Scott, Johnson To Participate In NFLPA Collegiate Bowl All-Star Game
Senior linebacker Jake Johnson zeroes in on a NC State runner for one of his 14 tackles in Raleigh, NC.
South Alabama will have two representatives in the 2013 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. On Tuesday it was announced that both Jake Johnson and B.J. Scott have accepted invitations to participate in the annual game.
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is an all-star game that features top draft-eligible seniors. The game will be held in Carson, California at The Home Depot Center on Saturday, January 19. It will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and will be available online via WatchESPN. The Thursday prior to the game, ESPNU will have four hours of coverage from team pratices.
The two teams will be coached by former NFL head coaches Herm Edwards and Dick Vermeil.
Jake Johnson, a 6’1″ 240-pound Fredericksburg Virginia native, was the only Sun Belt player to average more than 10 tackles per game and was a first-team all-conference selection after finishing the season with a school record 131 tackles and 15 tackles for loss. He was the leading tackler for the Jags in seven of their 13 games and notched double-digits in tackles on five seperate occasions. He had a season-high of 15 tackles against Florida International and Middle Tennessee. He also collected 14 tackles against NC State and 10 against Mississippi State.
Johnson collected 245 total tackles and 25.5 stops for loss and nine sacks with two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two pass break-ups during his three seasons with South Alabama.
Scott, a 5’11” 205-pound Prichard Alabama native, was chosen for honorable mention all-Sun Belt after collecting 84 tackles, six tackles for loss, two interceptions, three passes broken up and two forced fumbles. He notched a career high 12 unassistend tackles in Hawaii. He was credited with double-digit tackles four times in the 2012 season and seven times as a Jaguar. One of those double-digit games came against Mississippi State and in the Jags first-ever FBS and SBC win over Florida Atlantic.
In two seasons at South Alabama Scott collected 132 tackles, nine pass break ups, three forced fumbles and averaged 29 yards per kick return. He also missed the final three contests in the 2011 season with a knee injury.
Johnson and Scott will join the only other South Alabama player to participate in a postseason all-star contest Courtney Smith. Smith participated in the 2011 Senior Bowl.