival, and he’s
already made some waves in south Florida on the recruiting trail. FIU will now
run the spread offense, which should give players such as running backs A’mod
Ned and Julian Reeves, and wide receivers Ashlyn Parker and Jeremy Dickens, more
opportunities to make plays. Believe it or not, the defense was actually 28th
in the nation overall last season, so look for more of the same there. It’s the
offense, ranked 116th overall in 2006 that must make the major
strides. Give Coach Cristobal and his staff some time, for they will make a move
up the Sun Belt standings at some point.
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