Liberty picked
to win Big South;
Coastal second
By Associated Press Sunday, July 27, 2008
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Liberty University has been tabbed as the favorite in the Big South Conference’s annual preseason football poll for the 2008 campaign, as voted by the league’s head coaches and media panel, it was announced at the Renaissance Suites Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. as part of the 2008 Big South Conference Football Kickoff Media Luncheon.
Liberty, champions of the Big South in 2007, was the preseason favorite last year.
For the second straight year, Coastal Carolina is picked to finish second to the Flames. David Bennett’s Chanticleers, which have won or shared three of the six Big South championships since the league started football in 2002, finished second in this year’s preseason poll with 58 points. For the fourth consecutive year, Steve Patton’s Gardner-Webb Bulldogs are predicted to finish third. Gardner-Webb totaled 52 points in the voting, returns 56 letterwinners and 23 starters.
New associate football member Stony Brook University is predicted to finish fourth (38 points) in its first season in the Big South.
Jay Mills’ Charleston Southern squad received the remaining first-place vote and finished fifth in the poll with 30 points. VMI, under the direction of new head coach Sparky Woods, rounded out the voting with 18 points for the sixth spot. Presbyterian is not eligible for the Big South championship this season as the Blue Hose are not playing a full conference schedule in 2008.
The 2008 season begins with Charleston Southern and Gardner-Webb in action on Thursday, Aug. 28. Conference play starts Saturday, Oct. 4 with Gardner-Webb at Charleston Southern and Liberty at Coastal Carolina.
Big South’s
preseason top players
Liberty running back Rashad Jennings (Forest, Va.) and Gardner-Webb linebacker Mario Brown (Greenville, S.C.) have been voted the League’s 2008 Preseason Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, by the conference’s coaches and media panel.
Jennings, who received nine first-place votes and 23 total points, was a honorable mention All-American last season by The Sports Network after rushing for 1,113 yards and a league-record 15 rushing touchdowns in nine games.
Jennings and Brown were also voted to the preseason All-Conference team. The preseason team is comprised of 29 total players (12 offense, 12 defense, five special teams), and Big South favorite Liberty placed a League-high eight on the preseason squad. Gardner-Webb was second with seven preseason picks, followed by Coastal Carolina (5), Charleston Southern (4), Stony Brook (4) and VMI (1). The 2008 preseason All-Conference team includes
WR, Dee Brown, Charleston Southern, Sr., Whiteville, N.C.
TE, Scott Fambrough, Coastal Carolina, Jr., Dunwoody, Ga.
OL, Britt Leggett, Coastal Carolina, R-Sr., Evergreen, N.C.
OL, Alex Bragg, Charleston Southern, R-Sr., Augusta, Ga.
DL, Phillip Oboh, Coastal Carolina, Jr., Greensboro, N.C.
DL, Jake Killeen, Charleston Southern, Sr., Reno, Nev.
LB, D.J. Rice, Coastal Carolina, Sr., Cooleemee, N.C.
LB, Josh Mitchell, Charleston Southern, R-Sr., Jacksonville, Fla.
DB, Marrio Norman, Coastal Carolina, R-Sr., Greenwood, S.C.
Presbyterian coach
makes staff changes
CLINTON – Presbyterian College head football coach Bobby Bentley announced three staff changes in the wake of Defensive Line Coach Reuben Wright’s departure from the Blue Hose program.
Current Director of Football Operations BJ Connolly will take over for Wright at Defensive Line, while current Blue Hose Tight Ends Coach Brandon Sarver will now serve as PC’s Video Coordinator in 2008.
A veteran college coach, Connolly is in his first year with the Blue Hose football program, originally joining Bentley’s program in January of 2008.
Sarver originally joined Bentley’s offensive staff after five years working with the Wake Forest football team.
Clemson’s booster
group shows increase
CLEMSON — Clemson’s athletic booster organization raised more than $21 million the past year, an increase of $5.6 million over 2007.
The group, IPTAY, raises money for athletic scholarships at Clemson. Athletic administrator Bill D’Andrea says the increase comes because of the school’s newly enacted seat equity plans where nearly two of every five season-ticket holders were asked to increase pledges to keep their seats.
D’Andrea says the seating plan was not to increase revenue but ensure fairness among donors.
The school says IPTAY membership increased slightly to 16,256 over the past year.
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