Four U.S. Army All-American Bowl Alumni Punch Tickets to Super Bowl 2010-01-26
Four U.S. Army All-American Bowl Alumni Punch Tickets to Super Bowl
Cemented two weeks ago with its tenth-anniversary game, the tradition of
the U.S. Army All-American Bowl was on display this past Sunday when nine
bowl alumni took the field and four earned trips to the Super Bowl.
On a day highlighted by a backfield battle between two U.S. Army All-American Bowl alumni and former first-round draft picks, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and New Orleans Saints running back/punt returner Reggie Bush, it was Bush and the Saints who earned the birth in Super Bowl XLV, posting a 31-28 overtime win in the NFC Championship Game.
Bush, a 2003 All-American and the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner, will be joined in Miami by a pair of teammates and fellow high school All-Americans, wide receiver Adrian Arrington (2004) and defensive tackle DeMario Pressley (2003).
In the afternoon's first contest, New York Jets rookie quarterback and 2005 U.S. Army All-American, Mark Sanchez, had the Jets ahead 17-6 in the second quarter before the Indianapolis Colts rallied, scoring the game's final 24 points. Colts cornerback Marlin Jackson, the 29th pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, is the lone Bowl alumnus representing the AFC.
Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin, a 2006 All-American and the 2005 U.S. Army National Combine Offensive MVP, accounted for 86 all-purpose yards in the loss. Vikings center John Sullivan (2003) and Jets center Nick Mangold (2002), a two-time Pro-Bowler, also saw action on Sunday.
U.S. Army All-American Bowl alumni Mark Sanchez and Adrian Peterson shine in championship games
For one half of the AFC Championship game, New York Jets rookie quarterback and 2005 U.S. Army All-American, Mark Sanchez, held his own against the game's top quarterback, Peyton Manning. Lacking the support from the running game to which he'd grown accustomed - the Jets gained just 86 rushing yards, their lowest total since week Week 3 - Sanchez, in the biggest game of his professional career, became the catalyst behind the Jets offense, completing 5-of-7 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns before halftime.
Following a Colts field goal to open the second quarter, Sanchez, unable to step into his throw due to pressure from Pro Bowl defensive end Dwight Freeney, connected with Braylon Edwards for an 80-yard touchdown on the drive's first play. The quick strike gave the Jets a 7-3 lead.
A second field goal on the ensuing possession cut the Jets lead to 7-6, to which Sanchez again responded, engineering a seven-play, 77-yard touchdown drive. Facing a 3rd-and-7 at the Indianapolis nine-yard line, Sanchez, in the face of heavy pressure, hit tight end Dustin Keller in the right corner of the end zone, pushing the lead to 14-6.
Despite owning a 17-13 lead at halftime, an uncharacteristically porous Jets defense and inept rushing attack couldn't hold the lead. For the game, Sanchez completed 17-of-30 passes for 257 yards.
The fifth pick in April's NFL Draft, Sanchez, prior to his college career at the University of Southern California, was a U.S. Army All-American in 2005, guiding the West to a 35-3 victory.
The result of a 40-yard field goal in overtime, Adrian Peterson will make his third Pro Bowl appearance in as many years next week in Miami. The trip will come a week too soon for the running back.
Only 24, there's little Peterson has yet to accomplish. He was a U.S. Army All-American in high school, the Heisman Trophy runner-up as a college freshman, a top-10 pick in the 2007 draft and the league's leading rusher in 2008.
Despite his best efforts - Peterson rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-28 loss Sunday in the NFC Championship Game - a trip to the Super Bowl, played two weeks from now in Miami, will have to wait.
Peterson opened the scoring on the game's first possession, his touchdown run covering 19 yards. The game tied at the half, the Saints opened the scoring in the third quarter to pull ahead 21-14. Peterson responded on the ensuing possession, capping a nine-play, 90-yard drive with a one-yard plunge.
The Saints reclaimed the lead early in the fourth quarter when Reggie Bush, a 2003 U.S. Army All-American, contorted his body, wrapping it around the right pylon for a five-yard touchdown. Trailing 28-21, Peterson again pulled the Vikings even, scoring from the two-yard line with 7:57 remaining.
Peterson's performance echoed a previous national television appearance - the 2004 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. As a high school senior, Peterson ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns in the all-star classic.
Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin, whose prep career garned acclaim at an earlier age than Peterson's - Harvin was named the Offensive MVP of the 2005 U.S. Army National Combine as a junior - accounted for 86 all-purpose yards in the defeat. Harvin, like Peterson during his rookie season, was named to the NFC Pro Bowl roster and received the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
