University of Houston Athletics
Middleton Honored As An All-America
12/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 11, 2003
HOUSTON, Texas - University of Houston senior wide receiver Brandon Middleton (Houston, Texas) today was named honorable mention All-America by SportsIllustrated.com. Last week Middleton was selected First Team All-Conference USA by the league's coaches and media.
For Middleton this award culminates a banner senior season, one in which the big-play receiver led the Cougars with 1,225 yards and 14 touchdowns receiving on 52 receptions. For the third straight season Middleton averaged over 23.0 yards per catch, with the 2003 version of 23.6 ranking him fourth in the nation.
Middleton posted eight 100-yard receiving games this season, including five in Conference USA play. His 2003 total trails only Pittsburgh?s Larry Fitzgerald?s 10, and the eight 100-yard outputs are a new Conference USA season record.
Riding a consecutive reception streak of 39 games heading into the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, Middleton lived up to his "Big Play Brandon" mantra, racking up 16 catches of at least 30 yards this season to run his career mark to 38 catches of the 30-yard-or-more variety.
With his 130 yards receiving in the road finale versus Louisville, Middleton topped the 1,000-yard receiving plateau for the first time and became only the seventh player in UH history to do so. His 1,225 yards receiving also is a C-USA record, surpassing the 1,209 set by Louisville's Arnold Jackson during the 1996 campaign.
With the one game left to play, Middleton has an outside shot at becoming only the second UH receiver to top 3,000 yards receiving, as he heads into the Hawai'i game second on the all-time receiving yards list with 2,848. Elmo Wright (1968-70) holds the Houston receiving record with 3,347 yards.
Middleton is currently third all-time in touchdown catches with 24, and with two more catches against the Warriors, Middleton will move past former teammate Brian Robinson (1999-2002, 135 catches) and into 10th place in receptions with 136. Middleton also is third all-time in all-purpose yardage with 4,079, trailing Ketric Sanford (1996-99, 5,817) and Chuck Weatherspoon (1987-90, 5,715).
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