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C-USA FOOTBALL MEDIA DAY COVERAGE:
8/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Aug. 2, 2005
Memphis, Tenn. -
Great Media Contingent . . .
Over 100 media members were credentialed for Conference USA media day, and Tulsa had a solid contingent with 14 media members, including representatives from all four television stations, the Tulsa World, KTBZ Radio and the Oklahoma Eagle.
Long Lost Relative . . .
Tulsa's Shannon Carter shared an experience at media day on his experience with a cousin. Larry Chappell, a resident of El Paso, Texas, is a season ticket holder for UTEP Miners football games. At the 2003 Tulsa-UTEP game in El Paso, Chappell was in the crowd cheering for his Miners, not knowing that his cousin, Shannon, was a Hurricane safety. At a family reunion this past summer, Chappell came to a realization that he Shannon played for the Hurricane.
Bold Prediction . . .
UAB quarterback Darrell Hackney has great confidence in his team. He told a Memphis television station "if you don't go to UAB, you don't win a conference championship".
TU Faces First-Team All-America Running Backs in First Two Games . . . Athlon's first-team All-America running backs come from teams Tulsa will face in weeks 1 and 2 of the 2005 season -- Minnesota's Laurence Maroney and Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson.
Autograph Seekers . . .
Memphis' Heisman candidate running back DeAngelo Williams was not only the most sought after interview, but autograph seekers graced the Memphis Hilton looking for Williams' signature. One autograph seeker, a local elementary school teacher, had a handful of items for Williams to sign for her students.
NASCAR Williams . . .
In the Heisman Trophy campaign for Memphis' DeAngelo Williams, the Memphis media relations department has developed a NASCAR theme model car featuring Williams. Memphis will distribute 2,400 cars to national media. The cost for the item was covered by the pre-sale of the model car to Memphis boosters, and made $30,000 in excess.
Shannon Carter comments . . .
Your thought's of today's C-USA media day:
"It's been fun. It's been fun to meet a lot of players from other teams that we're going to play against. Moving to a new conference has been very exciting and today couldn't have been any better."
On the C-USA preseason poll:
"The poll has to be made, and I have no problem with that. I feel like it's irrelevant because everything is determined on the field anyway. That's just the way things are. Hopefully, we can do something to change that when it counts
On facing some of the nation's top running backs:
It goes further than just the running back. As a defensive player, you have to look at the scheme and the way that a team goes about getting him the ball, and the things that he's good at and not as good. Obviously, our schedule has us playing some of the best running backs in the nation, so they're not going to have many flaws. As a defender, you try to prepare yourself the best you possibly can to be successful and try to take away some of their tendencies to help you get a leg up on the opponent.
Garrett Mills comments . . .
Your thought's of today's C-USA media day:
"It's a very neat experience to be a part of all of this. To be invited by your coach to represent your team and university in an atmosphere like this, and to talk to the media the way we do. For me, it's an honor."
On the C-USA preseason poll: "As far as preseason polls go, as players you try not to concern yourselves with that. It's something that's for the media and fans, but whether we're picked first or last it really doesn't matter. I think the teams that are picked lower, they're able to use as motivation and I think that's what we can do as well. It's just a predication and is based on the past, we can only deal with the future."
Preseason C-USA Honors for Tulsa Players
Kedrick Alexander, Jr., DB
Phil Steele's first team
Nick Bunting, Jr., LB
Athlon second team
CBSSportsline.com first team
Lindy's second team
Phil Steele's first team
The Sporting News first team
Street & Smith's first team
Nelson Coleman, So., LB
Phil Steele's fourth team
Ashlan Davis, Sr., KR
Athlon first team
CBSSportsline.com first team
Lindy's first team
Phil Steele's first team
Phil Steele's third team (WR)
The Sporting News first team
Alain Karatepeyan, So., LB
Phil Steele's second team
Bobby Klinck, Sr., DB
Phil Steele's fourth team
Brandon Lohr, Sr., DE
Athlon second team
Lindy's second team
Phil Steele's fourth team
Garrett Mills, Sr., TE
Athlon first team
CBS Sportsline.com first team
Lindy's first team
Phil Steele's first team
The Sporting News first team
Street & Smith's first team
Uril Parrish, Sr., RB
Lindy's second team
Phil Steele's third team
Street & Smith's first team
Jeff Perrett, Jr., OT
Athlon first team
Lindy's first team
Phil Steele's second team
Street & Smith's first team
Jess Stoneham, Sr., OG
Athlon second team
