Knight and Bryant Named All-Americans by Football News
11/22/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Knight and Bryant Named All-Americans by Football News
11/22/2000
PITTSBURGH - University of Pittsburgh junior defensive end Bryan Knight and sophomore receiver Antonio Bryant have been named to the Football News All-America Team, the magazine announced.
Knight (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Joseph's), who leads the country in tackles for losses (2.71 avg.), was named a second-team selection. Bryant (Miami, Fla./Miami Northwestern), who paces the nation in receiving yards (128.2 avg.), was a third-team pick.
Knight set a Big East record this season with 25 tackles for losses, breaking Chris Hovan's (Boston College) mark of 21 set last year. He has a team-best 10.5 sacks, the highest total by a Pittsburgh player since 1991.
A two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Week selection, Knight tied the conference single-game record with four sacks versus Bowling Green. In the Panthers' 12-0 shutout of Penn State he had three sacks and four total tackles for losses.
Bryant, who was also recently named to the 25-player Football Writers Association of America All-America Team, is a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, annually presented to the nation's elite receiver.
His 1,154 receiving yards set a Big East record, surpassing the previous mark of 1,131 set by Marvin Harrison (Syracuse) in 1995. Bryant's receiving yardage total ranks fifth in the country, while his 6.89 receptions per game (62 total) rank seventh.
A leading candidate for Big East Offensive Player of the Year honors, Bryant has a conference-best 10 touchdown catches this year.
Pittsburgh (6-4 overall, 3-3 Big East) hosts West Virginia (6-4 overall, 3-3 Big East) this Friday, Nov. 24, at Three Rivers Stadium in the 93rd "Backyard Brawl." Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.