Junior Damien Rhodes is one of eight Orange football players to garner All-BIG EAST honors in 2004
Eight Football Student-Athletes Earn All-BIG EAST Honors
12/1/2004 4:34:44 PM | Football
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Syracuse football seniors Diamond Ferri (safety), Walter Reyes (running back), Matt Tarullo (center) and Adam Terry (offensive tackle) were selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team, while juniors Damien Rhodes (running back), Anthony Smith (safety) and James Wyche (defensive end) and sophomore Brendan Carney (punter) were named to the second team. Syracuse is the only team in the league with a running back on both the first and second teams.
Ferri, the starting strong safety, is first in tackles among defensive backs in the conference with 8.3 per game. He leads the team with five forced fumbles and four interceptions, in addition he is second with 91 tackles this season. He leads the BIG EAST and is tied for third nationally with .45 forced fumbles per game. His 27.1 yards per kickoff return ranks ninth nationally. Ferri became the first player in BIG EAST football history to garner both Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors in the same week, for his performance at Boston College. He also collected the Walter Camp Division I-A Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week awards, marking the first time that has happened this season (the first year the weekly award has been given).
Reyes, a senior captain, has started all eight games he has played and has 800 yards on 143 carries and seven touchdowns. During 2004 Reyes had four 100-yard rushing games, including a 237-yard effort against Rutgers. He holds the SU record for career rushing touchdowns and is second in the BIG EAST with 45 and is tied with Floyd Little for first SU’s career touchdown list with 46. Reyes’s 3,421 career rushing yards is second-best in Syracuse history behind Joe Morris (4,299). He is the all-time leading rusher in the history of the Carrier Dome with 2,239 career yards in 24 games. Reyes was an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection last year.
Tarullo, a senior captain who moved to the center position after starting at guard in 2002 and 2003, has started all 11 games. He has blocked for a rushing attack that is second in the BIG EAST with 2,094 yards and 22 touchdowns. Tarullo was also named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team for the second consecutive year.
Terry, a senior offensive tackle, has started 34 consecutive games for the Orange, including all 11 this year. He has also been a key blocker for the Orange rushing attack, which averages 190.4 yards per game. He was an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection last year.
Carney, a sophomore punter, ranks second in the conference with a 43.1 yards per punt average, including a career-long 65-yard punt versus Florida State. He also a perfect 7-for-7 in PAT attempts this year. He earned BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his performance against Connecticut, in which he performed both placekicking and punting duties. Carney has averaged at least 40 yards per kick in 17 of his 23 career games. He was a 2003 All-BIG EAST Second Team selection.
Rhodes, a junior tailback, filled in for an injured Walter Reyes during the final two regular season games and has played in all 11 games, including four starts. He leads the team with 856 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. He also has 14 receptions for 205 yards and a touchdown. Rhodes’ 77.8 rushing yards per game ranks fourth in the conference.
Smith, a junior safety, is third among defensive backs in the league with 7.3 tackles per contest. Smith was named BIG EAST co-Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts versus Cincinnati. He also earned BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance at Buffalo, in which he blocked two punts and recovered one of the blocks in the endzone for a touchdown. Smith is third on the team with 80 tackles and he has three interceptions and one forced fumble.
Wyche, a junior defensive end, ranks first among down linemen in the league with 6.0 tackles per game. He is third in the BIG EAST with 5.5 sacks and 1.36 tackles for a loss per outing. Wyche was the BIG EAST co-Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Connecticut, in which he tallied seven solo tackles, four for a loss, including three sacks and his first career fumble recovery. He has 66 tackles this year, including 15 behind the line of scrimmage.
All selections were made by the league’s head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players.
The Orange finished the regular season with a 43-17 victory at No. 17 Boston College and is awaiting a bowl invitation, which is expected within the week.
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