Four Bulls to Play in 93rd East-West Shrine Game
TAMPA, JAN. 2, 2018 – USF will be well represented in the 93
rd East-West Shrine Game as a program-record four Bulls have accepted invitations to play in the college all-star football game held on Sat., Jan. 20 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
Senior offensive players
Quinton Flowers (Miami) and
D'Ernest Johnson (Immokalee) and senior defenders
Deatrick Nichols (Miami) and
Deadrin Senat (Immokalee) have accepted invitations to the play in the 2018 East-West Shrine Game, which will kick off at 3 p.m. and be televised live on the NFL Network.
The four Bulls participating in the 2018 game bring the program's total to 19 players selected to compete in the nation's oldest college all-star football game, which features top senior players from around the nation. The four selections for the 2018 game mark the 11
th straight year at least one Bull has been selected for the game.
Flowers finished his illustrious USF career by claiming his second straight Birmingham Bowl MVP honors after accounting for 417 total yards and five touchdowns in the Bulls' 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. Flowers passed for 311 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 106 yards and one touchdown, becoming just the second player in the past 15 years to have at least 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards and two combined touchdowns in a bowl game. Flowers finished his career with nearly 40 USF records, including career marks for total offense (11,802), rushing yards (3,672), rushing touchdowns (41), passing touchdowns (71) and total touchdowns (112).
Johnson finished his USF career as the Bulls' all-time leader in career all-purpose yardage (4,186). He also set records for a USF running back for career receptions (73) and receiving yards (909). Johnson ran for 796 yards and seven touchdowns in his senior season to finish with 1,796 rushing yards on his career to rank eighth all-time at USF. He accounted for 29 total touchdowns on his career.
Nichols became just the third three-time all-conference selection at USF in his senior campaign. Playing cornerback, nickel and safety at points during the season, Nichols finished third on the team with 56 tackles and led the team with 15 passes defended while collecting three interceptions. He finished his career with 11 career interceptions, which ranks third all-time at USF, as well as 24 pass break-ups and 35 passes defended, which both rank fifth, and 175 tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss.
Senat finished off a career-best season by posting three sacks and five tackles in the Birmingham Bowl. A first team all-conference selection as a senior, his second career all-conference recognition, he finished second on the team with a career-best 66 tackles and 6.0 sacks and ranked fourth with 10.5 tackles for loss. A three-year starter with 36 career starts at defensive tackle, Senat finished his career with 179 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks.
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF posted its second straight 10-win season in 2017 (10-2) by winning its second straight Birmingham Bowl with a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. USF is one of just 13 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and has spent a program-record 19 straight weeks ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 in Week 8 of the 2017 season. The Bulls have won five of their last six bowl appearances and made nine (6-3) total bowl appearances in 21 seasons, including a current run of three straight bowls. The Bulls won a program-record 11 games in 2016 (11-2) and have posted 14 winning seasons. The USF program, which first took the field in 1997, reached No. 2 in the rankings in 2007 and has seen 28 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 32 first-team all-conference selections.
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- #GoBulls -
