Official Site of the Southeastern Conference

11 Of 12 teams In Southeastern Conference To Be Represented In 2010 Game

Mobile, AL. (Jan. 16)---The Southeastern Conference will once again have a strong presence on the South roster in this year’s Under Armour Senior Bowl. Twenty five former SEC stars will make their way to Mobile later this month, including former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow of Florida and five members of the University of Alabama’s National Championship squad.  That’s the most by any conference.  Kickoff for the January 30th event is set for 3pm (CT) in Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium and the game and all practices will be televised by the NFL Network.

Of the 25 SEC representatives in this year’s game, 10 landed on All-American lists this year and 21 were named to All-SEC squads.  It’s a group that includes the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year (Tebow), Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Tebow), Special Teams Player of the Year (Arenas) and Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner (Black). 

The 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl will also feature four of the SEC’s five 1,000-yard rushers (Dixon, Tate, Hardesty and McCluster), its only 1,000-yard receiver (Hodge), the league leader in scoring (Tiffin), the league leader in passing efficiency and points responsible for (Tebow) and the league leader in sacks (Coleman).

"The Southeastern Conference traditionally produces exceptional talent, but this year there seems to be an over abundance of quality football players from the SEC," Senior Bowl President and CEO Steve Hale said.  "This is certainly one of the better groups from the SEC that we’ve had here in quite some time."

Alabama leads all SEC teams with five representatives in the annual senior showcase event (Javier Arenas, Terrence Cody, Mike Johnson, Colin Peek and Leigh Tiffin).  The Crimson Tide are followed by LSU (4—Ciron Black, Harry Coleman, Brandon LaFell and Charles Scott), Ole Miss (3—Shay Hodge, John Jerry and Dexter McCluster), Auburn (2—Antonio Coleman, Ben Tate), Mississippi State (2—Jamar Chaney, Anthony Dixon), Georgia (2—Geno Atkins, Jeff Owens), Florida (2—Riley Cooper, Tim Tebow), Tennessee (2—Montario Hardesty, Dan Williams), South Carolina (1—Eric Norwood), Kentucky (1—Trevard Lindley) and Arkansas (1—Mitch Petrus). 

Riley Cooper of Florida, Jamar Chaney of Mississippi State, Trevard Lindley of Kentucky and Mitch Petrus of Arkansas are all new additions to the South roster. 

Cooper was a second team All-SEC selection at wide receiver this season by the Associated Press.  He led the Gators with 961 receiving yards and nine touchdowns and was second on the team with 51 catches.  He was among the SEC’s leading receivers in 2009, ranking third in receiving yards (961), fifth in receiving yards per game (68.64) and ninth in receptions per game (3.64).  

The Clearwater, Florida native finished his career with 81 receptions, 1,496 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns.  He saved his best outing for last—setting career highs in receptions (7), receiving yards (181) and longest reception (80) in Florida’s Sugar Bowl victory over Cincinnati.

Chaney led the Bulldogs and ranked eighth in the SEC with 90 tackles from his linebacker spot in 2009.  The three year starter also notched 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions his senior season.  He wrapped up his career with 286 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 6 sacks and ten quarterback hurries.

Lindley, a cornerback, was a second team All-SEC pick by the league coaches this season despite missing four games with a high ankle sprain.  He earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors after notching three pass breakups and returning an interception for a touchdown in the Wildcats’ win over Miami (Ohio) this season.  For his career, Lindley started all 48 games in which he played in at Kentucky, totaling 189 tackles, 10 interceptions and a school record 43 pass breakups.

Petrus becomes the fourth SEC offensive lineman to be named to the Senior Bowl’s South roster.  The offensive guard was a first team All-SEC selection by the league’s coaches and second team selection by the Associated Press in 2009.  A converted fullback, Petrus started all 13 games at guard for the Razorbacks this season, earning SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors for his play against Eastern Michigan.

The Clarksdale, Arkansas native was part of an offensive unit that led the league in passing (295.54 ypg), scoring (36 ppg) and was third in total offense (427.31 ypg) this season.  As a sophomore, he helped pave the way for 1,000-yard rushers Darren McFadden and Felix Joes while playing fullback for the Razorbacks.

SEC Players in the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl

Alabama:  Javier Arenas, DB; Terrence Cody, DL; Colin Peek, TE; Mike Johnson, OL; Leigh Tiffin, PK
Arkansas: Mitch Petrus, OL
Auburn: Antonio Coleman, DL; Ben Tate, RB
LSU: Ciron Black, OL; Brandon LaFell, WR; Harry Coleman, DB; Charles Scott, RB
Ole Miss: Dexter McCluster, RB/WR; Shay Hodge, WR; John Jerry, OL
Mississippi State: Anthony Dixon, RB; Jamar Chaney, LB
Florida: Tim Tebow, QB; Riley Cooper, WR
Georgia: Geno Atkins, DL; Jeff Owens, DL
Kentucky: Trevard Lindley, DB
South Carolina: Eric Norwood, LB
Tennessee: Montario Hardesty, RB; Dan Williams, DL