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NFL Draft Scores Four ASU Football Players

Story by Anna Oakes

Following a tremendous senior season, four former Appalachian State University football players are headed to the NFL.

Two players—wide receiver Dexter Jackson and safety Corey Lynch—were selected in last weekend’s 2008 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall, and two others—offensive guard Kerry Brown and place kicker Julian Rauch—agreed to terms as free agents.

Jackson was the first Mountaineer selected on Saturday, April 26, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him in the second round. Jackson was the 58th pick overall and is the second player from ASU to ever be taken as high as the second round. Linebacker Dino Hackett was the 35th overall pick in 1986, spending six seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and one with the Seattle Seahawks.

In 2007, Jackson caught 30 passes for 688 yards and eight touchdowns, including two in ASU’s upset of Michigan, earning him the cover shot on Sports Illustrated. In February, Jackson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.27 seconds at the NFL Combine, matching the fastest hand-timed reading of potential draft picks.
On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals tapped Lynch in the sixth round of the draft, making him the 177th overall pick. This is only the third time that two ASU players have been selected in the same draft.

In his college career, Lynch was a three-time All-American, the first since Dexter Coakley in 1994-96. He finished second in the voting for the 2007 Buck Buchanan Award, given to the nation’s top defensive player in NCAA Division I-AA.

He tied for sixth nationally with six interceptions in 2007 and ended his illustrious collegiate career as the I-AA all-time leader with 52 passes defended. His block of a 37-yard field goal attempt as time expired sealed the Mountaineers’ 34-32 upset victory over Michigan. Lynch completed the 20-yard shuttle run in 3.99 seconds at ASU’s Pro Day, a time faster than any recorded at the NFL Combine.
Following the conclusion of the draft, Brown agreed to join the Washington Redskins and Rauch joined the Pittsburgh Steelers, both as free agents.
A 6-6, 310-pound two-time All-American, Brown earned the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, awarded to the Southern Conference’s top offensive lineman, for the second straight year in 2007. As offensive guard, he helped the Appalachian offense finish as the nation’s top-ranked offense.

A four-year starter and 2007 All-American, Rauch finished his career as Appalachian’s all-time leader in kick scoring and extra points, ranked second in field goals and fourth in field-goal percentage.

ASU-Wofford Game To Be on ESPN2 Halloween Night

Appalachian State University’s 2008 home football game versus Wofford, originally scheduled for Saturday, November 1, has been moved to Friday, October 31, to accommodate a live national broadcast on ESPN2. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. at ASU’s Kidd Brewer Stadium.

Numerous intriguing storylines make the matchup appealing for ESPN2’s national audience. The contest pits the defending Southern Conference co-champions and is the first between the two teams since Wofford snapped Appalachian’s 17-game winning streak last September in Spartanburg, S.C. ASU rebounded from the loss to Wofford to go 13-2 en route to its third straight NCAA Division I national championship, while Wofford (9-4) earned the SoCon’s automatic postseason bid and advanced to the national quarterfinals.

The nationally televised Friday night contest will be Appalachian’s second in the last year. Last December 7, ASU defeated Richmond in the national semifinals before an ESPN2 national audience and a boisterous crowd of 24,140. Appalachian is 12-0 all-time when playing on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.

To assist Appalachian and the local community in accommodating what is expected to be a large crowd, Watauga High School has moved its home game versus Morganton Freedom to Thursday evening.

Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the ASU athletics ticket office at 828-262-2079. Single game tickets do not go on sale until August 1 and because of high demand are expected to be extremely limited.