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Football
Benkert to Participate in All-Star Football Challenge
Jan. 29, 2018
CHICAGO – Former Virginia quarterback Kurt Benkert will participate in the 2018 State Farm All-Star Football Challenge at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The 20th edition of the All-Star Football Challenge will air on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 2. For the second consecutive year, the skills competition will feature 24 of college football’s brightest stars divided into six teams based on their college conference. Each team will consist of four players from the same conference that will compete for conference supremacy in a series of skills competitions. The conferences represented are the ACC, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the Pac-12, the SEC, and four of the best players outside of the Power Five that will be called the “Wild Card” team.
Benkert (Sr., Cape Coral, Fla.) is the first player in Cavalier history to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season. His single-season UVA record for passing yards was set in 2017 at 3,207 passig yards. He also set UVA’s single-season record for total offense with 3,144 yards in 2017. Benkert is the first player in Virginia history to throw for over 20 touchdowns in multiple seasons. He had 21 in 2016 and his 25 in 2017 are No. 2 all-time at UVA for a single season . In only two years Benkert ranks No. 3 all-time at UVA with 5,759 passing yards and 46 passing touchdowns. For a career, Benkert holds the UVA records for completions per game (21.91), passing touchdowns per game (1.92) and fewest career interceptions per career pass (0.0218).
The following players will participate in the 2018 State Farm All-Star Football Challenge:
Team ACC
Kurt Benkert – QB – Virginia
Tremaine Edmunds – LB – Virginia Tech
Bradley Chubb – DE – NC State
Derwin James – S – Florida State
Team Big Ten
JT Barrett – QB – Ohio State
Jerome Baker – LB – Ohio State
Sean Welsh – G – Iowa
Joshua Jackson – CB – Iowa
Team Big 12
Nic Shimonek – QB – Texas Tech
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo – DE – Oklahoma
Orlando Brown – OT – Oklahoma
Mark Andrews – TE – Oklahoma
Team Pac-12
Josh Rosen – QB – UCLA
Uchenna Nwosu – LB – USC
Vita Vea – DT – Washington
Isaiah Oliver – CB – Colorado
Team SEC
Danny Etling – QB – Louisiana State
Bo Scarbrough – RB – Alabama
Arden Key – DE – Louisiana State
Armani Watts – S – Texas A&M
Team “Wild Card”
Logan Woodside – QB – Toledo
Marcus Davenport – DE – UTSA
Will Hernandez – OG – UTEP
Cedric Wilson – WR – Boise State
Each player will individually participate in a timed event, and then finish with a full team event. Events will all be timed and have individual winners that will compile into a cumulative score to determine the winning team. For example, the quarterbacks from each team will all compete against each other to win their competition. But ultimately, their time will be added to the times of the other competitors on their conference designated team to have a final team score.
Individual events in the 2018 State Farm All-Star Football Challenge include: the State Farm QB Accuracy Competition, the Edward Jones Hands Competition, the Samsung Lineman Strength Challenge and the Mercedes-Benz Obstacle Course. To conclude the program, the players will compete as teams in the State Farm Team Competition.
“The revamped format that was implemented in last year’s All-Star Football Challenge added the competitive spirit between the athletes that we were hoping to instill,” said Intersport Vice President of Sports Properties, Drew Russell. “We look forward to creating that same emotional connection for the athletes and fans of every conference viewing the event at home with another fantastic group of competitors in this year’s competition.”
Alumni of the All-Star Football Challenge include three Heisman Trophy winners (Ron Dayne, Troy Smith and Jason White), 69 first-round NFL Draft picks and 33 Pro Bowlers, such as: Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Jamaal Charles, Greg Olsen, Dez Bryant, Von Miller, Vernon Davis, Joe Flacco, Donovan McNabb and Edgerrin James.
For more information on the 2018 State Farm All-Star Football Challenge, like our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/AllStarFootball) and follow us on Twitter (@AllStarFBall) and Instagram (@AllStarFball).
About Intersport
Since 1985, Intersport has been an award-winning innovator and leader in the creation of sports, lifestyle and entertainment-based marketing platforms. With expertise in Sponsorship Consulting, Experiential Marketing, Hospitality, Customer Engagement, Content Marketing, Productions and Sports Properties, this Chicago-based Marketing & Media Solutions Company helps their clients to create ideas, content and experiences that attract and engage passionate audiences. To learn more about Intersport, visit www.intersportnet.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
About State Farm®
The mission of State Farm is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto and home insurance in the United States. Its nearly 19,000 agents and nearly 70,000 employees serve more than 84 million policies and accounts – more than 81 million auto, fire, life, health and commercial policies, and more than 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 33 on the 2017 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.