University of Houston Athletics
Five Cougars Named to Football Preseason All-Conference USA Team
7/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 21, 2010
HOUSTON - Senior quarterback Case Keenum and junior return specialist Tyron Carrier highlighted the University of Houston football team's selections on the Preseason All-Conference USA Team.
Keenum was named the league's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Carrier was recognized as the Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year. They were two of the Cougars' five picks on the Preseason Team announced by the league office Wednesday morning.
Senior wide receiver James Cleveland joined Keenum on the Offensive First Team, while junior Marcus McGraw and senior defensive back Jamal Robinson were named to the Defensive First Team. Carrier was selected as a kick returner on the Special Teams First Team.
Houston and Tulsa tied for the most players on the Preseason Team with five each. UCF had four preseason honorees and Southern Miss added three.
OFFENSE
Keenum, who already has been named to the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch lists this summer, finished as the national leader in total offense for the second straight season in 2009.
The Abilene, Texas, native threw for a school-record 5,671 yards and 44 touchdowns in helping lead the Cougars to a 10-4 record and fifth straight bowl appearance. He joined Texas Tech's Graham Harrell as the only players in NCAA Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision history with multiple 5,000-yard passing seasons during their careers.
Entering the 2010 campaign, he is on the cusp on setting NCAA-FBS career records in total offense, passing yards and completions.
Making his Cougar debut in 2009, Cleveland enjoyed one of the finest campaigns in Houston single-season history. The Houston native led the Cougars with 104 catches for 1,214 yards and 14 touchdowns on the way to being named the league's Newcomer of the Year.
Cleveland became only the sixth player in school history to record at least 100 receptions in a year and was only the 12th player to post 1,000 yards in a single season.
He tied a school single-game record with 19 catches against East Carolina during the C-USA Championship Game.
DEFENSE
For the second straight season, McGraw was a steady leader on the Cougar defense in 2009. The Arlington, Texas, native led the Cougars with 156 tackles, including 75 solo stops, and added four sacks, nine tackles for a loss and three forced fumbles.
With his impressive total, he ranked fifth nationally with 11.1 tackles per game and was named to the All-Conference USA Second Team.
He has been named to watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski and Rotary Lombardi Awards this summer.
Robinson led the Cougars with five interceptions a year ago and added 58 tackles, including 38 solo stops. The Schertz, Texas, native returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown to seal the win at No. 5/6 Oklahoma State last season and was honored as the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week following that performance.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Carrier earned his place on the Preseason Special Teams list following a record-setting performance in 2009. The Houston native returned four kickoffs for touchdowns, including a career-best 99-yard effort against C-USA rival Rice to start the game and quickly set the tone in a 73-14 Cougar win.
Carrier now has five kickoff returns for touchdowns during his career and is only two off the NCAA career record of seven, set by Clemson's C.J. Spiller from 2006-09.
BUY SEASON TICKETS NOW
Season tickets are on sale now, and fans are encouraged to purchase soon due to record sales. General admission season tickets are only $120, while reserved season tickets begin at only $185.
Fans also can choose from a variety of packages, including the Family Plan, which includes two adult and two youth South End Zone General Admission season tickets for only $249. For families with more than four members, additional youth tickets can be purchased for $75 each.
Fans can purchase season tickets by calling 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647), by visiting the Athletics Tickets Office on the first floor of the Athletics/Alumni Center from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by clicking the Tickets link at UHCougars.com.
THE HOME SCHEDULE
Sat., Sept. 4 - Texas State - 7 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 10 - UTEP - 9:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Sat., Sept. 25 - Tulane - 2:30 p.m. (CBS College Sports)
Sat., Oct. 9 - Mississippi State - 7 p.m. (CBS College Sports)
Fri., Nov. 5 - UCF - 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Sat., Nov. 13 - Tulsa - 7 p.m. (CBS College Sports)
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
