Miller, McNeill, Souder Tapped For Cactus Bowl
Dec 15, 2008 | General
KINGSVILLE, Texas - Nebraska-Omaha quarterback Zach Miller, tailback Brian McNeill and linebacker Jeff Souder will represent the Mavericks in the 2009 Valero Cactus Bowl, an all-star game featuring NCAA Division II senior football players. The game will be held on the campus of Texas A&M-Kingsville on Friday, January 9, 2009.
Miller completed an outstanding four-year career at the University of Nebraska at Omaha with perhaps his most well-rounded season. He rushed for and passed for more than 1,000 yards in one season for the first time. He finished second in team rushing with 1,061 yards and scored a team-leading 18 touchdowns. He passed for 1,508 yards, completing 115 passes on 179 attempts along with 8 interceptions for 11 touchdowns. He ran for a career-best 239 yards on Nov. 8 at Washburn, tying him for fifth in school history. Miller led the Mavericks in total offense with 2,569 yards. He was named the MIAA's offensive player of the week three times in 2008.
Miller finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Maverick history with 306 points and 50 touchdowns. He ranks second all-time with 7,218 total yards of offense.
McNeill led the Mavericks in rushing for the second straight season, totaling 1,445 yards on 243 carries in 2008. It was his second straight season with more than 1,000 yards rushing. He was second on the team with 11 touchdowns. He ran for a career-high 272 yards and 4 touchdowns against Missouri Western on Oct. 11. It was the third-best rushing total for one game in school history. For his efforts that week, he was named MIAA offensive player of the week.
McNeill finished the regular season as the MIAA's leading rusher, averaging 134.1 yards per game. He also led the league in all-purpose yards with 144.1 per game. The native of Philadelphia, Penn. was the Mavericks' fourth-leading receiver, catching 13 passes for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns. In just two seasons, he became the fourth-leading career rusher in UNO history with 2,844 yards.
Souder was UNO's leading tackler in 2008. He had 74 total tackles and also had a team-leading 37 solo tackles. He led the team with 7 tackles for a loss (39 yards) while also intercepting one pass. In addition, he broke up 3 passes, second-most on the team. He also had 2.5 sacks for a total loss of 21 yards.
The Mavericks had 3 of the 10 MIAA players selected to play in the game.
The Cactus Bowl was originally known as the Snow Bowl and was played in Fargo, North Dakota from 1994-2000. It has been held in Kingsville since 2001. More than 100 players have been drafted into the NFL who played in the Cactus Bowl. The 2009 edition features 19 All-Americans and 6 of the 24 Harlon Hill Trophy candidates including McNeill.
All net profits from the Cactus Bowl are donated to Shriners' Hospitals for Children.
Miller completed an outstanding four-year career at the University of Nebraska at Omaha with perhaps his most well-rounded season. He rushed for and passed for more than 1,000 yards in one season for the first time. He finished second in team rushing with 1,061 yards and scored a team-leading 18 touchdowns. He passed for 1,508 yards, completing 115 passes on 179 attempts along with 8 interceptions for 11 touchdowns. He ran for a career-best 239 yards on Nov. 8 at Washburn, tying him for fifth in school history. Miller led the Mavericks in total offense with 2,569 yards. He was named the MIAA's offensive player of the week three times in 2008.
Miller finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Maverick history with 306 points and 50 touchdowns. He ranks second all-time with 7,218 total yards of offense.
McNeill led the Mavericks in rushing for the second straight season, totaling 1,445 yards on 243 carries in 2008. It was his second straight season with more than 1,000 yards rushing. He was second on the team with 11 touchdowns. He ran for a career-high 272 yards and 4 touchdowns against Missouri Western on Oct. 11. It was the third-best rushing total for one game in school history. For his efforts that week, he was named MIAA offensive player of the week.
McNeill finished the regular season as the MIAA's leading rusher, averaging 134.1 yards per game. He also led the league in all-purpose yards with 144.1 per game. The native of Philadelphia, Penn. was the Mavericks' fourth-leading receiver, catching 13 passes for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns. In just two seasons, he became the fourth-leading career rusher in UNO history with 2,844 yards.
Souder was UNO's leading tackler in 2008. He had 74 total tackles and also had a team-leading 37 solo tackles. He led the team with 7 tackles for a loss (39 yards) while also intercepting one pass. In addition, he broke up 3 passes, second-most on the team. He also had 2.5 sacks for a total loss of 21 yards.
The Mavericks had 3 of the 10 MIAA players selected to play in the game.
The Cactus Bowl was originally known as the Snow Bowl and was played in Fargo, North Dakota from 1994-2000. It has been held in Kingsville since 2001. More than 100 players have been drafted into the NFL who played in the Cactus Bowl. The 2009 edition features 19 All-Americans and 6 of the 24 Harlon Hill Trophy candidates including McNeill.
All net profits from the Cactus Bowl are donated to Shriners' Hospitals for Children.
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