Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 2 September 2005 — Page 35
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2005
THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER
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By ERICKA P. THOMPSON Staff Writer
This year’s Conference USA has a brand new look. Louisville, the conference’s star team has parted ways along with Cincinnati, South Florida, TCU and Army while UTEP, Marshall, SMU, Tulsa, Rice and UCF will take their places. With these changes the conference will now have two divisions
and a league title game. Though Conference USA fans may be disappointed that as soon as Louisville got hot they joined another league there is still enough talent to entertain. Memphis is coming off an 8-4 season thanks to its electrifying running back DeAngelo Williams and UAB is carrying momentum from its first bowl appearance last season.
By ERICKA P. THOMPSON Staff Writer
After years of trailing behind its peers, the Mountain West Conference finally produced a BCS team: the almighty Utah Utes. Utah was the glass slipper for the Mountain West finishing No. 4 in the country with a 12-0 record. But just as the good times got rolling everyone seemed to go their separate ways. Head coach Urban Meyer is now calling the
plays for the Florida Gators, offensive coordinator Mike Sanford increased his paycheck by becoming the head coach at UNLV and quarterback Alex Smith was the No. 1 in the NFL draft. Talk about changes. Nevertheless, as one team’s light begins to dim another begins to brighten. This season thatteam will be Wyoming or New Mexico, which is becoming used to being a bowl team.
A quick view of the lop three East Division teams
A quick view of the top five Mountain West teams
UMB BLAZCRS
UAB - The Blazers have never looked better. Conning off the school's first bowl appearance UAB looks to continue up hill as they bring back senior quarterback Darrell Hackney who has one of the best arms in the country. Hackney will look even better thanks to a veteran offensive line and his two running backs Dan Burks and Corey White who will get the Blazers a lot of yards on the ground. If the defense steps up and helps the offense stay on the field more, and they stay healthy, UAB should capture the east title. S. Mississippi - The Golden Eagles are used to winning and this season will not be any different. They finished second in the conference last year and were undefeated two years ago. Head coach Jeff Bower has been popping aspirin since two players were dismissed and two others quit over an off-the-field incident a month ago. Still, the Eagles have a veteran quarterback in senior Dustin Almond and a solid defense to keep Bower's win streak of 11 seasons going.
QB Darrell Hackney, UAB Players to watch QB Darrell Hackney, UAB RB DeAngelo Williams, Memphis WR Maurice Avery, Memphis DL Marquay Love, Houston CB Kedrick Alexander, Tulsa
2004 Conference USA standings Louisville, 8-0 Memphis, 5-3
UAB, 5-3
Cincinnati, 5-3 S. Mississippi, 5-3
TCU, 3-5
Tulane, 3-5
USF, 3-5
Houston, 3-5
Army, 2-6
E. Carolina, 2-6
Memphis - DeAngelo Williams is a running back to be reckoned with. He's explosive, powerful and has great feet and he gained 1,948 yards last season. But without quarterback
Danny Wimprine and four experienced blockers, who have since moved on, he'll have to prove his talent even more. The Tigers also lost four receivers so that means the defense that ranked No. 90 last year has to improve or it's going to be a long year.
A quick view of the top three West Division teams
UTEP - The Miners are entering new territory this season but with their talent it should be a smooth transition. Quarterback Jordan Palmer should have no problem picking up where he left off since he has his top seven receivers back to throw rockets to. The defense is also returning the bulk of its talent including safety Quintin Demps. Having improved six wins last season the Miners should continue to get better.
HOUSTON
Houston - The Cougars would love to forget about last season. They were just 3-8 thanks to an inexperienced offensive line and a disastrous defense. But this year things are looking up because a year of experience means a lot in college football. Junior quarterback Kevin Kolb should feel more comfortable behind his line, running back Anthony Evans is healthy and receiver Vincent Marshall led the team in receptions in 2003 and is looking to do so again. With an improved defense and a chip on their shoulder, the Cougars seem ready to quiet the critics.
HEWJEXICq
Wyoming - The Cowboys are a team that has consistently improved over the last few years. Coming off a bowl victory over UCLA, they'll enter this season riding that wave of momentum and the 17 returning starters should definitely help the morale. Everyone on this team seems to be clicking from the quarterback (Corey Bramlet) to the offensive line to the secondary to special teams. In his fourth year as head coach, Joe Glenn should be excited about his team's chances.
RB Lynell Hamilton, San Diego St. Players to watch
Utah - As the aforementioned stated, the Utes are entering the season without the glue that held the team together last year. No coach, no offensive coordinator and no quarterback. Still, the talent remains. Sophomore quarterback Brian Johnson will have to find new targets since receivers Paris Warren and Steve Savoy are no longer Utes, but seniors Travis LaTendresse and John Madsen have the experience to step in and make a difference. The defense, which was great last season, returns most of its talent.
RB Lynell Hamilton, San
Diego St.
RB DonTrell Moore, New Mexico WR Jovon Bouknight,
Wyoming
WR Jeff Webb, San Diego St. CB Derrick Martin,
Wyoming
2004 Mountain West standings
Utah, 7-0
New Mexico, 5-2
BYU, 4-3
Wyoming, 3-4 Air Force, 3-4 Colorado St., 3-4 San Diego St., 2-5
UNLV, 1-6
New Mexico - The Lobos are dying for their first bowl win in 35 years. If this is going to happen the offense must be in line with the defense, which has ranked in the top 30 in the country for the past five
years.
Junior quarterback Kole McKamey has had issues with accuracy in the past but is experienced enough at running the offense that he should dramatically improve this year, especially now that the Lobos have adopted Utah's spread-option offense. Other than the defense, the key to a bowl victory lies in the hands of running back DonTrell Moore. If he fully recovers from knee surgery, watch out.
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BYU - A new coach (Bronco Mendenhall) and offensive coordinator (Robert Anae) should help the Cougars to a winning record. A solid offense led by quarterback John Beck and wide receiver Todd Watkins should be able to hold its own and challenge for the third or fourth spot in the conference. The defense is solid as well, though the secondary is questionable.
Colorado St. - Returning 17 starters and losing only 11 lettermen should help the Rams improve dramatically. Experience is everything and juniors, quarterback Justin Holland and wide receiver David Anderson, lead the pack. Anderson led the team last season with 72 receptions, and Holland, who suffered a season-ending injury, has a lot to prove. If the defense steps up, which they are capable of doing, the Rams may shock the entire conference.
Tulane - This is a team that hasn't won more than five games in two years since they went to the Hawaii Bowl in 2002. The defense this year is comparable to the defense that played in that bowl and the offense should put up some numbers behind quarterback Lester Ricard, running back Matt Forte and receivers Fred Smith and Bubba Terranova. An experience offensive line should help as well. The Green Wave does face a tough conference schedule playing at Houston, UTEP and Tulsa though they should still improve in the win column.
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