Fresno State Athletics
Football Tabbed as Preseason Pick to Win WAC Title
7/25/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 25, 2001
DENVER - Fresno State has been named the favorite in the 2001 Western Athletic Conference football media poll. The Bulldogs were 7-5 last year and competed in the inaugural Silicon Valley Football Classic.
Fresno State received 223 points and 18 first-place votes from media members around the WAC. UTEP, the defending WAC champions, was picked second after garnering 190 points and four first-place votes. Boise State earned one first-place vote and finished in third with 151 points. UTEP and Boise State met last year in the Humanitarian Bowl were the Broncos won 38-23. Hawai`i was picked fourth followed by San Jose State, Tulsa, Rice, SMU, Louisiana Tech and Nevada. Louisiana Tech joins Boise State as new members in the WAC this year.
The media also voted on preseason players of the year. San Jose State running back Deonce Whitaker was voted the Offensive Player of the Year while Fresno State defensive tackle Alan Harper was picked as the Defensive Player of the Year.
Whitaker, a senior, was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award after rushing for a school record 1,577 yards. He averaged 157.7 yards per game to rank fourth in the nation. Harper, a senior, is a two-time first-team all-WAC honoree. He had 16 tackles for loss and led Fresno State with 14 quarterback hurries.
The following is the complete 2001 WAC football media poll with first-place votes in parentheses:
1. Fresno State (18) 2232. UTEP (4) 1903. Boise State (1) 1514. Hawai`i 1285. San Jose State 1256. Tulsa (1) 1177. Rice 818. SMU 809. Louisiana Tech 7210. Nevada 43
