6 Hurricanes Named Freshman All-BIG EAST By The Sporting News
Jan. 8, 2002
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) – The Sporting News magazine announced its All-BIG EAST Freshman Team for the 2001 football season and six members of Miami’s National Championship team are included.
Center Joel Rodriguez, running back Frank Gore, offensive tackle Carlos Joseph, defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, defensive end John Square and cornerback Al Marshall all made the team. Miami and Virginia Tech both placed six players on the 24-man squad. A closer look at the Miami honorees follows:
FRANK GORE
One of the nation’s top freshman running backs, Gore excelled at Miami as a true freshman…provided an exciting breakaway threat as a reserve tailback…rushed for 562 yards on just 62 carries this season, averaging 9.1 yards per carry, the second-best per-carry average in Miami history…compiled the third-best rushing yardage total ever by a UM freshman, second-best ever by a true freshman…rushed for more than 100 yards in two games (West Virginia and Syracuse)…rushed for 15 yards on six carries in his Miami debut in the season opener at Penn State…averaged 13 yards per carry, rushing six times for 78 yards and one touchdown, against Rutgers…gained 18 yards on four attempts at Pittsburgh…rushed three times for 19 yards against Troy State…averaged 20.7 yards per attempt in the win over West Virginia, captivating a national television audience with 124 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries…averaged 7.8 yards per carry in the win over Temple as he rushed for 86 yards on 11 carries with one touchdown…averaged 13.9 yards per attempt against Syracuse, rushing 11 times for 153 yards, including a season-best 77-yard run (the longest Miami rushing play of the season)…gained 19 yards on just four carries in the win at Virginia Tech.
CARLOS JOSEPH
Talented prospect who has played extensively at tackle this season in a reserve role…is the younger brother of Miami defensive tackle William Joseph…has show tremendous progress this season and could step in for key playing time if needed…is expected to battle for the starting left tackle spot next season with the departure of Outland Trophy winner Bryant McKinnie.
JOEL RODRIGUEZ
Saw extensive action as a backup center behind starter Brett Romberg…has shown extensive development this season as a redshirt freshman…played in every game either at center or on special teams…stepped in for some key playing time when Romberg suffered minor injuries in several games.
AL MARSHALL
A young and unheralded player, Marshall proved to be a valuable member of the Miami secondary as a mainstay in nickel and dime coverage packages…will compete for a starting job at cornerback next season…also a valuable member of the special teams, playing a vital role in punt protection, punt coverage and kickoff coverage…had five tackles in the season opening win over Penn State…made four tackles in the victory over Rutgers…had two tackles in the win at Pittsburgh…made three stops in a victory over Troy State…had four tackles in a win over West Virginia…made four stops against Temple in a shutout victory…had one stop against Boston College…made two tackles in a 59-0 win over Syracuse…had one assist in the victory over Washington.
JOHN SQUARE
Quick and agile defensive end who was a key member of Miami’s defensive line rotation…an effective speed rusher in passing situations…a lanky player who has shown surprising strength as a pass rushing end…one of the team’s best students and among the most popular players among his teammates…made 29 tackles (18 unassisted) this season…had five quarterback sacks, third-highest on the team…had three tackles for losses…had two tackles and a sack in his debut at Penn State, a 33-7 victory…made six tackles and recovered a fumble that he returned five yards for a touchdown against Rutgers…had two tackles at Pittsburgh…made eight stops in a 38-7 win over Troy State, including a quarterback sack…had three solo tackles in a 49-27 win at Florida State…had two sacks and five tackles overall in a 45-3 win over West Virginia…made two stops in the 59-0 rout of Syracuse, also registering a quarterback sack…had one stop in the win over Washington.
VINCE WILFORK
Exciting young talent who showed his spectacular ability during his true freshman season…is deceptively athletic for a player with his frame…proved to be one of the most disruptive defensive players in the Miami arsenal as the season progressed…working as a reserve tackle, Wilfork provides a startling change of pace for offensive linemen…finished 10th on the team in tackles despite not starting a game…played extensively as Miami rotated as many as nine defensive linemen each game…frequently bowled over opposing linemen on the way to the quarterback…led all Miami freshmen in tackles with 41 (24 unassisted), including 11 for losses totaling 23 yards…had one quarterback sack, caused three fumbles and recovered two fumbles…garnered 15 quarterback hurries…had the benefit of practicing in the spring after enrolling at Miami in January of 2001…made his UM debut with two tackles and five quarterback hurries in the season opener at Penn State…had seven tackles (three unassisted), including three stops for losses and a forced fumble, in the 61-0 win over Rutgers…had three stops at Pittsburgh…made two tackles in a 38-7 win over Troy State…had five tackles, including a quarterback sack, in the 49-27 win over Florida State…made five unassisted tackles and had two stops for losses, in addition to a forced fumble, in the 45-3 win over West Virginia…made three tackles against Temple…had two tackles against Boston College…had two tackles for losses and three stops overall in the 59-0 win over Syracuse…matched his season high with seven tackles (five solos) and forced a fumble in Miami’s 65-7 win over Washington…had two tackles and recovered a fumble in the 26-24 season-ending win at Virginia Tech.
The Sporting News Big East All-Freshman Team
OffenseWR Tres Moses, 5-10, 180, RutgersWR Roosevelt Bynes, 6-1, 170, PittsburghTE Eric Carpenter, 6-5, 250, TempleOL (T) Rob Petitti, 6-6, 330, Pittsburgh*OL (G) Chris Snee, 6-2, 300, Boston College*OL (C) Joel Rodriguez, 6-3, 277, Miami*OL (T) Carlos Joseph, 6-6, 322, Miami*OL (T) Jon Dunn, 6-7, 310, Virginia Tech*QB Ryan Cubit, 6-3, 195, RutgersRB Kevin Jones, 6-1, 205, Virginia TechRB Frank Gore, 5-10, 190, Miami
DefenseDL (E) Alfred Peterson, 6-3, 245, RutgersDL (T) Tim Bulman, 6-3, 258, Boston CollegeDL (T) Vince Wilfork, 6-2, 346, MiamiDL (E) John Square, 6-5, 201, MiamiLB Brad Cunningham, 6-1, 220, RutgersLB Mike Daniels, 6-0, 187, Virginia Tech*LB Brandon Manning, 6-0, 211, Virginia Tech*DB (CB) DeAngelo Hall, 6-0, 190, Virginia TechDB (CB) Jeremiah Mason, 6-1, 188, Syracuse*DB (CB) Peter Shean, 5-9, 177, Boston College*DB (CB) Al Marshall, 6-1, 180, Miami
Special teamsK NONEP Jace Amore, 6-0, 180, TempleKR Richard Johnson, 5-10, 189, Virginia Tech*
* denotes redshirt
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