End of season awards

BIG EAST ANNOUNCES END OF SEASON AWARDS

Pead, Wolfe and Jones among honorees

Press Release

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Cincinnati, Louisville and West Virginia – which finished in a three-way tie for the BIG EAST title – joined Rutgers as schools that had individual winners of the BIG EAST postseason football honors as chosen by the league’s eight head coaches.

Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, while defensive tackle Derek Wolfe joined Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene as the BIG EAST Defensive Players of the Year. West Virginia wide receiver and return specialist Tavon Austin was tabbed as BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year, while Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was the unanimous choice as BIG EAST Rookie of the Year. Cincinnati coach Butch Jones was tabbed by his counterparts as BIG EAST Coach of the Year.

Butch Jones won Coach of the Year honors (Photo Credit: Al Behrman/AP)

The conference also announced the selections to its All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams, highlighted by Pead and Austin – the two unanimous selections to the first team.

Pead becomes the first Cincinnati player to be named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and the fourth consecutive running back to earn the honor. Pead led the BIG EAST with 11 rushing touchdowns and was second in the conference in rushing, averaging 92.5 yards per game. He enters the postseason with 1,110 rushing yards and ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring – first among non-kickers – with 84 points. Pead, who was unanimously chosen to the All-BIG EAST First Team, also had 36 receptions for 304 yards and three touchdowns. He ranked second in the BIG EAST in all-purpose yards, averaging 124.1 yards per game.

Wolfe is the first Cincinnati player to be named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year following a regular season in which he led the BIG EAST with 19.5 tackles for loss and had 9.5 sacks. He is the focal point of a Bearcat defense that limited opponents to just 92.7 rushing yards per game – good for second in the BIG EAST – and a league-low eight rushing touchdowns.

Greene likewise becomes the first Rutgers player to be chosen as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. Greene finished the regular season with a BIG EAST-leading 127 tackles – 20 more than anyone else in the conference – while averaging 10.6 stops per game. He is the key man on a Scarlet Knight defense that leads the BIG EAST in total defense (311.5 yards per game) and scoring defense (18.8 points per game).

Austin is the third West Virginia player to earn BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year honors, joining punter Todd Sauerbrun, who won in 1994, and cornerback Adam Jones, who was the 2004 selection. Austin was chosen to the All-BIG EAST First Team at two positions, getting the nod at wide receiver in addition to his unanimous selection at the return specialist spot. He leads the BIG EAST and is ranked second nationally in all-purpose yards (191.2 yards per game), is the league leader in punt returns (14.1 yards per return) and is second in the conference in kickoff returns (26.5 yards per return). Austin is the only BIG EAST player to return two kickoffs for touchdowns this season.

Bridgewater is the third Louisville player in the last four years to be named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, joining a pair of teammates – running back Victor Anderson, who was selected in 2008, and safety Hakeem Smith, who was chosen last year. Bridgewater became Louisville’s starting quarterback in the fourth game of the season and led the Cardinals to five wins in their last six games to earn a share of the BIG EAST championship. He enters the postseason ranked third in the BIG EAST in pass efficiency rating (136.1) after throwing for 1,855 yards and 12 touchdowns in the regular season.

Jones becomes Cincinnati’s fourth BIG EAST Coach of the Year selection, joining three-time winner Brian Kelly. Jones engineered a five-win turnaround from last season, leading Cincinnati to a share of the BIG EAST championship and an appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl after a 9-3 regular season. The Bearcats were picked fifth in the BIG EAST preseason media poll, but ended up earning a share of their third conference title in four years.

Connecticut kicker Dave Teggart, Connecticut defensive lineman Kendall Reyes and West Virginia cornerback Keith Tandy are the three repeat selections to the All-BIG EAST First Team.

2011 BIG EAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL AWARDS

BIG EAST CONFERENCE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati (Sr., Columbus, Ohio)

BIG EAST CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati (Sr., Lisbon, Ohio)
Khaseem Greene, LB, Rutgers (Jr., Elizabeth, N.J.)

BIG EAST CONFERENCE SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia (Jr., Baltimore, Md.)

BIG EAST CONFERENCE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville (Fr., Miami, Fla.)

BIG EAST CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR
Butch Jones, Cincinnati

ALL-BIG EAST CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM

OFFENSE
WR Mohamed Sanu Rutgers
WR Tavon Austin West Virginia
OT Justin Pugh Syracuse
OT Don Barclay West Virginia
OG Randy Martinez Cincinnati
OG Art Forst Rutgers
OG Andrew Tiller Syracuse
C Moe Petrus Connecticut
TE Nick Provo Syracuse
QB Geno Smith West Virginia
RB Isaiah Pead * Cincinnati
RB Ray Graham Pittsburgh
RB Antwon Bailey Syracuse
K Dave Teggart Connecticut
RS Tavon Austin * West Virginia

DEFENSE
DL Derek Wolfe Cincinnati
DL Kendall Reyes Connecticut
DL Chandler Jones Syracuse
DL Bruce Irvin West Virginia
LB JK Schaffer Cincinnati
LB Khaseem Greene Rutgers
LB Najee Goode West Virginia
CB Adrian Bushell Louisville
CB Keith Tandy West Virginia
S Drew Frey Cincinnati
S Hakeem Smith Louisville
S Jarred Holley Pittsburgh
S Duron Harmon Rutgers
P Pat O’Donnell Cincinnati
* unanimous selection

ALL-BIG EAST CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM

OFFENSE
WR Alec Lemon Syracuse
WR Stedman Bailey West Virginia
OT Alex Hoffman Cincinnati
OT Mike Ryan Connecticut
OG Desmond Wynn Rutgers
OG Jeremiah Warren USF
C Joe Madsen West Virginia
QB Zach Collaros Cincinnati
TE Ryan Griffin Connecticut
RB Lyle McCombs Connecticut
RB Darrell Scott USF
K Maikon Bonani USF
RS Jeremy Deering Rutgers

DEFENSE
DL Trevardo Williams Connecticut
DL Chas Alecxih Pittsburgh
DL Aaron Donald Pittsburgh
DL Ryne Giddins USF
LB Dexter Heyman Louisville
LB Max Gruder Pittsburgh
LB Marquis Spruill Syracuse
CB Dwayne Gratz Connecticut
CB Antwuan Reed Pittsburgh
CB Logan Ryan Rutgers
CB Kayvon Webster USF
S Jerrell Young USF
S Eain Smith West Virginia
P Cole Wagner Connecticut
P Justin Doerner Rutgers

Additional players added to the All-BIG EAST teams due to ties in the voting