As we have reached the midway point of the season, it's time to take a look at who is positioning themselves for some hardware at the end of the season.Pat White- Last years Big East offensive player of the year hasn't quite had the type of year we were expecting out of him. For anyone else, it would be a banner year. But this is Pat White. That guy you expect to run wild every week and complete enough passes to keep the defense honest. Well, he's completing 71% of his passes for 865 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. But oh what an interception it was, as Ben Moffitt rumbled into the end zone and put South Florida up for good. He's also rushed for 411 yards on 69 carries for seven touchdowns. With the bulk of the big games on the Mountaineer schedule still ahead of them, Pat will have his chances to shine.
Steve Slaton- Again, I kind of feel like he's not quite living up to expectations. Part of that is that West Virginia has this guy, Noel Devine, that has dazzled everyone watching, and taken away carries that Slaton would have otherwise had. But as the season wears on and Slaton doesn't tire out, we might see a different result at the end of the year. For now, Slaton is third in the Big East in rushing with 625 yards and nine touchdowns.
Matt Grothe- The South Florida quarterback is leading the team in rushing, passing, and bad haircuts. Cheap shots aside, he's also one tough mother. If you've taken the time to watch a South Florida game, you've notice that every time he gets tackled he bounces right up. It almost seems like he's racing to get up before the person that tackled him. He doesn't have the wheels of a Pat White or the arm of a Brian Brohm, but he does have a motor that never seems to quit. And he's probably the only player in the Big East that has a legit shot at the Heisman.
Brian Brohm- What a shame Louisville is a defense optional team, because Brohm would be leading in the Heisman race by a mile. He's completing 67% of his passes for 23 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also has nearly 1,000 more yards passing than the leagues number two passer, Mike Teel. That's 2,765 yards or 395 per game. And if Atlanta keeps playing the way they're playing, he'll be wearing a Falcons jersey here real soon.
More after the jump.
Ray Rice- Despite a couple of sub par performances over the past couple weeks, Rice is leading the conference in rush attempts (by nearly 40), rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. The only real negative against Rice is that of the leading rushers in the Big East, he is the only one with less than a five yard per carry average. The meat of the Big East schedule is still ahead of him, but at what point is this guy going to give out? He's a great back, but at some point, someone else has to carry the ball. The second leading rusher on the team is a member of the all-name team of all time, quarterback Jabu Lovelace.
George Selvie- Ho hum, the South Florida defensive end has 21.5 tackles for a loss, and 11.5 sacks. And dammit he's a sophomore, so we'll be seeing him again next year. On a defense that boasts NFL talent at nearly every position, Selvie shines. And he's more than welcome to go to the NFL as soon as possible.
Still in the picture: LeSean McCoy RB Pitt, Antony Allen RB Louisville, Ben Muak QB Cincinnati, Harry Douglas WR Louisville, Tiquan Underwood WR Rutgers.
