The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Acho and Brown play well in Senior Bowl
01.29.2011 | Football
Jan. 29, 2011
Mobile,AL--Longhorn seniors Sam Acho and Curtis Brown both contributed heavily to a swarming South defense that led to a 24-10 defeat of the North squad. The South defense held the North to 44 total yards in the first half and zero total yards rushing for the game.
Acho finished with three tackles, two TFLs, a sack, a forced fumble and three quarterback pressures which earned him Most Outstanding Player - South Team honors. Brown had one open-field tackle and a pass breakup as the North quarterbacks rarely threw to his side. Each played about half of their team's defensive snaps.
The South received the opening kickoff and drove to the North's 22-yard line before LSU's Josh Jasper hit a field goal to put the South up 3-0 with 10:02 left in the first quarter.
After an 18-yard TD from Florida State's Christian Ponder to Miami's Leonard Hankerson put the South up 10-0, Acho was in on the tackle of Oklahoma State's Kendall Hunter on the ensuing kickoff.
With 1:31 left in the first quarter and the North facing a second-and-six, Acho beat OT Nate Solder of Colorado to the inside and sacked Washington quarterback Jake Locker to force a fumble. Acho had five forced fumbles during the 2010 season. His five forced fumbles were tied for second nationally and tied for seventh on the UT single-season list.The North was able to recover the ball, however, and punted on fourth down.
With four minutes to play in the second quarter, Noel Devine of West Virginia capped a 45-yard drive with a touchdown run on fourth-and-inches to put the South up 17-0.
During the North's ensuing drive, it was Longhorn cornerback Curtis Brown's turn to show his great athletic ability. On first-and-25, Brown broke up a slant pass from Ricky Stanzi of Iowa to San Diego State's Vincent Brown.The Longhorn senior read the play perfectly as he got a great break on the football and hit the receiver just as the ball arrived separating the receiver from the ball. On the very next play, Brown came off of his man and tackled Lance Kendricks after the Wisconsin tight end made a catch on a broken play.
In the fourth quarter, with the score now 17-10, Acho had two quarterback pressures on Iowa's Ricky Stanzi helping to stop a North drive.
The stop was critical as UCLA's Kai Forbath then missed a 44-yard field goal, and the South maintained its seven-point lead.
With 3:04 left in the game, Ponder hit TCU's Jeremy Kerley for a 23-yard touchdown and the South went up 24-10.
With two minutes left and the North trying to get a late score, Acho stuffed OU's DeMarco Murray for a three yard loss on fourth-and-one at the South's 23-yard line ending the North's hope for any chance to pull out the victory.
