STORRS, Conn. (January 13, 2009) — The University of Connecticut football team will have five players take part in upcoming all-star games in January.
Defensive end Cody Brown (Coral Springs, Fla.), cornerback and wide receiver Darius Butler (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and offensive tackle Will Beatty (York, Pa.) will all take part in the Senior Bowl, which takes place on Saturday, January 24 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. The game will be televised by the NFL Network and the three Huskies will play for the North squad. That team will be coached by Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and his staff.
All three of these Huskies were first team All-BIG EAST picks following the 2008 season.
UConn strong safety Dahna Deleston (East Hartford, Conn.) and defensive end Julius Williams (Decatur, Ga.) will both take part in the Texas Vs. The Nation All-Star Game on Saturday, January 31 at the Sun Bowl in El Paso. Texas. That game will be televised by CBS College Sports and the “Nation” team will be coached by the legendary Howard Schnellenberger, now of Florida Atlantic.
Beatty helped anchor a UConn offensive line that allowed junior Donald Brown (Atlantic Highlands, N.J.) to be the leading rusher in the country as the Huskies ranked first in the BIG EAST, and 13th nationally, in rushing yards per game at 216.38 yards per game.
Cody Brown was second in the BIG EAST in sacks per game at 0.77 per contest and was also second in the league in tackles for a loss. He made a total of 56 tackles on the season.
Butler made 40 tackles on the season with four pass break-ups and also saw time on the other side of the ball as a receiver for the Huskies with receptions for 123 yards.
Deleston had 60 tackles on the year for UConn with three for a loss and two interceptions, including one that he returned for 100 yards in the Huskies’ 38-20 win over Buffalo in the International Bowl.
Williams had 41 tackles on the season with 11 of them for a loss and six sacks.
