ESPN College Football

Here are the non-AQ players of the week as selected by each conference. The independent players are selected by a nationwide media panel.

Conference USA
Offense: Reggie Bullock, RB, East Carolina. Bullock rushed for a personal-best 169 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries to help East Carolina beat UAB 28-23.

Defense: Jamie Bender, S, UAB. Had 11 tackles and returned one interception 35 yards for a touchdown in a loss to East Carolina. That was the first defensive score for the Blazers since 2009.

Special teams: Danny Hrapmann, K, Southern Miss. Made three of four field goals (43, 35 and 27 yards), including two in the final quarter of a 30-24 victory over Virginia. He also converted a fake punt deep in the Golden Eagles' end zone and ran 31 yards for a first down.

Independent
Offense: Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame. Eifert set a career-high with eight receptions for a game-high 75 yards and a touchdown in a 15-12 win at Pittsburgh.

Defense: Kyle Van Noy, LB, BYU. Had eight tackles and a sack in a win over UCF.

Special teams: Cody Hoffman, WR/KR, BYU. Had a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in a 24-17 win over UCF. That was BYU's first kickoff return touchdown since Oct. 17, 1998 -- a span of 161 games.

MAC

East Division

Offense: Bernard Pierce, RB, Temple. Ran for a school record and MAC record-tying five touchdowns in a 38-7 win at Maryland. Pierce eclipsed the 100-yard mark in rushing for the 12th time in his career and third time this season. He finished with 149 yards on 32 carries for five touchdowns.

Defense: Luke Wollet, S, Kent State. Had two interceptions while matching his season-high with eight tackles in a 33-25 win over South Alabama.

Special teams: Ray Hutson, WR, Bowling Green. Blocked a punt and recovered a fumble on a kickoff return in the Falcons’ 37-23 win at Miami (Ohio).

West Division

Co-Offense: Jordan White, WR, Western Michigan. Eric Page, WR, Toledo. White set his career record with 14 catches for 134 yards and a touchdown in a 23-30 loss at No. 24 Illinois. White became the fourth Bronco to have over 200 career catches and recorded his 14th 100-yard receiving game.

Page had a season-high 13 receptions and career-high 158 receiving yards in a 33-30 overtime loss at Syracuse. Page had 279 all-purpose yards, including 114 yards in kickoff returns.

Defense: Sean Baker, S, Ball State. Had eight tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack and one interception in a 48-21 victory over Army. He was a part of a Ball State defense that tied an NCAA single game record by not allowing Army to complete a pass in the game.

Special Teams: Jeremiah Detmer, K, Toledo. Kicked a 52-yard field goal in his first career attempt in a 33-30 overtime loss at Syracuse. The 52-yarder was the second-longest field goal in Toledo history.

Mountain West

Co-Offense: Chris Nwoke, RB, Colorado State, Deon Long, RB, New Mexico. Had 102 yards of total offense (85 rushing, 17 receiving) and scored two touchdowns in Colorado State’s 35-34 double-overtime victory at Utah State. Nwoke tied the game with a 1-yard touchdown run with 42 seconds left in regulation, then provided the game-winner with a 2-yard run on CSU’s second possession in overtime.

Long broke the school and Mountain West single-game record with 378 all-purpose yards in New Mexico’s overtime loss to Sam Houston State. Offensively, Long caught nine passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns, and returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.

Defense: Shaquil Barrett, LB, Colorado State. Had a team-high 14 tackles in a 35-34 double-overtime win at Utah State. He also added his first career fumble recovery for a touchdown.

Special teams: Tanner Hedstrom, LS, Colorado State. Hedstrom recovered two fumbles on muffed punts, including a critical takeaway to set up the game-tying score in Colorado State’s 35-34 double-overtime win at Utah State.

Sun Belt
Offense: Blaine Gautier, QB, Louisiana. In just his fourth career start, Gautier totaled 307 yards (221 passing/86 rushing) and tossed three touchdown passes to lead the offense in a 36-31 upset over FIU.

Defense: Chris Pickett, DB, Troy. Recovered a fumble and returned it for a 63-yard touchdown in a win over Middle Tennessee. Pickett finished the game with seven total tackles, including one for loss, and also broke up a pass.

Special Teams: Brian David, K, Arkansas State. Set a new Sun Belt and school record when he made six field goals in a 53-24 win over Central Arkansas. His 23 points scored in the game also set a league and school record for points scored in a single game by a kicker.

WAC
Offense: Bryant Moniz, QB, Hawaii. Set a new school record and tied an NCAA record with seven touchdown passes in the first half of a 56-14 win over UC Davis. Moniz also set a new school record with 424 passing yards in a half. He was 30-of-40, and did not play in the second half.

Defense: Travis Brown, LB, Fresno State. Made a career-high 11 tackles in Fresno State’s 48-24 win at Idaho. Brown led the Bulldog defense that allowed just 55 yards of total offense in the second half and 44 yards rushing for the whole game.

Special teams: Kevin Goessling, K, Fresno State. Made all six of his extra point attempts and both field goal attempts from 48 yards in the win at Idaho.

Here are the non-AQ players of the week, as selected by each conference. The independent players of the week are selected by a national media panel.

Conference USA

Offense: Case Keenum, QB, Houston. Ryan Griffin, QB, Tulane. Keenum led the biggest comeback in school history in a 35-34 win at Louisiana Tech, completing 25-of-40 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns to overcome a 27-point third quarter deficit. Griffin completed his first 11 passes for 164 yards and finished the game 22-of-26 for 281 yards and a career-high-tying three touchdowns in a 49-10 win over UAB.

Defense: Korey Williams, LB, Southern Miss. Williams led the Golden Eagles with 10 tackles, seven of which were solo stops, in a 52-6 win over Southeastern Louisiana. He added one tackle for loss and an interception return for a touchdown.

Special teams: Nick Adams, KR, UAB. Adams set a UAB single-game record with 194 kick return yards and took a Tulane kickoff back 92 yards for a touchdown in a loss to Tulane.

Independent

Offense: Trent Steelman, QB, Army. Had 28 carries for 108 yards and three touchdowns in a 21-14 win over Northwestern.

Defense: Robert Blanton, CB, Notre Dame. Grabbed an interception deep in Notre Dame territory and returned it 82 yards, setting up a game-sealing field goal for the Fighting Irish over Michigan State.

Special teams: George Atkinson III, RB/KR, Notre Dame. Had 142 yards on four kickoff returns, including an 89-yard touchdown, in a 31-13 home win over No. 15 Michigan State. Atkinson is the first Fighting Irish freshman to return a kickoff for a score since Raghib Ismail in 1988.

MAC

East Division
Offense: Tyler Tettleton, QB, Ohio. Threw for a career-high 285 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bobcats to a 44-7 victory over Marshall and improve to 3-0 on the year -- its best start to a season since 1976. He also also rushed for a touchdown and a season-best 53 yards.

Defense: Dwayne Woods, LB, Bowling Green. Had a game-high 12 tackles and two tackles for loss in the Falcons’ 28-27 loss to Wyoming.

Special Teams: Matt Weller, K, Ohio. Was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals, connecting from 20, 21 and 34 yards and was 5-for-5 in extra-point attempts in a win over Marshall.

West Division
Offense: Jordan White, WR, Western Michigan. Had 13 catches for a season-high 177 yards in a 44-14 win over Central Michigan. White had two touchdowns and a career-best 241 all-purpose yards.

Defense: Travis Freeman, LB, Ball State. Had a season-high 12 tackles in a 28-25 victory over Buffalo.

Special Teams: John Potter, K, Western Michigan. Scored for 14 points in a 44-14 win over Central Michigan with five extra points and a career-matching three field goals (33, 43, 43).

Mountain West

Offense: Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State. Ronnie Hillman, RB, San Diego State. Moore went 32-of-42 passes for 455 yards and five touchdowns. The 32 completions are a single-game career high for Moore, while the five touchdowns tied his career high. Hillman rushed for 191 yards on a career-high 32 carries and tied his career-high with four touchdowns in a 42-24 win over Washington State.

Defense: Larry Parker, DB, San Diego State. Josh Biezuns, DL, Wyoming. Parker helped forced three turnovers, including two fourth-quarter interceptions, as the Aztecs beat Washington State 42-24. The two interceptions were the first two of his career. Biezuns forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, had two sacks for 15 yards and combined with fellow senior defensive lineman Gabe Knapton to block the potential game-tying extra-point attempts with 3 seconds left as Wyoming beat Bowling Green 28-27.

Special teams: Greg McCoy, DB, TCU. Returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown in the second half, setting the tone for TCU to score 14 points in the opening 4:18 of the third quarter in its 38-17 win over ULM.

Sun Belt

Offense: Corey Robinson, QB, Troy. Set new career highs for pass attempts (63), completions (36) and rushing yards (33) in a loss to Arkansas. His 373 passing yards were the third most of his career.

Defense: Isame Faciane, DT, FIU. LaDarrius Madden, DB, Troy. Faciane had arguably the biggest play of the game against UCF when he picked up a fumble by Jeff Godfrey and returned it 51 yards for a game-tying touchdown in the win over the Knights. Madden had six total tackles and a 53-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Special Teams: Melvin White, DB, Louisiana. Made the momentum turning play against Nicholls State with a 68-yard blocked field goal return for a touchdown. The Cajuns outscored the Colonels 24-7 after the blocked field goal.

WAC

Offense: Mike Ball, RB, Nevada. Rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns in Nevada’s 17-14 win at San Jose State.

Defense: Logan Harrell, DT, Fresno State. Recorded a career-high 11 tackles and tied his career-high with 4.5 tackles for a loss of 23 yards in a 27-22 win over North Dakota.

Special teams: Jake Hurst, P, Nevada. Punted six times for 259 yards, A 43.2-yard average, in the win over San Jose State. He had a long of 49 yards and placed two inside the 20-yard line.

Here is a look at your non-AQ preseason team. All five conferences, BYU, Army and Navy were considered.

Offense

QB Kellen Moore, Boise State

RB Ronnie Hillman, San Diego State

RB Doug Martin, Boise State

OT Nate Potter, Boise State

OT Matt Reynolds, BYU

C Scott Wedige, Northern Illinois

OG Chris Barker, Nevada

OG Braden Hansen, BYU

TE Ladarius Green, Louisiana

WR Damaris Johnson, Tulsa

WR Patrick Edwards, Houston

Defense

DE Vinny Curry, Marshall

DE Jonathan Massaquoi, Troy

DT Logan Harrell, Fresno State

DT Billy Winn, Boise State

LB Tank Carder, TCU

LB Corey Paredes, Hawaii

LB Tanner Brock, TCU

CB Josh Robinson, UCF

CB Leon McFadden, San Diego State

S Marco Nelson, Tulsa

S George Iloka, Boise State

Specialists

K Danny Hrapmann, Southern Miss

P Brian Stahovich, San Diego State

KR T.Y. Hilton, FIU

PR Eric Page, Toledo

I have moved over to the Big East blog, but am still here to answer your non-AQ questions. So please send them along to the mailbag. I would like to have one of these a week, but the questions have dipped down in the past few weeks. Keep them coming!

Mike in San Antonio writes: Since 2002, Gary Patterson's record on Saturdays has ben 77-9 (89.5 percent) and his record on non-Saturday games is 9-10 (47.4 percent). I understand that many of these games were against teams like Utah and BYU, but it seems that the Frogs don't prepare well (they struggled with SMU in 2010). Do you think TCU will be able to get ready for Baylor, SMU, and BYU this year?

Adelson writes: Well, they did beat SMU, right? I think the bigger issue is the quality of opponent, not the day the game is played. Typically when you are playing on a day other than Saturday, you are doing so because you are in a marquee game that the network feels is worthy of being a showcase. Baylor, SMU and BYU were all bowl teams last season and should all be bowl teams once again this season. My concern about the Baylor game is not that it is on a Friday; it's that Casey Pachall has to make his first start on the road against a quality Big 12 team.

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Christopher in Troy writes: What are your views on the Troy Trojans this year? Last year defense was the only thing that stopped the team from a 10-11 win season. Do you think the Troy Trojans have the potential to win ten or more games this season?

Andrea Adelson: I think Troy and FIU will go into the year as the favorites to win the Sun Belt. It really hurts the Trojans that they lost four players to academics -- Jamel Johnson and Chip Reeves were going to be counted on to help replace Jerrel Jernigan. KeJuan Phillips was penciled in to start at cornerback. Those are big losses. But, there is talent returning. Corey Robinson should be the Sun Belt first-team quarterback, and Jonathan Massaquoi and Kanorris Davis are dominators on defense. Looking at the schedule, I do not see a 10 or 11 win season. Clemson, Arkansas and Navy are going to be tough. So is UAB, which should be better this season. There are simply too many questions now to predict double-digit victories.

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Eric in Traverse City, Mich., writes: Hey Andrea, I'm a passionate college football fan, and a fan of the amateurism in college sports. Hearing all these talks about the B1G (and ultimately other BCS conferences) giving student athletes stipends kind of irks me. Not even because it's athletes getting paid, but because its really unfair to me that we treat BCS conference athletes better than those that aren't in a power conference. Shouldn't all student athletes be treated equally and fairly, regardless of the prestige of the school he/she attends? I'm a recent grad from Central Michigan and have a soft spot for the little guys. Can we PLEASE STOP TRYING TO FLUSH THESE LITTLE GUYS OUT???

Andrea Adelson: Eric, I know there are a host of folks out there who agree with you. The issue is not giving players stipends, but increasing the amount of their scholarships. If something like this happens, non-AQ schools would be eligible to do the same for their players. But we all know they would not be able to afford to do so. The idea of treating everyone equally is a great one, but unfortunately there is a pecking order of haves and have nots in college football the way there is in business and many other aspects of life. The gap is only going to keep growing.

Boise State is expected to be the top non-AQ team once again this season, so it comes as no surprise that Phil Steele has chosen the Broncos to win the Mountain West.

But what is surprising is where he has the Broncos ranked in his 2011 College Football Preview, which just came out this week. Steele has Boise State at No. 3 in his preseason rankings. Here is what he has to say: "They rank in my top individual units in seven of the eight categories with the only question being wide receiver. Of all the teams that are in the Top 10 of the power poll, Boise has the easiest path to an unbeaten season and might just break through to the title game if things fall their way."

There is no arguing Boise State has an easier path than the rest of the Top 10 (No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 4 Oregon, No. 5 Virginia Tech, No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 7 LSU, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 9 Georgia, No. 10 Florida State). But I am not so sure Boise State goes undefeated this season. I think last year's team had more talent and an easier schedule. I am going to have a video series soon on five teams that could potentially beat Boise State, so stay tuned for that.

Steele has TCU at No. 11, writing, "Many will call for a big drop for the Frogs as they have just eight returning starters and lose their fine quarterback Andy Dalton. Keep in mind that Dalton replaced Jeff Ballard, who won 90.5 percent of his starts. ... The D has been No. 1 in the FBS for three straight years and even with just five starters back could make it four in a row. Even though they open with a couple of tough road tests, the only game in which I have the Frogs as an underdog this year is on the blue turf."

Excellent points from Steele. I truly believe the defense is going to be just as good for TCU. The question is how Casey Pachall plays at quarterback.

There are two other non-AQ teams in his preseason Top 25: No. 20 Southern Miss and No. 21 Houston. I am not surprised with either selection. I previously have mentioned both as potential BCS busters because of the talent returning, excellent senior leadership at quarterback and very manageable schedules. Four of Steele's nine sets of power rankings call for Southern Miss to go 12-0.

BYU is ranked No. 29. Steele also agrees with me on one point about the Cougars -- they have a shot at double digit wins in their first year as an independent.

Air Force is No. 30. Steele believes this is another team capable of reaching double-digit wins, and the Falcons should be favored in nine games this season.

Tulsa is No. 35, San Diego State is No. 44, SMU is No. 45, UCF is No. 47, Troy is No. 50, Nevada is No. 51 and Toledo is No. 52.

Here are his non-AQ conference champs:

MWC: Boise State

C-USA: Houston, West; Southern Miss, East

WAC: Nevada

MAC: Toledo, West; Ohio, East

Sun Belt: Troy

Houston quarterback Case Keenum makes his return from a torn ACL this season, ratcheting up expectations for the Cougars. Expectations are high for him as well.

Phil Steele has Keenum as a fourth-team selection on his newly released All-America teams, right behind Landry Jones of Oklahoma, Andrew Luck of Stanford and Kellen Moore of Boise State. This is a clear indication that there is some unfinished business left for Keenum, who remains on pace to break the NCAA career passing mark -- should he stay healthy.

Keenum needs 3,487 yards to break the mark of 17,072 yards set by Timmy Chang of Hawaii from 2000-04. There is another mark that Keenum has a chance to surpass -- career touchdown passes. Graham Harrell of Texas Tech has the record of 134. Keenum needs 28 to break that mark. Considering he threw for more than 5,000 yards and 44 touchdowns in each of his two full seasons as a starter, those records seem to be in jeopardy.

So Steele putting Keenum on his fourth team is his preseason projection that Keenum will get those records. Plus, there is plenty of uncertainty at quarterback around the country, and Keenum has delivered in bunches so this choice makes sense if you are projecting a healthy season. Steele also lists go-to Houston receiver Patrick Edwards on his fourth team, so his expectation is a big year for Edwards as well.

As for some of the other non-AQ players listed:

I agree with the selection of Moore on the third team. Teammate Nate Potter made the first team at tackle while Billy Winn made the second team on the defensive line.

No-brainers: TCU linebacker Tank Carder, Tulsa kick returner Damaris Johnson and Southern Miss kicker Danny Hrapmann on the first team; Toledo kick returner Eric Page on the second team. BYU offensive tackle Matt Reynolds made the second team. I think he is going to be either a first- or second-team selection this year.

Surprises: FIU receiver T.Y. Hilton made the third team, quite an impressive accomplishment considering he is known more for being an all-purpose player. Steele must think the Panthers have a chance to win another Sun Belt title and that Hilton will have an even better year than 2010, when he was Sun Belt Player of the Year. I think Louisiana tight end Ladarius Green has the potential to be better than a fourth-team selection. Same for Troy defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi and TCU linebacker Tanner Brock, both fourth-team selections. Another interesting choice: UCF kick returner Quincy McDuffie on the fourth team. McDuffie has made huge strides in special teams, but the Knights are eager to get even more out of him.

Omissions: You can certainly make a case for San Diego State running back Ronnie Hillman, the top freshman back in the country last season with 1,532 yards. Same for Boise State running back Doug Martin, one of the most underrated players in the nation.

I have returned from the Big East spring meetings to serve you up some lunchtime links.

Could Tate Forcier be headed to San Diego State?

Dylan Collie will continue his family's football legacy at BYU.

Troy loses five football players, including three projected starters.

Louisiana Tech has dismissed two receivers from the team.

UTEP is addressing the problems that led to scholarship reductions because of poor APR scores.

Hawaii's coordinators are getting pay raises.

If you want to check out some pretty freaky football players, then perhaps you should watch some Sun Belt football. Three Sun Belt players got recognition in Bruce Feldman's annual college football "freaks" list.

Coming in at No. 5 is Troy linebacker Kanorris Davis. Teammate Brandon Boudreaux, one of Feldman's top 10 strongest men in college football, just missed the cut. So did ULM receiver Luther Ambrose, who is in the Jeff Demps mold -- short (5-foot-8), fast (won the Sun Belt title in the 100 meters in 10.47 seconds) and athletic (finished second in the long jump at the conference championships).

Feldman said of Davis:

Davis -- who has forced five fumbles in the past two seasons -- can run a 4.40; however, it's jumping ability that turns heads. Want proof? Check out this video of Davis, whose vertical has been measured at 42 inches, vaulting clear over 6-foot Troy punter Will Goggans (of Santa Claus beard fame) in the weight room.

Make sure to watch that video. It is pretty remarkable. Feldman also noted that Boudreaux has his own freak tendencies. He weighs just under 240 pounds but has repped 225 on the bench nearly 50 times.

Also making the list at No. 9: Boise State running back Doug Martin, otherwise known as the Muscle Hamster. Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe, No. 5 on the strongest man list, just missed the cut. Feldman says of Martin:

Martin's testing numbers are on top or near the top of the BSU program with a 405-pound bench, a 374-pound hang clean, a 530-pound squat and a 40-time of 4.42. He also vertical-jumped 37 inches and repped 225 pounds 28 times.

Indeed, several Boise State fans have let it be known that Kellen Moore is not the only superstar returning to the team. Martin should not be overlooked.

Now we get to the all important categories: preseason picks for offensive and defensive players of the year for the non-AQs. First we start with defense. There were plenty of players to choose from, but ultimately I narrowed it down to the players I think are going to be preseason defensive player of the year picks in their respective conferences.

Roosevelt Nix had an outstanding freshman season at Kent State last year and was MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Nix had 10 sacks and 20 tackles for loss last season as the first freshman to win that award in league history. Jonathan Massaquoi had an outstanding season at Troy in 2010 with 13.5 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss. Corey Paredes had 151 tackles for Hawaii last season. Vinny Curry had 12 sacks and 94 tackles last season for Marshall and is one of the top senior players in Mel Kiper's early evaluation for the 2012 draft.

But my choice for this award is TCU linebacker Tank Carder, a second-team AP All-American in 2010. Anybody who watched the way he defended the decisive 2-point conversion pass against Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl saw his smarts and his athleticism. He was the Defensive Player of the Game in the Rose Bowl. Now he is going to be the heart of that TCU defense in 2011 and a leader as well, with Tejay Johnson gone. TCU has a chance to be the No. 1 defense in the nation for a fourth straight season. If it happens, you can bet Carder will be a big reason why.

I listed my three non-AQ games to watch as part of my spring wrap, and included TCU at Boise State. Earlier Wednesday I listed my out-of-conference, non-AQ games to watch for 2011. Now here is my list of the top conference games to watch for 2011:

TCU at San Diego State, Oct. 8

Buzz: The Aztecs came oh-so-close to pulling the upset in Fort Worth last season, and now they get TCU at home. The Horned Frogs are going to be good again on defense, but there are questions on offense. The Aztecs have questions at receiver, too. It will be interesting to see how this team looks with a new coaching staff as well.

UCF at SMU, Oct. 13

Buzz: A rematch of the C-USA championship game last season, only this one takes place in Dallas. Both teams are going to be in the mix to return to the championship game, so this one could have an impact on the league race.

Air Force at Boise State, Oct. 22

Buzz: There are some who believe the Falcons could be a dark-horse contender in the Mountain West, and they get a chance to prove their worth in this tough conference game. Meanwhile, Boise State gets its first crack at the difficult triple-option offense led by senior Tim Jefferson.

Fresno State at Nevada, Oct. 22

Buzz: This one could impact the race for the WAC title. Both will have new starting quarterbacks and don't have Boise State in the way anymore, either.

Troy at FIU, Oct. 25

Buzz: FIU smacked Troy 52-35 last season but they both ended up sharing the conference title. Both will be favored to finish atop the Sun Belt once again, making this a pivotal game.

Tulsa at UCF, Nov. 3

Buzz: This one could be a preview of the C-USA title game. Tulsa has plenty of returning starters, while UCF has some holes to fill on offense and at receiver.

Miami (Ohio) at Temple, Nov. 9

Buzz: Both teams are going to be favored to be at the top of the East, so this one could have implications on who goes to the conference title game. The RedHawks pulled the upset at home last year en route to the conference title game.

Hawaii at Nevada, Nov. 12

Buzz: The Warriors handed the Wolf Pack their only loss last season as both claimed a share of the WAC title. Even though they lost, Nevada did a good job of limiting the quick-strike offense, holding the Warriors to their second-lowest point total of the season.

Boise State at San Diego State, Nov. 19

Buzz: No question the Broncos face much tougher competition in a tougher league and this one is one of the harder games on the schedule. Depending on how the teams play, this one could be an upset alert for the week.

Houston at Tulsa, Nov. 26

Buzz: These two teams are going to be the favorites in the West and the winner of this game could end up in the conference championship game. Much of their success will hinge on how their respective quarterbacks play this season.

2010 overall record: 8-5

2010 conference record: 6-2, co-champs

Returning starters

Offense: 4, defense 8, punter/kicker 2

Top returners

QB Corey Robinson, DE Jonathan Massaquoi, LB Xavier Lamb, S LaDarrius Madden

Key losses

WR Jerrel Jernigan, WR TeBiarus Gill, RB DuJuan Harris, DE Mario Addison

2010 statistical leaders (* denotes returners)

Rushing: Shawn Southward (643 yards, 7 TDs)

Passing: Robinson * (321-of-505 for 3,726 yards, 28 TDs, 15 INT)

Receiving: Jernigan (822 yards, 6 TDs)

Tackles: Lamb* (91)

Sacks: Massaquoi* (13.5)

Interceptions: Jimmie Anderson*, Madden* (three each)

Spring Answers

1. Corey Johnson did well. The junior college transfer appears to be the heir apparent to Jernigan, one of the best players in school history. Coach Larry Blakeney said of Johnson, “It looks like he could give us a burst down the middle.”

2. Depth in the defensive backfield. Blakeney says he is deeper at safety and cornerback than he has ever been, and really was impressed with the springs Brynden Trawick and Angelo Hadley, two junior college transfers who could have an immediate impact. That should help the Trojans improve their pass defense, which ranked No. 100 nationally.

3. More running. Even though Harris is gone, Blakeney is hopeful about his running back situation with the return of Southward and Chris Anderson. He praised D.J. Taylor as well, a former walk-on now on scholarship. He also mentioned that Gavin Ellis and Jim Teknipp give Troy options at tight end, because both can help with the power running game and can also get down field.

Fall Questions

1. Offensive production. Troy lost its top three receivers in Jernigan, Gill and Jason Bruce. They accounted for over half of the team’s receiving yards. Seeing Johnson step up was a positive. Jamel Johnson had a good spring, and Chip Reeves is going to be counted on as well. No question Troy needs new faces to step up to fill the big void.

2. Replacing Addison. It appears John Robles is in the lead to replace Addison, who started opposite Massaquoi. R.J. Roberts also competed with Robles in the spring, and both will have a lot of work to do to make up for the 10.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss that Addison had last season.

3. Better defense. Troy has plenty of returning starters and players returning. Is that a good sign because they have experience, or a bad sign because this is a unit that ranked No. 89 in the nation last season? Blakeney has stressed playing better defense this year. With depth at linebacker and in the secondary, that is possible.

Here is a final tally of where non-AQ players landed in the NFL draft. Thirty-nine players from non-AQ FBS teams were drafted. TCU had the most players taken with five. Here are the other schools with multiple players selected:

Boise State: 3

Hawaii: 3

Idaho: 3

Nevada: 3

Fresno State: 2

San Diego State: 2

Temple: 2

UCF: 2

Note: Fresno State receiver Jamel Hamler and Southern Miss receiver DeAndre Brown did not get drafted after opting to leave school early.

Mr. Irrelevant went to Rice defensive end Cheta Ozougwu.

First round

No. 30, Temple DE Muhammad Wilkerson, New York Jets

ESPN.com says: Wilkerson is an unusual 3-4 DE because he is more than just a run stopper with his 9.5 sacks a year ago. He should start immediately in this front seven and fill a huge gap at DE, where they have struggled recently.

Second round
No. 35 TCU quarterback Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
ESPN.com says: Dalton is a guy the Bengals can build around, and he will fit in very well in Jay Gruden's West Coast offense.

No. 36 Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Nevada Wolf Pack
ESPN.com says: Kaepernick has a great upside, although like Alex Smith, he has to make a huge transition from an unorthodox college offense to a pro-style offense. The 49ers will run a West Coast style, but the huge question is do they talk Alex Smith into coming back to develop Kaepernick or cut ties and throw the rookie into the fire?

No. 44 Boise State receiver Titus Young, Detroit Lions
ESPN.com says: Young looks like the perfect guy to line up in the slot in the Lions' three-wide package, and his quickness and yards after the catch could give them added versatility.

No. 54 Temple safety Jaiquawn Jarrett, Philadelphia Eagles
ESPN.com says: Jarrett is not necessarily a game-changer but could be a solid SS, good in run support and decent in zone coverages.

Third round
No. 66 Nevada linebacker Dontay Moch, Cincinnati Bengals
ESPN.com says: Moch likely will line up at the SLB, and although the Bengals like their outside guys, he adds depth and versatility,

No. 69 FAU tight end Rob Housler, Arizona Cardinals
ESPN.com says: Housler will bring them an H-back type pass-catcher who should really upgrade them on third down and in the red zone.

No. 78 Boise State receiver Austin Pettis, St. Louis Rams
ESPN.com says: Pettis will give them a tall presence in the red zone and on third down and he can be the go-to guy in key situations.

No. 82 San Diego State receiver Vincent Brown, San Diego Chargers
ESPN.com says: While Brown might not be elite, Philip Rivers will like him because he'll run good routes and be a nice target. But he's not explosive.

No. 83 Troy receiver Jerrel Jernigan, New York Giants
ESPN.com says: Jernigan is not necessarily a big-play guy but he can work out of the slot, create yards after the catch and give them some return ability.

No. 85 UCF offensive lineman Jah Reid, Baltimore Ravens
ESPN.com says: With this pick, look for the Ravens to try to develop him as their RT and leave Oher on the left side.

No. 90 Utah State cornerback Curtis Marsh, Philadelphia Eagles
ESPN.com says: The No. 1 need for this team was CB and Marsh is a perfect fit in the style of defense they play.

No. 96 Hawaii running back Alex Green, Green Bay Packers
ESPN.com says: This is a great offense without a consistent run game and Green is a versatile back who can catch well and be another target for Aaron Rodgers.

Fourth round
No. 112 Hawaii receiver Greg Salas, St. Louis Rams
ESPN.com says: Much like their third-round pick Austin Pettis, Salas is a good route runner and he really works well in the middle of the field.

No. 121 Wyoming safety Chris Prosinski, Jacksonville Jaguars
ESPN.com says: The Jags could use two new guys and more depth and Prosinski is a step in the right direction.

No. 131 New Mexico State cornerback Davon House, Green Bay Packers
ESPN.com says: Although not a major need, House fits nicely into the Packers' defensive scheme as a press corner who will play a lot of man coverages.

Fifth round
No. 132 Hawaii receiver Kealoha Pilares, Carolina Panthers
No. 138 TCU offensive lineman Marcus Cannon, New England Patriots
No. 143 Buffalo cornerback Josh Thomas, Dallas Cowboys
No. 144 Idaho safety Shiloh Keo, Houston Texans
No. 147 Middle Tennessee cornerback Rod Issac, Jacksonville Jaguars
No. 153 TCU receiver Jeremy Kerley, New York Jets
No. 159 Marshall tight end Lee Smith, New England Patriots
No. 160 Idaho quarterback Nate Enderle, Chicago Bears
No. 162 Fresno State linebacker Chris Carter, Pittsburgh Steelers

Sixth round
No. 174 Tulsa fullback Charles Clay, Miami Dolphins
No. 176 East Carolina receiver Dwayne Harris, Dallas Cowboys
No. 178 SMU receiver Aldrick Robinson, Washington Redskins
No. 190 TCU safety Colin Jones, San Francisco 49ers

Seventh round
No. 204 Nevada tight end Virgil Green, Denver Broncos
No. 210 Fresno State offensive lineman Andrew Jackson, Atlanta Falcons
No. 211 UCF defensive end Bruce Miller, San Francisco 49ers
No. 213 Boise State cornerback Brandyn Thompson, Washington Redskins
No. 214 Arkansas State offensive lineman Derek Newton, Houston Texans
No. 219 TCU defensive back Malcolm Williams, New England Patriots
No. 222 FIU cornerback Anthony Gaitor, Tampa Bay Bucs
No. 238 Idaho tight end Daniel Hardy, Tampa Bay Bucs
No. 249 San Diego State receiver DeMarco Sampson, Arizona Cardinals
No. 254 Rice defensive end Cheta Ozougwu, Houston Texans

Larry Blakeney came to his own roast already grateful, knowing so many of his good friends and former players would be there to share some stories and a few laughs about a career that has seen him transform Troy from a Division II contender to a Sun Belt power.

He thought he knew what to expect. Then came the unexpected.

A proclamation was read renaming the field at Veterans Memorial Stadium: Larry Blakeney Field.

"If I had known, I probably wouldn't have gone," the self-deprecating Blakeney joked in a phone interview from his office.

"I had no idea they were going to do that. Most of the time, you're dead and gone before anybody names anything for you. I just feel very blessed to have this opportunity. Now we’ve got to try to find out how to win with that new stadium moniker on there. I don’t want to jinx it -- I may take that sign down. We have got a pretty good home record, so I want to be sure we want to take pride in that and keep it going."

Blakeney has been the constant that has kept Troy going. After spending 14 seasons in various roles at Auburn, Blakeney took on the head-coaching job at Troy in 1990. He oversaw the transition from Division II to FCS to FBS -- joining Gene McDowell at UCF as the only coaches to successfully make that move. All the while, Blakeney accumulated one winning season after another. Indeed, he has had winning seasons in 15 of his 20 years as a head coach.

His Troy teams have won or shared five straight Sun Belt conference crowns, becoming the most recognizable and dominant team in that league. But this past season was not without its share of ups and downs. A tough 52-35 home loss to FIU in November was just the second on Homecoming under Blakeney. It also signaled a potential changing of the guard in the league, as the Trojans were no longer in control of their championship destiny.

But they pulled together and won their final three. They found out they won a share of the league title after landing following a win over FAU in the regular-season finale, thanks to an FIU loss to Middle Tennessee. Still, Blakeney thought plenty about his future after the Trojans had dropped three of four games and looked like they may not win another title.

"Winning is definitely the reason your motor runs," Blakeney said. "You take a bunch of them on the chin and that motor revs way down. We got some things turned around personnel wise, then we won three in a row basically going away and it just made the world a lot brighter and more fun. Losing ‘em -- it really puts a drab on everything."

There has not been much that has been drab about Troy under Blakeney. What is particularly interesting to note is despite all those wins, there has been little interest from outside schools in hiring him to run their programs. That has not really surprised Blakeney, and he has been more than happy to stay at a school that has meant so much to him.

As for what has allowed him to be so successful, Blakeney said simply: "Continuity and quality. I’ve been able to hire good quality here without a lot of money. A lot of those guys have ascended out of here to better jobs, bigger jobs, more money. Winning always gives you a chance to maybe hire a guy for less money because of the experience they might get. Everybody likes to win and that’s what drives me."

Even today, as he enters his 21st season as Troy head coach.

"I’m getting older, but I still like doing it, and as long as it’s like that, I’ll probably hang on," he said.

Colleague Bruce Feldman has a great post on the 10 strongest players in college football. Two players on non-AQ teams made the list:

No. 3 Brandon Boudreaux, DE/LB, Troy Trojans

No. 5 Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis Tigers

Feldman writes of Boudreaux: Earlier this week, when the Trojans had their pro-testing day, Boudreaux "only" benched 225 44 times. I say only because Troy strength coach Richard Shaughnessy says Boundreaux has done close to 50 reps before. The really amazing part is that he's only 239 pounds. He's also broad jumped 10-foot-5 and ran a 4.6.

Poe, a former shot put champion in high school, can squat 700 pounds, bench 500 and power clean 400. Tigers strength coach Ryan Cidzik, who has coached Shaun Rogers and Kris Jenkins, told Feldman: "I've been around some very strong defensive linemen when I was coaching in the NFL, and Poe's up there with all of them. If I have another year with him, he will probably be the strongest player I've ever been around."

Break time! Now on to some links ...

Boise State athletic director Gene Bleymaier spoke to the City Club of Boise on Monday night and had some interesting comments, partially transcribed in Chadd Cripe's blog on the Idaho Statesman.

Is Colin Kaepernick the complete package?

It appears San Diego State cornerback J.J. Whittaker will miss 2011 after re-tearing his ACL during the spring.

Navy defensive coordinator Buddy Green made his return to practice after being on bed rest following complications from gallbladder surgery.

Tulane quarterback Ryan Griffin talks about spring drills.

Tulsa is switching to a 4-3 defense and made improvements throughout the spring.

Marshall defensive end Vinny Curry leads the Herd on the field and on Twitter, too.

First impressions of Louisiana under new coach Mark Hudspeth, from beat writer Joshua Parrott.

The playing surface at Veterans Memorial Stadium at Troy will be named for coach Larry Blakeney.

MAC coaches are taking the new taunting rule very seriously.