Colorado linebacker and former Waimea High School standout Jordon Dizon will be playing in his final game in a Buffaloes helmet tomorrow as he takes the field in the 59th annual Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Dizon and
Colorado linebacker and former Waimea High School standout Jordon Dizon will be playing in his final game in a Buffaloes helmet tomorrow as he takes the field in the 59th annual Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
Dizon and his fellow seniors reached Day 5 of practice week yesterday as more than 800 National Football League coaches, scouts and top decision makers observed the sessions.
“This is a 100 percent serious game,” said the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. “This can make or break your career. All the NFL coaches and scouts are here. This is not like any other all-star game. This one is actually coached by the NFL coaches.”
Dizon will play on team North which is being coached this year by Lane Kiffin and the Oakland Raiders staff.
The Senior Bowl is a post-season exhibition game which showcases the best NFL prospects. The players are separated by North and South teams.
Hawai‘i has two representatives in this year’s Senior Bowl: Dizon and University of Hawai‘i Warrior quarterback Colt Brennan on the South team.
Brennan, who is being coached by San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Nolan and his staff, was third in the nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 166.3.
He has thrown for 4,174 yards and 38 touchdowns to lead Hawai‘i to a perfect 12-0 record in the regular season. Brennan also has rushed for eight touchdowns to rank fourth in the nation in points responsible with 25.1 per game.
Dizon finished his regular-season career second in the nation for total tackles (160) and was first in solo stops (120).
He was also the nation’s second active leading tackler, finishing fourth all-time at Colorado with 440 career stops.
Dizon set a school record of 19 third or fourth down stops, had 11 tackles for a loss, four sacks and 14 tackles for zero gain and was one of three finalists for the Dick Butkus award given to the top collegiate linebacker.
But Dizon hasn’t given much thought to the matchup between him and Brennan.
“I know he’s a good quarterback; it’s going to be a good game,” Dizon said.
Both teams will do a walk through of the facility today, then visit patients at the USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital. Later, they will attend the Coca-Cola Meet the Players event at the Mobile Convention Center.
The Senior Bowl is also a fund-raising event for thousands along the Gulf Coast. The Senior Bowl, which is produced by the Mobile Arts & Sports Association, is a non-profit, charity event that has joined with Food World to create the highly successful Food World-Senior Bowl Charitable Partnership, which has donated more than $4.2 million to charities benefiting youth along the Gulf Coast.
The Senior Bowl kicks off at 11 a.m. tomorrow and will be broadcast on the NFL network.
• Lanaly Cabalo, sports editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com.
