Three Pirates Earn Midseason Conference USA Honors
October 14, 2011 | Football
Oct. 14, 2011
GREENVILLE, N.C. - With its 1-1 start in Conference USA action, East Carolina had a trio of players selected to Phil Steele Magazine's Midseason All C-USA Teams. Senior outside receiver Lance Lewis and freshman inside linebacker Jeremy Grove were first-team representatives while senior kicker Michael Barbour was named to the second team. Lewis earned additional accolades as an honorable mention All-America pick by the publication.
Lewis, a Biletnikoff Award Watch List selection and preseason Conference USA coaches, Phil Steele Magazine and Lindy's Magazine first-team all-league honoree, has lived up to the expectations as East Carolina's leading receiver. The senior paces the squad with 39 receptions for 433 yards and five touchdowns. He also leads C-USA in receptions per game (7.8) and ranks fourth in receiving yards per game (86.6) and sixth in scoring (6.0 ppg).
The Concord, N.C., native opened the season by catching the second-most passes in East Carolina single-game history, making 13 receptions against South Carolina. During the C-USA opener versus UAB, Lewis caught two touchdown passes for his sixth career multiple-TD game. A week later against North Carolina, he set a career high with 166 receiving yards, the highest by a Pirate since Troy Smith's 177 against Army on Oct. 3, 1998. The performance also rated sixth among all single-game yardage leaders in program history.
Lewis currently stands third in the East Carolina record books in touchdown catches with 19 while ranking seventh on the ECU all-time receptions list with 128 and ninth in yards with 1,549. Lewis' 19 TD grabs are the 12th most among all active FBS players.
Grove, a redshirt freshman who has started all five games, is the Conference USA leader and stands third among FBS players with 13.2 tackles per game. In addition, Grove is the only freshman ranked among the FBS level's top 75 tacklers. He paces the Pirates with 21 solo tackles, 50 hits on rushing plays and 16 stops on pass plays.
In East Carolina's league opener against UAB, the Frederick, Md., product tallied a career-high 15 tackles and seven solo hits. The 15 stops were the most by a Pirate since Nick Johnson's 16 at Marshall Oct. 3, 2009. In the season's other league tilt, at Houston, Grove was credited with 14 hits, making five stops on the Cougars' initial series of the game and 10 in the first half.
Facing Atlantic Coast Conference member Virginia Tech, he tallied a personal-best two quarterback hurries on the Hokies' Logan Thomas and also recorded his first career tackle for lost yardage, bringing down David Wilson for a three-yard loss in the second quarter.
Barbour has converted five-of-six field goals this season with his lone miss being from 53 yards versus Virginia Tech. At Houston, he drilled a career-long 54-yarder in the first quarter, which marked the second-longest in program history and the longest without the use of a tee as Jeff Heath converted a 58-yard try Nov. 6, 1982, against Texas-Arlington.
Among all FBS active kickers, Barbour owns the second-highest career field goal percentage at 87.5. The Oyster Bay, N.Y., native has converted a FG in his last 13 consecutive games with an attempt.
The Pirates return to C-USA action Saturday in Memphis, Tenn., for a 7:00 p.m. matchup against the Tigers. The contest is slated for a local television broadcast on WITN.
