Football: Marshall Named Player of the Year
December 01, 2004 01:21 PM | General
December 1, 2004
 Marshall |
 Jones |
PROVIDENCE - West Virginia quarterback Rasheed Marshall was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches. Teammate Adam Jones was tabbed BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year. Two Boston College players also won individual awards. Defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka took BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors. Freshman linebacker Brian Toal was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year.
The All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams were also announced. All selections were made by the league's head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players.
Marshall is the first Mountaineer player in league history to garner Offensive Player of the Year honors. The 6-1 senior helped WVU to an 8-3 record and a share of the BIG EAST title with a 4-2 mark. Marshall was a threat through the air and on the ground. He completed 133-of-219 passes for 1,755 yards and 18 touchdowns. He threw only eight interceptions. This week, he ranks 17th nationally in pass efficiency with a rating of 147.9. As a runner, Marshall is sixth in the BIG EAST in rushing, averaging 71.8 yards per game. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., he has gained 790 yards in 158 attempts and has scored four rushing touchdowns.
Jones was a top return specialist for West Virginia. The 5-11 junior, who also earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors at cornerback, led the league in punt returns with a 14.8 average that ranks him 13th nationally. Jones, who is from College Park, Ga., also averaged 22.8 yards on 22 kickoff returns, which places him fourth in the conference.
Kiwanuka spearheaded the Boston College defense by leading the BIG EAST with 10 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss. The native of Indianapolis, Ind. is the first Eagle player to earn Defensive Player of the Year accolades. His tackles for loss added up to 92 yards in lost yardage. Kiwanuka, who was also an All-BIG EAST First Team selection last year, helped the Eagles rank 15th nationally this week in scoring defense, yielding only 16.3 points per game.
Toal is a 6-2 freshman who made a huge impact for the Eagles. Though the native of Wyckoff, N.J. did not start until the fifth game of the season, he finished second on the team in tackles with 70. Toal is only the second defensive player since 1994 to be named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year. The other was West Virginia linebacker Grant Wiley in 2000.
Harris has won Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his eight-year tenure at Pittsburgh. He also was accorded coaching honors in 1997, his first season at the Panther helm. This year, Pittsburgh has tied for the conference title with a 4-2 record. The Panthers will be making their fifth straight bowl trip. Harris owns a 51-43 record at Pittsburgh. He has led to Panthers to victories in 18 of their last 24 league games.
The All-BIG EAST First Team selections include two repeat choices from the 2003 All-BIG EAST First Team, Kiwanuka and Pittsburgh offensive tackle Rob Petitti.
A total of eight West Virginia players were picked to the all-Big East first team. They are wide receiver Chris Henry, offensive guards Dan Mozes and Jeff Berk, center Tim Brown, Marshall and Jones on offense, and nose tackle Ben Lynch, safety Addae and Jones on defense.
Offensive tackle Michael Watson, running back Kay-Jay Harris, lienbacker Adam Lehnortt and safety Mike Lorello were selected to the all-Big East second team.
