New Year's Day Bowl Games to Feature 18 Future Senior Bowlers
Mobile, AL. (Dec. 31)---New Year’s Day will be a busy one for fans trying to keep up with future Senior Bowlers. In all, 18 future Senior Bowlers will be in action Thursday in five different bowl games. The 2009 Under Armour Senior Bowl is scheduled to kickoff at 6 pm (CT) on January 24th and the game will be televised by the NFL Network.
The 18 future Senior Bowlers are: South Carolina wide receiver Kenny McKinley, Iowa defensive tackle Mitch King, Michigan State running back Javon Ringer, Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper, running back James Davis and safety Michael Hamlin, Penn State wide receiver Derrick Williams, Cincinnati defensive backs Mike Mickens and Deangelo Smith, offensive guard Trevor Canfield and punter Kevin Huber. This list also includes the previously announced players from Georgia and USC.
McKinley earned Honorable Mention All-SEC honors this season after leading the Gamecocks with 48 catches and four touchdowns. He is the school’s and SEC’s active leader in career receptions (201) and receiving yards (2,695).
The Mableton, Georgia native enters Thursday’s Outback Bowl against Iowa having caught a pass in 42 consecutive games, which is also a South Carolina record. McKinley is second on the school’s all-time receiving touchdowns list with 19.
King will head to Mobile with an impressive résumé. In 2008 he was named a second team All-American by both the Associated Press and Walter Camp. He was also a first team All-Big 10 selection and Big 10 Defensive Lineman of the Year.
King enters Thursday’s Outback Bowl against South Carolina with 52 tackles and four sacks on the season. For his career, he has 226 total tackles and 17.5 sacks. He is only the 60th player in Iowa history with 200 or more tackles.
Ringer has been the Spartans’ workhorse this season, leading the nation in carries (370) and scoring (10.5 ppg), while ranking second in the country in rushing touchdowns (21). A first team Associated Press All-American, Ringer also racked up Walter Camp All-American honors this season and was a consensus first team All-Big 10 selection.
Ringer enters Thursday’s Capital One Bowl against Georgia with 1,590 rushing yards (third best in the nation) and 1,905 all-purpose yards this season. He became the first Spartan to rush for 200 yards in back-to-back games this season (Florida Atlantic: 282 yds; Notre Dame: 201 yds) and has rushed for 4,351 career yards, which is second all-time in school history.
Harper currently leads the ACC in passing yards, averaging 199.6 yards per game. The 6-4, 220 pound signal caller is also second in the ACC in passing efficiency (129.3) and third in total offense (191.4). Harper owns 26 school records, including career completion percentage (64.4). He has led the Tigers to a 4-1 mark since undergoing surgery on his left (non-throwing) surgery on October 19th.
Davis enters Thursday’s Gator Bowl on the cusp of several career records. His 3,855 career rushing yards is just 112 yards shy of the Clemson mark and ninth in ACC history. With one more touchdown, Davis will tie the school mark of 50 and with three more he’ll tie the ACC mark of 52. This season, Davis has rushed for 725 yards and 11 touchdowns.
A first team All-ACC safety, Hamlin is fifth in the nation and third in the ACC in interceptions per game this season, with six picks in 12 games. He also ranks in the top ten in the ACC for passes defended (15) and tackles per game (8.5). His 14 career interceptions is third-most in Clemson history and 18 career takeaways ranks second on the school’s all-time list. On the season, Hamlin has 102 total tackles and nine pass break-ups.
Williams, a first team All-Big 10 selection in 2008, is a threat as a wide receiver, running back and kick returner. The Greenbelt, Maryland native has caught 40 passes for 451 yards and three touchdowns on the season. As a return man, Williams has three total touchdowns (1 punt return, 2 kick returns) and 655 total return yards in 2008. He’s also added another three scores on the ground this season, with 226 rushing yards on 39 carries.
A Sporting News second team All-American this season, Williams has 20 career touchdowns and 4,476 all-purpose yards. He is a key part of a Nittany Lions offense that ranks number one in the Big-10 in total offense.
Mickens is Cincinnati’s career leader in interceptions (14) and interception return yardage (296). He earned second team All-Big East honors this season after notching 65 tackles, four interceptions and nine pass break-ups despite missing three games with an injury.
Smith enters Thursday’s Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech with 50 tackles on the season and is tied with Mickens with nine pass break-ups. The Columbus, Ohio native also returns punts and kicks for the Bearcats, leading the team in punt return yardage with 192.
Canfield was a second team All-Big East pick this season after starting all 13 games at right guard. He anchors an offensive line that has helped the Bearcats average 375.3 ypg and 27.3 ppg this season. He has also started 38 consecutive games during his career at Cincinnati.
Huber, a finalist for the Ray Guy Award and first team All-Big East selection, averaged 44.9 yards per punt in 2008 and holds a career average of 45.4 yards per punt. His biggest game of the season came against Rutgers when he booted nine punts, including a 64-yarder and finished with a total of 418 punting yards.
Also in action Thursday are the previously announced players from the University of Georgia and the University of Southern Cal. The Bulldogs are sending defensive tackle Corvey Irvin and wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi to Mobile, while the Trojans will be represented by linebackers Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews and defensive linemen Kyle Moore and Fili Moala. Georgia will be playing Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl while USC is set to meet Penn State in the Rose Bowl.
Tickets for the 2009 Under Armour Senior Bowl are currently available for purchase at the Senior Bowl ticket office (151 Dauphin Street), select Regions Bank locations, online at www.seniorbowl.com or by calling (251) 432-4109.
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