Allen and Owens on Lott Trophy Watch List

NEWPORT BEACH, CA – The University of Georgia football team saw a pair of its defensive players included on the 2008 Lott Trophy Watch List, recently announced by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation.

Junior cornerback Asher Allen and senior defensive tackle Jeff Owens are among 42 of the nation's top collegiate defensive players to be selected.

Allen, a native of Tucker, Ga., played in all 13 games in 2007, making 11 starts. He finished the year with 64 total tackles, including 50 solo stops, and recorded two quarterback sacks. He also made three interceptions and broke up four more passes. Two of his interceptions came in Georgia’s 41-10 Allstate Sugar Bowl victory against No. 10 Hawai’i, and was also the game’s leading tackler with nine stops. As a kick returner, Allen brought back 28 kicks for a school-record 690 yards, an average of 24.6 yards per return, with a season and career-long 82-yard return against Kentucky.

Owens, who hails from Sunrise, Fla., started all 13 games in 2007 and finished the season with 27 tackles, 21 of them solo, including four tackles-for-loss. He also recorded 22 quarterback hurries and forced a fumble. Owens was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his career-high five-tackle performance against Western Carolina.

The Lott Trophy, named for NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, equally recognizes athletic performance and the personal character attributes of its recipients. Sponsored by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, the award is given to a player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

Former Bulldog David Pollack won the initial Lott Trophy in 2004. Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, The IMPACT Foundation Board of Advisers, comprised of many retired NFL players, and Master Coaches, a distinguished group of former collegiate head coaches that includes Georgia’s Vince Dooley.

The winner will be announced at a black-tie banquet at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, Calif. on December 14th, 2008.