GREENVILLE — Three East Carolina seniors have accepted invitations to postseason all-star games as wide receiver Lance Lewis and cornerback Emanuel Davis will take part in the East-West Shrine Game, held on Jan. 21, and safety Bradley Jacobs will play in the Jan. 16 Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game.
Lewis, who spent two years with Pirates after transferring from East Mississippi Community College, was a Second-Team All-Conference USA selection by the league’s head coaches both seasons. He ended his ECU career as the program record-holder with 22 touchdown catches. Lewis also ranks third on Pirates’ all-time receptions chart with 149 and fifth in yards with 1,716.
The Concord, N.C., native closed the 2011 campaign with team second-best totals in receptions (60) and yards (600), despite not playing in three of the final four games with right foot and left knee injuries. Even with the missed contests, Lewis finished the regular season ranked third in the league in receptions per game (6.7) and seventh in receiving yards per tilt (66.7).
Davis, another two-time Second-Team All-Conference USA honoree, was a three-year starter in the East Carolina secondary. He ended his career with 230 tackles, 13.5 for lost yardage, and 36 pass breakups. His nine career interceptions are the 11th most in Pirate history.
The Manteo product paced the 2011 team with seven pass breakups and eight passes defended while ranking third in solo tackles (29). In the final game of his career, at Marshall, he booked seven tackles, including six stops in the opening half. Three weeks earlier against eventual C-USA Champion Southern Miss, Davis registered a season high with eight hits.
Lewis and Davis will suit up for the East Team in the Shrine Game, which is held at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. and the contest will be broadcast nationally on the NFL Network. The pair will be the first Pirate participants since Van Eskridge in 2009 and the 11th and 12th overall. Since the inception, 62 East-West Shrine Game alumni have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and 246 are currently active on NFL rosters.
Jacobs is the second East Carolina player to take part in the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game, as Jonathan Williams played in the inaugural contest last January. Like Lewis, Jacobs played two years for the Pirates following his transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. A two-year starter, Jacobs ended his career with 151 tackles and 14 passes defended.
This season, the Long Beach, Miss., native finished fourth on the team in tackles with 71 and solo stops with 24. In the contest at UTEP, Jacobs booked a career-high 11 hits, including seven in the first half. He finished with eight tackles versus Virginia Tech, tallying six and a pass breakup in the second half.
The Casino Del Sol College All-Star game will kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET inside Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium in Tucson, Ariz. The game will be broadcast on FOX Sports Arizona.