OXFORD, Miss. – Five Ole Miss senior football players have been named to postseason all-star game rosters as they pursue professional football careers.
Mike Marry and Charles Sawyer accepted invitations to play in the 2014 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl presented by Panini, while Tyler Campbell, Jeff Scott and Evan Swindall have accepted invitations to play in the 2014 College All-Star Bowl.
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl will be held Saturday, Jan. 18 at the StubHub Center on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson, Calif. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised live on ESPN2. ESPNU will also air live broadcasts from practices on Wednesday, Jan. 15 and Thursday, Jan. 16.
Former NFL coaches Dennis Green and Dick Vermeil will serve as the head coaches for the American and National Teams. For more information, visithttp://collegiate.nflpa.com/ and follow @NFLPABowl on Twitter and Facebook.com/
The College All-Star Bowl will take place on Friday, Feb. 14 at the newly renovated Paladin Stadium on Furman University’s campus in Greenville, S.C. The game will kick off at 5 p.m. CT and be televised by CBS Sports Network.
Former Clemson national champion coach Danny Ford will coach the Nationals, and College Football Hall of Fame coach Willie Jeffries will lead the Americans. For more information, visit http://www.
Marry is a three-year starting middle linebacker for the Ole Miss Rebels. Having played in 47 career games with 33 starts in the Red and Blue, he has 230 career tackles and is among the SEC’s active leaders with 22.5 career tackles for loss. The Clearwater, Fla., native led the Rebels with 81 tackles as a sophomore and had 78 more last year. He has 49 this year and ranks third in the SEC with three forced fumbles.
Sawyer is among the SEC’s active leaders with 27 career passes defended and eight career interceptions. The Miami native has played in 43 career games for Ole Miss with 31 starts, spending time at safety and cornerback during his collegiate tenure. Various injuries limited the preseason All-SEC selection to just six games during his senior year.
Campbell has been a four-year starting punter for the Rebels and ranks second in school history with a career average of 44.6 yards per punt. This year, he ranks third in the SEC and ninth nationally with 44.7 yards per punt. The Little Rock, Ark., native is a two-time All-SEC selection and was the NCAA statistical champion with a 46.4-yard average as a sophomore in 2010.
Scott is one of the school’s all-time leaders in rushing yards (2,297), all-purpose yards (3,668), rushing touchdowns (17) and 100-yard rushing games (nine). He has missed four games due to thigh and back injuries this year, but still has 493 rushing yards (with two TDs), 107 receiving yards, 89 punt return yards (one TD) and 13 kick return yards. The Miami, Fla., native may be best known for his 75-yard touchdown run that gave Ole Miss a season-opening win at Vanderbilt this year.
Swindall has served as the Rebels’ starting center for each of the last 32 games in an Ole Miss uniform. He has twice been on the Rimington Trophy’s watch list, and at the conclusion of this season was recognized as Ole Miss’ Most Valuable Senior by the coaching staff and honored during a ceremony by the Jackson Touchdown Club. The LaFayette, Ga., native has helped the Ole Miss offense to two of its highest scoring seasons ever over the last two years.
These five seniors will lead Ole Miss into the 2013 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl on Dec. 30. Ole Miss will face Georgia Tech at 2:15 p.m. CT at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn., televised nationally by ESPN. Tickets, travel and other bowl information is available by visiting www.olemissfb.com.
— Joey Jones, Ole Miss Sports Information
