Henry, Vaughn to play in The Villages Gridiron Classic |
ORLANDO - Three players from both Atlantic Coast Conference Champion
Florida State and conference runner-up Maryland will join six other players from the ACC at The Villages Gridiron Classic, director Matthew Sign announced. Joining the players from FSU and Maryland will be two players each from Clemson and North Carolina, along with a senior from both Duke and Georgia Tech. The game will be played on January 31, 2004 at 12:00 noon at The Villages Polo Stadium, and will be televised nationally on ESPN. Three Florida State defensive starters, end Kevin Emanuel, linebacker Kendyll Pope and tackle Jeff Womble will take the field for the South squad. Emanuel, a Waco, Texas, native, started all 13 games at left end for the Seminoles this season and recorded 30 tackles, of which nine were for losses. Pope started at weakside linebacker for the Seminoles for the third-consecutive year. He entered the 2003 campaign heralded as one of the best outside linebackers in the country, but missed three games due to a knee injury suffered early in FSU's win over Colorado. He finished the season with 52 tackles, six stops for loss, three sacks, one fumble recovery and a forced fumble. Womble, a four-year starter who helped the Seminole defense become the top run defense in the ACC, ranked second among Florida State defensive lineman with 39 tackles despite missing two games this season. Maryland linebacker Leon Joe, quarterback Scott McBrien and running back Bruce Perry will also don the home jerseys of the South team. Joe, a starter in all 13 games this season, finished second among Terp defenders with 112 tackles. McBrien finished 2003 second in the ACC with a passing efficiency of 142.1 and fourth in the league with a career-high 19 touchdowns. Perry recorded a team-best 713 yards rushing and six touchdowns despite missing three games due to injury. In 2001, he was tabbed the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. Clemson's pair of representatives will include offensive tackle William Henry and defensive end Khaleed Vaughn. Henry, a two-year starter at offensive tackle, helped pave the way for an offense that averaged more than 420 yards per game. Vaughn started 12 games at defensive end in 2003, where he tallied 50 tackles, including five for loss and a pair of sacks. Also suiting up for the South team will be North Carolina tight end Bobby Blizzard and cornerback Michael Waddell. Blizzard played in only eight games for Carolina this year, pulling in 20 receptions for 161 yards and one touchdown. He was an All-ACC selection in 2002. Waddell led the nation in kickoff returns with a sensational 31.7 average. His 14.5 punt return average would have ranked among the nation's leaders, but he fell just shy of the overall number of returns needed to qualify. He also recorded 18 tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage.
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