Eight Pitt Football Players Named All-Big East

Dec. 7, 2005

        PITTSBURGH-Eight Pitt players were named to the 2005 All-Big East Conference team announced today by the league office.  

       The Panthers had four first-team selections and four second-team picks. First-team honorees include junior linebacker H.B. Blades, senior cornerback Bernard Lay, junior receiver Greg Lee and sophomore cornerback Darrelle Revis. Earning second-team honors were senior placekicker Josh Cummings, senior free safety Tez Morris, junior quarterback Tyler Palko and senior offensive tackle Charles Spencer. 

        All selections were made by the league's head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players.

        Blades (Plantation, Fla./Plantation) was a first-team All-Big East performer for the second consecutive year. He leads all conference players with 121 tackles -- 17 more than the second-ranked defender (Rutgers' Courtney Greene, who had 104). Blades' 11 tackles per game rank 12^th nationally.

        Lay (Aliquippa, Pa./Aliquippa/Valley Forge Military Academy) earned first-team honors after being a second-team All-Big East pick last year. Lay averaged 1.27 passes defended per game to rank second in the Big East and 12^th nationally. Lay had three returns for touchdowns during his Pitt career, including an 82-yard interception return, 71-yard blocked field goal return and 20-yard fumble return.

        Lee (Tampa, Fla./Chamberlain) also elevated to first-team honors after being a second-team pick last year. He paces the Big East in receiving yards per game (87.5 avg.) for the second consecutive season and also tops the league with seven touchdown catches. On the year, Lee totaled 49 catches for 962 yards (19.6 avg.).

        The lone sophomore defender named first team All-Big East, Revis (Aliquippa, Pa./Aliquippa) established himself as a rising star this year with his play in the secondary and in the return game. Despite opposing quarterbacks looking away from him, Revis paced Pitt with four interceptions and ranked 19^th nationally with 1.18 passes defended per game. He also emerged as a dangerous punt returner and has the longest return in the Big East this season with a 79-yarder for a touchdown versus Cincinnati.

        Cummings (Newhall, Calif./Hart/College of the Canyons) finished his collegiate career as a two-time All-Big East pick. Despite undergoing knee surgery on his kicking leg in September, Cummings leads the league in field goals per game (1.56 avg.), field-goal percentage (73.7%, 14 of 19) and PAT kicking percentage (100%, 19 of 19). Among national kickers, he ranks 19^th in field goals per game. Cummings compiled an impressive 150 points in just two seasons to rank 14^th all-time at Pitt.

        Morris (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) finished his career as one of the most prolific tacklers in school history. A four-year starter at free safety, he totaled 366 stops to rank seventh all-time at Pitt. This past season Morris ranked second on the team with 81 tackles. He played in every game (49) during his four active collegiate seasons.

        Palko (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny) earned his second All-Big East honor after throwing for 2,392 yards and 17 touchdowns this year. He ranked second among conference quarterbacks in passing yards (217.5 avg.), total offense (204.8 avg.) and passing touchdowns (17). Palko enters his senior season fifth all-time at Pitt with 5,472 passing yards.

        An offensive guard last season, Spencer (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Poughkeepsie/Trinity-Pawling School) moved to tackle this year and earned his second consecutive All-Big East honor. He started his final 23 games on the offensive line after lettering at defensive tackle in 2002 and '03.

University of Pittsburgh Athletics

Eight Pitt Football Players Named All-Big East

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