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USC's Faison, Pinnock, Wharton on Preseason All-SEC Team Aug. 1, 2002 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - South Carolina senior defensive back Rashad Faison has been voted to the 2002 SEC Preseason All-SEC first team defensive squad, as selected Thursday by members of the media attending the 2002 SEC Football Media Days in Birmingham. Carolina offensive lineman Travelle Wharton and running back Andrew Pinnock were selected to the second team offensive squad as well, while the Gamecocks were picked by the media to finish fourth in the SEC Eastern division. Faison, a native of Wauchula, Fla., was a 2001 All-SEC selection and is a preseason All-American and on the 2002 Bronko Nagurski Award Watch List. He led the Gamecocks in tackles last season (104) and tackles for loss (9.5) with an interception, two quarterback sacks and seven passes broken up. Faison also returned a blocked field goal 82 yards for a touchdown against Boise State and had a season-best 13 tackles in the win over Clemson. Wharton, a junior from Fountain Inn, S.C., earned Freshman All-America honors in 2000. He helped the Gamecock offense rank near the top of the SEC in rushing in 2001, including the Vanderbilt game, where USC set a single-game USC total offense record with 656 yards. A native of Bloomfield, Conn., Pinnock looks to have a big year as the primary back for the Gamecocks. He had 12 touchdowns in 2001 and had 5.4 yards per carry with his excellent speed and size (6-0, 255). Pinnock is on the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award, presented to the nation's top running back. He enters his senior season with 1,289 career rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, and is within range of the USC career record of 33 set by George Rogers and Harold Green. Tennessee was the media's pick to win the SEC East and overall league title. Georgia was selected second in the East and was followed by Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks earned three first place votes to win the SEC East and two to capture the league crown. Carolina opens the 2002 season Aug. 31 at Williams-Brice Stadium against New Mexico State.
2002 PRE-SEASON ALL-SEC TEAM FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE P. Name School Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown TE Jason Witten (33) Tennessee 6-5 265 Jr. Elizabethton, Tenn. OL Jon Stinchcomb (75) Georgia 6-6 282 Sr. Lilburn, Ga. OL Shawn Andrews (57) Arkansas 6-5 350 So. Camden, Ark. OL Shannon Snell (24) Florida 6-5 301 Jr. Tampa, Fla. OL Justin Smiley (22) Alabama 6-4 296 So. Ellabell, Ga. C Ben Claxton (60) Ole Miss 6-3 288 Sr. Dublin, Ga. QB Rex Grossman (54) Florida 6-1 220 Jr. Bloomington, Ind. WR Kelley Washington (66) Tennessee 6-4 225 So. Stephens City, Va. WR Taylor Jacobs (32) Florida 6-1 198 Sr. Monticello, Fla. RB LaBrandon Toefield (56) LSU 6-0 225 Jr. Independence, La. RB Earnest Graham (42) Florida 5-9 215 Sr. Ft. Myers, Fla. PK Damon Duval (62) Auburn 6-1 187 Sr. Chattanooga, Tenn. RS Domanick Davis (27) LSU 5-10 211 Sr. Breaux Bridge, La.
SEC PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH Eastern Division (First Place Votes in parenthesis) 1. Tennessee (41) 136 2. Georgia (19) 175 3. Florida (19) 197 4. South Carolina (3) 305 5. Kentucky 428 6. Vanderbilt 481
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