Football Duo to Play in All-Star Game
1/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 12, 2011
SAN ANTONIO - Baylor senior All-Big 12 players Jay Finley and Derek Epperson will compete in the fifth annual NFL Players Association Texas vs. the Nation Game Feb. 5, at the Alamodome. The annual collegiate all-star game kicks off at 1 p.m. CST.
The four-year-old all-star game pits collegiate seniors with ties to the state of Texas against top seniors from across the nation. The Baylor duo will be coached on the Texas squad by former Dallas Cowboys great Bill Bates.
Finley, an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection, rushed for 1,218 yards, setting Baylor's single-season rushing record previously held by Walter Abercrombie. Finley finished the season with 12 rushing touchdowns; the most in a single season by a Baylor running back since 1974. The fifth-year back from Corsicana, Texas, finished his career ranked third in Baylor history with 2,660 career rushing yards and 10th with 150 career points scored.
A three-time All-Big 12 selection, Epperson finished his career at Baylor ranked third in program history in punting average (42.74), punting yardage (9,574) and career punts (224), turning in three of the 10 best single-season punting averages all-time at Baylor. Epperson was also a second-team Academic All-American and a three-time member of the Ray Guy Award Watch List.
Finley and Epperson are the fifth and sixth Baylor student-athletes respectively to compete in the Texas vs. the Nation event. Jordan Lake and David Gettis participated in last year's event, while Paul Mosley and Trent Shelton played in the inaugural 2007 game. A seventh Baylor player, quarterback Shawn Bell, was invited and participated in the 2007 events but did not play due to injury.
Over 400 players who have played in the NFL Players Association Game have gone on to sign NFL contracts over the game's four-year history. The 2011 event will be the first time the game has been played in San Antonio after spending its first four years in El Paso, Texas. Tickets are on sale now at the Alamodome box office.
