University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Bryant and Knight Lauded by Lindy's College Football
5/29/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Bryant and Knight Lauded by Lindy's College Football
5/29/2001
PITTSBURGH - Although the University of Pittsburgh's 2001 season is still three months away, the Panthers have already merited national attention from one of the country's leading college football magazines.
Lindy's 2001 College Football, which hit Western Pennsylvania newsstands last week, has named junior wide receiver Antonio Bryant and senior defensive end Bryan Knight to its All-America Team. The pair led Pittsburgh to its most successful season in more than a decade last year and, according to Lindy's, could help the Panthers reach even greater heights this season.
Bryant (Miami, Fla./Northwestern) was named a first team All-American and the nation's No. 1 receiver by the publication. Knight (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Joseph's) was selected a second team All-American and the No. 4 defensive end in the country.
Widely regarded as one of the leading candidates for the 2001 Heisman Trophy, Bryant is coming off a spectacular sophomore campaign in which he earned consensus All-America honors and was selected the winner of the prestigious Biletnikoff Award as the nation's premier receiver.
Bryant led the nation in receiving last year with an average of 130.2 yards per game. His 1,302 total receiving yards (on 68 catches) set a Big East record and ranked third in the country. Bryant had an amazing seven triple-digit receiving yardage performances in 2000, including a career-high 222 yards versus Boston College, and caught 13 touchdowns.
The 6-2, 230-pound Knight was one of the most productive defensive linemen in college football last season and was selected first team All-Big East and a Football News All-American. He was recently named to the Lombardi Award (nation's top lineman or linebacker) "Watch List."
A former 190-pound wide receiver at Pittsburgh, Knight set a conference record last season with 26 tackles for losses and ranked second in the country in that category with an average of 2.36 per game. He also emerged as one of the nation's top pass rushers and led Pittsburgh with 11.5 sacks. His 1.05 sacks per game ranked ninth nationally.
Pittsburgh opens the 2001 season at its new home, the city's North Shore football stadium, this Sept. 1 versus East Tennessee State. The Panthers will host six games overall with additional opponents including South Florida (Sept. 8), Alabama-Birmingham (Sept. 15), Miami (Sept. 27), Syracuse (Oct. 13) and Virginia Tech (Nov. 3).
