Defensive line C-
Losing defensive end Bo Schobel, the team’s best pass rusher, was stinging blow at the beginning of the season. A late season injury to Chad Pugh forced the Frogs to reach further down on the depth chart, and its inexperience showed. The Louisville game notwithstanding, the inability of the d-line to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks has exposed a weak secondary. Against the run, the unit has done admirably, especially against Louisville, who were held to a program record negative 47 yards rushing.

LB Chad Bayer B+
The former walk-on has been a steady performer and is third on the team in tackles.

LB LaMarcus McDonald A-
Perhaps one of the biggest surprised on the team. McDonald leads the team with 23 tackles for 104 yards lost and is tied for the team lead with six sacks. It seems like McDonald is all over the field at times.

CB Jason Goss B
Goss is the best cover corner on the team, but at times has had to do it alone. His 22 deflections is four times more than anyone else on the team.
CB Bo Springfield INC
Springfield has started only four games because of injury.

WS Charlie Owens B+
Head coach Gary Patterson has said many times that Owens shouldn’t even be playing because of a badly injured shoulder. The gritty senior has toughed it out and been a big contributor. Owens is fourth on the team in tackles and has been named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week twice.

FS Kenneth Hilliard C
Statistics are misleading. Hilliard leads the team in tackles, but that disguises the fact he was challenged for the starting job in the middle of the season. Hilliard has struggled with the passing game.

SS Marvin Godbolt B+
Godbolt has shown flashes of brilliance at times, most notably against Nebraska. Godbolt is tied for the team lead with six sacks and was called the league’s “Best Blitzer” by The Sporting News.

P Joey Biasatti A
Averages 43.2 yards a punt, the 24th best total in the country. Biasatti has rebounded from a broken leg.

Coaching C
Coaches fully admit that players have had problems getting up for lesser teams. It is a coaches job, whether he will admit it or not, to motivate players. The Frogs losses to Northwestern State (La.) and Tulane kept them from a bowl berth.

QB Casey Printers B-
Now that his leash has been taken off, Printers has really came alive the past three games. During that span, the junior quarterback has thrown for 885 yards and seven touchdowns — but two of those games were losses. The Frogs have thrown more in the second half of the season, but that is because they have trailed more. Printers veteran leadership, best displayed during the East Carolina game, has had a stabilizing effect on the offense.

TB Corey Connally INC
Connally has only played a vital role in the offense in three games this season, making it hard to give him a grade. Connally played little the first four games and had just eight yards rushing before exploding for 199 yards against Houston. A groin injury has limited Connally to 11 carries for 12 yards in his past three games, and he is not expected to play against Southern Miss. When he has played, he has proven to be a playmaker.

TB Ricky Madison C
The original starter at tailback, Madison has struggled with injuries and poor blocking up front. Madison averages an unspectacular 3.5 yards a carry, but a porous offensive line has a lot to do with that.

FB Reggie Holts B-
A converted tailback, Holts has proven to be an adequate blocker. He has made a few big plays on occasion as a receiver out of the backfield, and has the longest reception of the season by a Frog running back (37 yards).

Offensive line D-
Clearly, the weakness of not just the offense, but the whole team. The unit was doomed from the beginning, when center Jamal Powell was overcome with an obscure illness that caused him to miss the first game of the season. Powell, projected by most as the second-best lineman on the team behind senior Victor Payne, has lost weight and had not been the same since.

WR Adrian Madise B
Madise wasn’t even supposed to start at the beginning of the season and is now the leading receiver on the team with 44 receptions for 642 yards — the best season by a Frogs receiver in six years.

WR LaTarence Dunbar C+
Dunbar came into the season with a lot of hype, but got off to a slow start. In his first three games, Dunbar hauled in only seven catches. Dunbar did have the best game of the season by a Frog receiver when he caught 10 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown against East Carolina. Dunbar is one of the most athletic players on the team, but the Frogs have been unable to consistently give him touches.

TE Matt Schobel A
When he has played, he has been good. He has only started two games, but he has caught five touchdowns, the most on the team. It is no coincidence that the passing game came alive when Schobel finally got healthy.

PK Nick Browne A
Browne has had to no problem making the shift from soccer to football. Browne has made 73.7 percent of his field goal attempts, and six of eight from past 40 yards.