Double Take!
Mobile, AL. (Jan. 4)---Wednesday night’s GMAC Bowl won’t be the final time a pair of Troy Trojans play at Ladd-Peebles Stadium this month. Defensive ends Brandon Lang and Cameron Sheffield will return to Mobile in a few weeks to play in the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl. Both players have officially accepted invitations to the senior showcase event, game organizers announced today. The 61st game is scheduled for January 30th at 3pm (CT) and will be televised live by the NFL Network.
Lang enters Wednesday night’s game against Central Michigan with a team-leading 7.5 sacks. He was a first team All-Sun Belt Conference selection this season after tallying 69 tackles and 10.5 tackles for a loss. He has a team-high 31 quarterback hurries, seven of which came in the Trojans’ 42-33 win over FIU this season.
The Tucker, Georgia native ranks fifth in Troy history in tackles for a loss with 36 for his career. He is eleventh on the school’s all-time sack list with 22.5, needing just a half-sack Wednesday night to break into the top ten in that category.
“I feel like it’s a great privilege; it shows my hard work over four years at Troy,” Lang said of receiving a Senior Bowl invitation. “I’m very excited to get down there and showcase my talents against the best in the nation.”
Sheffield, a second team All-Sun Belt Conference selection in 2009, will line up at linebacker at the Senior Bowl after a terrific collegiate career as a defensive end. He ranks fifth on the team in total tackles with 62 stops on the year and is tied with Lang with 10.5 tackles for a loss.
The 6-2, 249 pounder has seven sacks on the season and 15 for his career. He heads into the GMAC Bowl with 159 career tackles and 28.5 career tackles for a loss. His 26 quarterback hurries on the season trail only Lang for most on the team.
“I’m very excited about playing in the Senior Bowl and it’s going to be a great opportunity to showcase my abilities for the scouts and establish myself for the future,” Sheffield said. “I want to show that I can play with the best of them and even though I went to a smaller school, I can still compete with the top players.”
“It will probably help having Brandon down here confidence wise and we are both going to try to do as good as we can and be on each other pretty hard,” Sheffield added. “I want to do my best to represent Troy University.”
The teammates, who are also roommates, hope to become the latest Troy stars to use the Senior Bowl as a springboard into the National Football League. The list of former Trojans to do just that includes Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware and Buffalo Bills defensive back Leodis McKelvin.
“We just want to continue the legacy and next year hopefully some other Troy guys get picked to come to the Senior Bowl,” Lang said.
Tickets for the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl are currently available for purchase at the Senior Bowl ticket offices (151 Dauphin Street and inside Bel Air Mall), select Regions Bank locations, online at www.seniorbowl.com or by calling (251) 432-4109.
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