Owens, Atkins Head to Senior Bowl

From UGA release...

Georgia senior defensive linemen Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens have accepted invitations to play in the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl on January 30 in Mobile, Ala., according to an announcement by bowl officials Thursday.

Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT in Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The game and all practices will be televised by the NFL Network.

Atkins, a 6-1, 290-pound native of Pembroke Pines, Fla., finished with 36 tackles, was second on the team with 10.5 tackles for loss and was an All-Southeastern Conference Second Team selection. Finishing with a team-leading 28 quarterback hurries, Atkins was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after equaling his career high with eight tackles versus Vanderbilt in 2009.

Atkins was named Most Valuable Defensive Player following his performance versus Texas A&M at the 2009 Independence Bowl on Dec. 28. He blocked a field goal and had three tackles, including a sack, in the 44-20 win over the Aggies.

“I’m real excited that I get to play against the best of the best in the senior class,” Atkins said. “I want to show all the scouts how fundamentally sound I am and how well I can get off blocks.”

Owens, a 6-3, 300-pound native of Sunrise, Fla., returned from a season-ending knee injury at the beginning of the 2008 season to tally 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks this year. He started all 13 games in 2009 and finished with the most career starts (38) of any Bulldog on the 2009 team.

Owens registered a career-high seven tackles versus #4 LSU early in 2009 season before graduating with a degree in Child and Family Development in December. Owens is also one of only 11 players in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision to be named to the 2009 Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team.

“The Senior Bowl is where you have to bring your ‘A’ game,” Owens said. “I just want to turn some heads and have the opportunity to prove that I can play at the next level and compete with the best of them. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. Some of the best players that played the game have played in the Senior Bowl. It’s a great honor for me and my family and I’m blessed to have this opportunity.”

Corvey Irvin, who plays for the Carolina Panthers, and Mohamed Massaquoi, who plays for the Cleveland Browns, represented the Bulldogs at the 2009 Senior Bowl. Also of note, the first and only Most Valuable Player Georgia has had at a Senior Bowl was Theron Sapp in 1959 (he split the award with Notre Dame’s Norm Odyniec).