Five Presbyterian College football seniors will be taking part in the Inaugural South Carolina All-Star Bowl being held this Saturday, Mar. 23, at Younts Stadium in Tigerville, S.C., on the campus of North Greenville. Anderico Bailey, Xavier Boatright, Lance Byrd, Patrick Morgano and Michael Ruff were invited to participate in the event, which is slated to kick-off at 3 p.m. The game can be seen live on WMYA-TV in the Clinton area.
The Lowcountry team will be coached by Willie Jeffries, the legendary retired head coach of South Carolina State University and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Players from the Upstate (or north of the I-20 line), which include the PC players, will be coached by Danny Ford, who led Clemson University to the 1981 National Championship.
Bailey finished sixth in the Big South in receptions per game with 4.09 and third in conference only games (5.17). The Covington, Ga., native led the Blue Hose in catches with 45 and yards with 374. He caught eight passes against Furman, including a career-long 44-yard catch in the second quarter resulting in a first and goal for the Blue Hose. Bailey recorded a team-leading 69 receiving yards, which included a long of 29, at VMI and posted a career-high nine catches against Liberty for a total of 38 yards.
Boatright ranked 32nd in the Big South this season in tackles with 4.5 a game. He also ranked fourth in tackles among ends/linemen and was sixth on the team in total tackles with 49. Boatright was eighth on the team in solo tackles (22) and fourth in assisted tackles (27). The 11-game starter had 1.5 tackles for a loss this season including one for a loss of three against Furman. The Manning, S.C., native posted a career-high eight tackles against Charleston Southern and Gardner Webb and also recorded six against Davidson and VMI and had a QB hurry against the Paladins.
Byrd led PC in rushing yards and ranked seventh in the Big South with 682 total yards (62.0 yards per game). The Jacksonville, Fla., ranked sixth in the league in yards per rush (4.8) and rush attempts (141), and was second on the team in all-purpose yardage with 770 yards. He finished tops in PC's Division I career rushing yards with 2,631 and rushing attempts (517) and his 14 rushing TDs was also tops. Byrd became the second player in PC's Division I history to eclipse the 3,000 career-yard mark with 3,006. His 84 total points ranks fifth in the PC career record book as well. The senior led the team in rushing in seven games this season and went over 100 yards twice, including 109 yards against Brevard.
Morgano led the team in punting with a total of 65 punts, 15 of which were inside the 20 and 7 of which were past 50 yards. He posted the longest punt of his career with a 69-yard punt against Liberty this season. He was third in the Big South in punting with 38.6 yards a punt, first in number of punts (65) and first in yards punted with 2,510. The senior finished tops in the PC Division record books in punts (240), yards (9,425) and punt average (48.0).
Ruff finished fifth in the league in all-purpose yards with 99.4 a game and led the Big South in kick returns with 23.1 a carry, was second in kick returns (31) and second in kick return yards (715). He returned the opening game kick-off against Brevard 92 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest in PC's Division I history and the first score from the opening kick for the Blue Hose. Ruff finished with over 100 all-purpose yards for the game (109), earning him College Football Performance Awards National Kickoff Returner of the Week, as well as Big South Special Teams Player of the Week. The Whitmire, S.C., native was tops in PC's career category in kick return yards (1,895) and all-purpose yards (3,415). He had six games with over 100 all-purpose yards.
The game will be aired live to more than 4.5 million viewers throughout South Carolina as well as parts of Georgia and North Carolina. NFL veterans George Rogers, Patrick Sapp, Brandon Bennett, Woodrow Dantzler and others will serve as mentors to the players as they prepare for the game. Clemson and South Carolina broadcasters Will Merritt and Todd Ellis will provide commentary and insight for the game.
The S.C. College All Star Bowl gives players the opportunity to compete and showcase their talents in front of a tremendous local and regional audience. South Carolina puts more professionals into the NFL than just about every other State in the country. This game celebrates South Carolina athletes and gives the opportunity to establish an annual regional Champion between the Lowcountry and the Upstate. It also benefits Meals on Wheels, which provides meals, companionship and supervision to thousands of South Carolina residents daily.
