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| Wednesday, December 13 No. 1 Sooners only have one first-teamer Associated Press | |||
| When it comes to All-Americans, Miami and Florida State are
co-champions.
The Florida schools each had three players selected Wednesday
for the Associated Press All-America team, a 26-player squad
featuring Florida State's Heisman Trophy winner, Chris Weinke, and
Miami's award-winning linebacker, Dan Morgan.
Wide receiver Marvin Minnis and defensive end Jamal Reynolds
were the other Seminoles chosen. Wide receiver-punt returner
Santana Moss and safety Edward Reed joined Morgan in giving the
Hurricanes their first trio of All-Americans since 1992. Florida
State had four players on the first team in '99.
Weinke, Florida State's 28-year-old quarterback, led the nation
with 4,167 yards passing and threw 33 touchdown passes, with just
11 interceptions. He led the third-ranked Seminoles (11-1) to a
national title game against No. 1 Oklahoma (12-0) in the Orange
Bowl on Jan. 3.
The Sooners' Josh Heupel made second team, with Purdue's Drew
Brees the third-team quarterback.
TCU's LaDainian Tomlinson and Northwestern's Damien Anderson,
the nation's top two rushers, were the running backs.
The 5-foot-11, 217-pound Tomlinson ran for 2,158 yards -- the
fourth highest single-season total in I-A history -- in leading the
Horned Frogs (10-1) to the Western Athletic Conference title and a
berth in the Mobile Alabama Bowl. The 5-11, 208-pound Anderson ran
for 1,914 yards as the Wildcats (8-3) took a share of the Big Ten
title and earned a trip to the Alamo Bowl.
Minnis, who stepped in for two-time All-American Peter Warrick,
made life easier for Weinke by catching 63 passes for 1,340 yards
and 11 TDs -- an average of 21.3 yards. The other wide receiver was
Pittsburgh's Antonio Bryant, the Biletnikoff Award winner who led
the nation in average yards per game (130.2) with 68 catches for
1,302 yards and 11 TDs.
Moss was chosen as the all-purpose player. The 5-10, 180-pound
senior caught 45 passes for 748 yards and five TDs, and ranked
fourth nationally in punt returns with an 18.2-yard average. The
Big East's co-offensive player and special teams player of the year
also returned four punts for touchdowns.
Morgan, the first player to win the Butkus, Bednarik and
Nagurski awards in the same season, topped the Big East with 138
tackles, including 15 for losses on a defense that ranked fifth in
points allowed at 15.5 per game. The Bednarik and Nagurski awards
are for the nation's top defensive player; the Butkus goes to the
top linebacker.
Linebacker Rocky Calmus was the lone first-team representative
for No. 1 Oklahoma (12-0).
The Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences led the way with five
players apiece on the team, which consisted of 17 seniors, seven
junior and two sophomores. The sophomores were Bryant and
Cincinnati kicker Jonathan Ruffin.
Brian Natkin of Texas-El Paso was the tight end after a season
of 64 catches for 787 yards and four TDs.
Center Dominic Raiola of Nebraska anchors an offensive line that
also features Steve Hutchinson of Michigan, Leonard Davis of Texas,
Chris Brown of Georgia Tech and Chad Ward of Washington. Average
weight? 322.8 pounds.
Ruffin led the nation in field goals with 26 -- on 29 attempts
and hit 26 of 27 extra points. Last season, he hit just five of 12
field goals.
Joining Lombardi Award winner Reynolds along the defensive line
were Outland Trophy winner John Henderson of Tennessee, Andre
Carter of California and Casey Hampton of Texas -- the only repeater
from last year. Reynolds led the Seminoles with 12 sacks; Henderson
topped the SEC with 12 sacks; Carter had a school record 13½ sacks;
and Hampton was the Big 12's defensive player of the year with 74
tackles, 18 for losses.
Along with Morgan and Calmus, the other linebackers were Keith
Adams of Clemson and Carlos Polk of Nebraska. Morgan, 6-3, 245, was
the Big East's leading tackler with 138 stops, including 15 for
losses; Calmus, 6-3, 234 pounds, led the Sooners with 122 tackles,
including 17 against Nebraska; Adams finished with 138 tackles; and
Polk was the Huskers' leading tackler with 89 stops and returned
his one interception for a TD.
In addition to Reed, the secondary consisted Fred Smoot of
Mississippi State, Dwight Smith of Akron and Jamar Fletcher of
Wisconsin. Reed returned two of his eight interceptions for scores;
Smoot had five interceptions; Smith was the nation's co-leader in
interceptions with 10 -- two were returned for TDs; and Fletcher had
six interceptions in the nine games he played.
Nick Harris of California was the punter. He averaged 41.5 yards
per punt, with 36 of his 73 punts falling inside the opponents'
20-yard line -- 17 inside the 10.
| ALSO SEE
AP All-America teamPerfect season lifts Stoops to Coach of Year honor | ||
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