McNeese State All-American Bryan Smith To Play In The Hula Bowl
LAKE CHARLES, La. - McNeese State all-American Bryan Smith has accepted an invitation to play in the Hula Bowl in Hawaii.
The game is scheduled to be played January 12 in the 50,000 capacity Aloha Stadium with a 5 p.m. (central time) kickoff. The contest will be televised on the Versus Network (local cable).
Smith, who was named the Southland Conference Player of the Year for the 2007 season, will be the first McNeese player to compete in the Hula Bowl.
He said he was excited about playing in the game and that he looked forward to the experience.
A native of Newton, Texas, Smith said that he expected to be used as an outside linebacker in the game while also possibly seeing some action at defensive end, his college position.
Among the coaches for the game will be Mike Sanford of UNLV, Ron Zook of Illinois and Mike Riley of Oregon State.
This past season the 6-3, 230 pounder ranked among the nation's leaders in sacks with 10.5 and in tackles for a loss with 22.5. He led the conference in both categories and also was a team leader with 23 quarterback hurries and four forced fumbles. He recovered two fumbles and had a total of 60 tackles.
During his career he set school records for sacks in a single game (five vs. West Virginia Tech in 2006), season (13.5 in 2006) and career (31).
The appearance in the Hula Bowl will give Smith his first post season chance to showcase his talent. He's expected to be a high round draft choice by the NFL and is also expected to receive invites from the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl.