|
Under Armour Senior Bowl To
Feature Seven From USC
Talented group of
outstanding draft prospects includes four first-team
All-Americans, the Mackey Award winner, the Pac-10 Defensive Player
of the Year and one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s NFL Draft.
[USC
Video Highlights]
 MOBILE, Ala. (December
13, 2007) --
Seven outstanding NFL draft prospects from USC’s 2007 Pac-10 Champions –
defensive linemen Sedrick Ellis and Lawrence Jackson, linebacker Keith
Rivers, tight end Fred Davis, offensive lineman Sam Baker, running back
Chauncey Washington and quarterback John David Booty – have accepted
invitations to play in the 2008 Under Armour Senior Bowl, officials have
announced.
USC defensive lineman
Sedrick Ellis
The talented group includes four
first-team All-Americans (Ellis, Rivers, Davis and Baker), the Mackey
Award winner (Davis), the Pac-10’s Defensive Player of the Year (Ellis),
and one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s NFL Draft (Booty).
Rivers, a two-time All-Pac-10 first-teamer
and three-year starter, ranks second on the squad with 73 total tackles,
41 unassisted, and has added 4.5 tackles for loss and four pass
breakups. A first-team SI.com All-American selection, the 6-3,
235-pounder from Lake Mary, Fla., was also a Butkus Award semi-finalist.
USC defensive lineman
Lawrence Jackson
"It's an honor and a pleasure to be
playing in such a prestigious game,” said Rivers. “The fact that I get
to play with so many great players from USC makes it all the more
special.”
Ellis, a 6-2, 305-pound defensive tackle,
has been named to the Associated Press, Football Coaches, Football
Writers, Walter Camp and Sporting News first-team all-American squads.
In addition to the Pac-10’s top defensive player award, he was also the
winner of the league’s Morris Trophy who has recorded 56 total tackles,
12.5 for loss with 8.5 sacks, and six pass deflections in 2007.
USC linebacker
Keith Rivers
Considered one of the top quarterback
prospects in this year’s NFL Draft, Booty passed for 2,106 yards and 20
touchdowns in 2007 despite missing three full games during his second
season as the Trojans’ starting quarterback due to a broken finger on
his throwing hand.
The 6-3, 215-pounder from Shreveport, La.,
was a consensus first-team All-Pac-10 selection following his
outstanding junior campaign in 2006 when he passed for 3,347 yards and
29 touchdowns. A finalist for the Manning Award that season, his 5,870
career passing yards currently ranks fifth on the all-time USC list.
USC tight end
Fred Davis
Davis, who won the 2007 Mackey Award
presented to the nation’s top tight end, was a first-team Sporting News
All-American and All-Pac-10 selection who leads the Trojans with 55
receptions (a record for USC tight ends) for 794 yards and seven
touchdowns. The 6-4, 250-pounder from Toledo, Ohio, has 110 career
catches which is also a school record for tight ends.
An outstanding pass rusher, Jackson leads
the Trojans with 14 tackles for loss and 9.5 quarterback sacks from his
defensive end position. A 6-5, 270-pounder from Inglewood, Cal., he was
also a first-team All-Pac-10 selection who has 55 total tackles, 27
unassisted.
USC offensive lineman
Sam Baker
In the Trojans’ key 44-24 victory over
Arizona State on Thanksgiving night, he set a school record with four
quarterback sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss.
Washington leads the Trojans with 894
rushing yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games. A 6-1, 220-pounder from
Torrance, Cal., he also led the team in rushing as a junior in 2006 with
774 despite being hampered by injuries throughout the year.
USC running back
Chauncey Washington
The 6-5, 305-pound Baker became USC’s
third-ever three-time All-American when he was named to the first-team
Walter Camp All-American squad following the 2007 season. A four-year
starter and three-time All-Pac-10 pick from Tustin, Cal., he was also a
semifinalist for the 2007 Lombardi Award.
In 2006, he made the Football Writers, The
Sporting News and CBS Sportsline All-American first-teams, as well as
the AP second-team. As a sophomore in 2005, he was a CBS Sportsline
first-team All-American pick and an AP second-team selection.
USC quarterback
John David Booty
The 59th annual Under Armour Senior Bowl
is scheduled for Saturday, January 26, 2008. Tickets sell for $24, $18
and $12 each and can be purchased at all area Food World stores,
selected Regions Bank branches, by calling 251-432-4109 or ordered
through the bowl’s website at
www.seniorbowl.com. |
