The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Davis, NFC win 2008 Pro Bowl
02.11.2008 | Football
Former Longhorn and current Dallas Cowboys OG Leonard Davis helped the NFC compile 458 yards in a 42-30 win in the 2008 NFL Pro Bowl on Sunday in Honolulu. The NFC rushed for 169 yards and passed for 289 yards in the win.
After falling behind to the AFC and former Longhorns DT Casey Hampton, 24-7, the NFC responded by scoring 35 of the game's final 41 points for the win. Three of the TD drives were for 70 yards or more.
For Davis, it was his first appearance in the Pro Bowl, while Hampton was making his third straight and fourth overall. The selections gave Texas three straight years with at least two players chosen, in addition to six straight years and seven of the last eight with at least one former player participating in the game.
In 2007, Hampton helped Pittsburgh finish the regular season ranked first in the league in total defense (266.4 ypg), second in scoring defense (16.8 ppg), third in rushing defense (89.9 ypg) and third in passing defense (176.5 ypg). The Steelers advanced to the playoffs before losing in the opening round to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Hampton is a seven year veteran of the NFL after being drafted 19th overall by the Steelers in 2001. He played in 54 career games at Texas and started 47, including the final 38 games of his career. He was a two-time All-America selection and a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award in 2000 and the Outland Trophy in 1999. For his career, he totaled 252 tackles, including 54 TFL (No. 4 on the UT career list).
Davis completed his first season with Cowboys after signing as a free agent from the Arizona Cardinals, who drafted him as the second overall selection in the 2001 Draft. He started all 17 games this season and helped the Cowboys rank second in the league in scoring (28.4 ppg), third in total offense (365.7 ypg) and fourth in passing offense (256.6 ypg). The Cowboys earned a first-round bye in the 2008 playoffs before losing in the Divisional Round to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.
At Texas, Davis earned consensus All-America honors and was a finalist for the Outland Trophy (nation,s top lineman) in 2000. That year, Davis helped lead the Longhorns to a No. 12 final ranking and helped the Texas offense rank eighth in the country in scoring with an average of 38.6 points per game, and 14th in total offense with 439.0 yards per game.
Davis joins list of UT Pro Bowl selections in the last eight years that includes Hampton, DE Tony Brackens, RB Priest Holmes, DT Shaun Rogers, CB Nathan Vasher, RB Ricky Williams, WR Roy Williams and QB Vince Young.
