Topic: C-USA Announces 2010 Preseason Football Awards...

[GreenSteve]

Houston senior quarterback Case Keenum, the 2009 Conference USA Most Valuable Player, was chosen as the league’s 2010 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, headlining the list of football award winners, according to the league’s 12 head coaches. UCF senior DE Bruce Miller was named the preseason Defensive Player of the Year, while Houston junior return specialist Tyron Carrier earned Special Teams Player of the Year honors.

Keenum, the 2009 C-USA MVP and 2008 Offensive Player of the Year, was named Offensive Player of the Week a record six times last year and he threw for more than 500 yards on four occasions. Keenum became only the second QB in NCAA history to throw for at least 5,000 yards twice, tossing for 5,671 yards and 44 touchdowns in 2009. He led the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in pass completions (492), passing yards (5,671), total offense (416.4 ypg) and points responsible for (20.86 ppg). Keenum begins his senior season ranked eighth all-time in the FBS rankings for both passing yards (12,950) and passing touchdowns (72).

Miller returns after being named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year in 2009. He ranked fifth in the nation in sacks last season with 14 and tops all returning FBS players with 27 sacks and 44 tackles for loss in his career. Miller led the UCF defense to the top ranking in C-USA for a second consecutive season in 2009.

Carrier led Conference USA and ranked ninth in the FBS in kickoff return yardage last season, averaging 29.0 yards per return. A first team all-league selection as a kick returner, he set C-USA and UH single-season records with four kickoff returns for touchdowns in 2009, including one in each of the final three games of the season. Carrier was also an honorable mention All-C-USA choice as a wide receiver, catching 91 passes for 1,029 yards and seven scores.

East Carolina’s Dwayne Harris, the 2009 C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year, was named to the 2010 preseason team as a preseason All-Conference wide receiver. Harris, who averaged 27.0 yards per kickoff return with three touchdowns, caught 83 passes for 978 yards and seven TD’s.

With Keenum, Miller and Harris back in 2010, it marks the first time in league history that three specialty award winners have returned the following season.

Houston and Tulsa, which produced three special team selections, had the most overall preseason choices with five. UCF had four preseason all-league choices, while Southern Miss had three.

The 2010 C-USA Football season kicks off on Thursday, September 2 with four games, including two nationally-televised contests (Marshall at Ohio State and Southern Miss at South Carolina). All 12 teams are in action during opening weekend, including three other nationally-televised contests (Texas vs. Rice on Saturday and SMU at Texas Tech along with the conference opener between Tulsa and East Carolina on Sunday).

2010 C-USA FOOTBALL COACHES PRESEASON AWARDS

Offensive Player of the Year
Case Keenum, Sr., QB, Houston

Defensive Player of the Year
Bruce Miller, Sr., DE, UCF

Special Teams Player of the Year
Tyron Carrier, Jr., KR/PR, Houston

First Team Offense

QB          Case Keenum, Sr., Houston
RB          Donald Buckram, Sr., UTEP
RB          Brynn Harvey, Jr., UCF
OL          Kelvin Beachum, Jr., SMU
OL          Tyler Holmes, Jr., Tulsa
OL          Scott Mitchell, Sr., Rice
OL          Jah Reid, Sr., UCF
OL          Dominik Riley, Sr., Memphis
WR         DeAndre Brown, Jr., Southern Miss
WR         James Cleveland, Sr., Houston
WR         Dwayne Harris, Sr., East Carolina
TE           Lee Smith, Sr., Marshall
 
First Team Defense

DL           Cory Dorris, So., Tulsa
DL           Anthony Gray, Sr., Southern Miss
DL           Bruce Miller, Sr., UCF
DL           Scott Solomon, Sr., Rice
LB           Marcus McGraw, Jr., Houston
LB           Mario Harvey, Sr., Marshall
LB           Korey Williams, Jr., Southern Miss
DB          Hiram Atwater, Sr., UAB
DB          Emanuel Davis, Jr., East Carolina
DB          Jamal Robinson, Sr., Houston
DB          Josh Robinson, So., UCF

First Team Special Teams

K             Kevin Fitzpatrick, Jr., Tulsa
P             Michael Such, Sr., Tulsa
KR          Tyron Carrier, Jr., Houston
PR          Damaris Johnson, Jr., Tulsa

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