University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Antonio Bryant Lauded by The Sporting News
10/19/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Antonio Bryant Lauded by The Sporting News
10/19/2000
PITTSBURGH - University of Pittsburgh wide receiver Antonio Bryant, who ranks among the nation's most exciting offensive talents this year, has been named to The Sporting News' "Midseason All-American Team."
Bryant (Miami, Fla./Miami Northwestern) was one of two wide receivers named to the team, which appears in The Sporting News' Oct. 23 issue. Koren Robinson of North Carolina State is the other.
A 6-2, 185-pound sophomore, Bryant ranks second in the country in receiving yards per game (120.25 avg.) and 10th nationally in receptions (6.75 avg.). He paces the Big East Conference in both categories. On the season Bryant has 27 catches for 481 yards (17.8 avg.) and three touchdowns.
The Biletnikoff Award and All-America candidate is coming off an outstanding game at Syracuse. Bryant caught seven passes for 135 yards (19.3 avg.) against the Orangemen to record the fifth triple-digit receiving effort of his brief career.
Although he has played in just 15 collegiate games, Bryant amazingly is on the verge of cracking the top 10 on Pittsburgh's all-time receiving yardage list. He has 1,325 career receiving yards to rank 13th in Panther annals and needs just 115 more to surpass Reggie Williams (1,439 from 1985-89) for 10th place. (Dietrich Jells is the all-time leader with 3,003 yards from 1991-95.)
Bryant's 78 career receptions rank 19th in Pittsburgh history. Should he maintain his current average of 6.75 catches per game, he would rank sixth by the end of the regular season. (Jells ranks first with 83 receptions, while teammate Latef Grim is second with 79.)
Pittsburgh, 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big East, hosts Boston College (4-2, 1-2 Big East) this Saturday at Three Rivers Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon.
