Jan. 16, 2008
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| Goff and Gatewood |
Two Vanderbilt senior defensive standouts – Jonathan Goff and Curtis Gatewood – will display their talents to National Football League scouts and a national television audience Saturday in the annual East-West Shrine Game.
Goff, a native of Lynn, Mass., who attended St. John’s Preparatory in nearby Boston, and Gatewood, a White Station High School product of Memphis, Tenn., are expected to play next to each other at linebacker for the East squad.
The East-West Shrine Game, played for nearly 80 years in the San Francisco bay area, moved to Houston two years ago. It will be played at the University of Houston’s Robertson Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m., central, with ESPN2 televising.
Next week, a third Vanderbilt senior – offensive tackle Chris Williams – is scheduled to play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
It will mark the first time in more than 20 years – and second time ever – that Vanderbilt has been represented by multiple players in the East-West Shrine Game. The only previous East-West game featuring two Commodore players came in 1984 when quarterback Kurt Page and kicking specialist Ricky Anderson saw action.
Goff, a two-time All-SEC recipient and one of the league’s leading tacklers, is expected to play interior linebacker. Gatewood, added to the East roster just days before players from across the nation converged on Houston for the first practice, is likely to get action at outside linebacker. Gatewood began his Commodore career as a linebacker, then moved to defensive end as a sophomore. He finished with 24 consecutive starting assignments at defensive end.
Goff, a two-year defensive captain for the Commodores, has been one of the SEC’s most consistent performers since becoming a starter midway through his redshirt freshman season. He finished the 2007 season as the SEC’s third leading tackler with a career-high 113 stops, including 61 primary stops. He also added 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and a career-high two interceptions.
Goff also closed his career in outstanding fashion, posting at least 12 total tackles in each of his last three games; and 10 tackles or more in five of his final six performances. Considered for the Nagurski and Bednarik awards, Goff started 40 consecutive games at middle linebacker for the Commodores, finishing his career with 304 total tackles.
Gatewood was productive as a two-year starter at defensive end. An athletic pass rusher, Gatewood ended his career as the team active leader with 10.5 quarterback sacks, including seven as a junior. He also accumulated 30 total tackles and seven tackles for loss as a senior.