UNT's Patrick Cobbs & Adrian Awasom named Offensive & Defensive Player of the Year
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North Texas Predicted to Win, Again
NT's Cobbs and Awasom named Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year
July 19th, 2004
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NEW ORLEANS – North Texas is predicted to win the Sun Belt Conference football title for the fourth year in a row according to the annual league preseason poll announced today at the 2004 Sun Belt Conference Football Media Days. Mean Green running back Patrick Cobbs, the 2004 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, and defensive end Adrian Awasom were named the Preseason Players of the Year for the league. The poll and team was voted on by a panel of head coaches, sports information directors and media.
Three-time Sun Belt champion North Texas brings the longest conference winning streak in the nation into the 2004 season at 18. The Mean Green, under three-time Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year Darrell Dickey, has not lost a conference game since October 6, 2001. North Texas has been the Sun Belt representative to the Wyndham New Orleans Bowl for three straight seasons, picking up the young league’s first bowl win in 2002 over Cincinnati. The Mean Green return 16 starters from the 2003 squad including Cobbs, Awasom, and first team all-conference performers Scott Hall (QB), Andy Brewster (OC), and Jonas Buckles (DB).
Cobbs was the nation’s leading rusher (152.7 ypg) and scorer (11.5 ppg) in 2003. Cobbs, a senior from Tecumseh, Okla., established a new Sun Belt Conference single season rushing record in 11 games with 1,680 yards and 19 touchdowns on 307 carries. Cobbs rushed for over 100 yards in nine consecutive games, including four 200-yard rushing performances. The Mean Green were 9-1 when Cobbs reached the century mark. He also set a Sun Belt single game mark with 249 yards at Idaho on Oct. 11, 2003.
Awasom is the top returning defensive player for the Mean Green, following the graduation of two-time Sun Belt Player of the Year Brandon Kennedy and the linebacking corp of Chris Hurd, Taylor Casey and Cody Spencer. Awasom, a preseason candidate for the Bronko Nagurski Award, was a 2003 first team all-conference performer with 44 total tackles, including seven tackles for loss and four quarterback sacks. The senior from Fort Bend, Texas is also an all-Sun Belt performer in track & field.
Other players of note on the all-Sun Belt preseason team are senior receiver Kerry Wright of Middle Tennessee, senior quarterback Scott Hall of North Texas, and senior offensive lineman Steve Subia of New Mexico State. Wright established a Sun Belt single season receiving record of 1,280 yards, with a 106.7 ypg average in 2003 that ranked him fifth in the nation. Hall led the Sun Belt in pass efficiency last season at 153.4, which would have ranked among the top 10 in the nation if he had met the minimum of 15 pass attempts per game. For his efforts Hall was recently named to the Davey O’Brien Award watch list. Subia is also making the watch lists, primarily the Outland Trophy watch list, recognizing him as one of the top interior linemen in the country.
2004 Sun Belt Conference Football Preseason All-Conference Teams
Offense
Offensive Line: Andy Brewster, Sr., North Texas; Bruce Hampton, Sr., Louisiana-Monroe; Junior Louissaint, Sr., Troy; Steve Subia, Sr., New Mexico State; Hank Therien, So., Idaho Tight End: Andy Blount, Sr., North Texas Wide Receivers: Johnny Quinn, So., North Texas; Kerry Wright, Sr., Middle Tennessee Quarterback: Scott Hall, Sr., North Texas Running Backs: DeWhitt Betterson, Sr., Troy; Patrick Cobbs, Sr., North Texas
Defense
Defensive Line: Adrian Awasom, Sr., North Texas; Evan Cardwell, Sr., North Texas; Ronald Tupea, Sr., Utah State; Demarcus Ware, Sr., Troy Linebackers: Jimmy Cottrell, Jr., New Mexico State; Rich Glover, Sr., New Mexico State; Robert Watts, Sr., Utah State Defensive Backs: Derrick Ansley, Sr., Troy; C.C. Brown, Sr., Louisiana-Lafayette; Jonas Buckles, Sr., North Texas; Chris Harris, Sr., Louisiana-Monroe
Special Teams
Kicker: Sean Comiskey, Jr., Louisiana-Lafayette Punter: Joel Stelly, Jr., Louisiana-Monroe Return Specialist: Charles Estes, Sr., Louisiana-Monroe
Offensive Player of the Year: Patrick Cobbs, RB, Sr., North Texas
Defensive Player of the Year: Adrian Awasom, DE, Sr., North Texas
2004 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Football Poll
1. North Texas 159 (15)
2. Troy 116 (1)
3. New Mexico State 110
4. Louisiana-Lafayette 107
5. Middle Tennessee 94
6. Utah State 75 (1)
7. Arkansas State 66
8. Louisiana-Monroe 47 (1)
9. Idaho 36
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North Texas predicted to win again!
