University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Former Golden Eagles in the NFL Divisional Playoffs
1/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Two former Southern Miss football players, Chris Clark and Jamie Collins, now each in the National Football League, competed in the American Football Conference divisional playoffs over the past weekend.
Clark, who is an offensive lineman for the Denver Broncos, was listed as a starter at tight end for the club in a season-ending, 24-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday.
The former letterwinner for the Golden Eagles from 2004-07 saw action in 14 games during the regular season and playoffs, making eight starts. The Broncos finished the regular season with a 12-4 record and an AFC West championship.
Clark started for the Broncos last season during their run to the Super Bowl, before losing to Seattle in the league's championship game.
Another former Golden Eagle, Collins, kept his first Super Bowl dream alive as his New England Patriots won at home over the Baltimore Ravens, 35-31, last Saturday. The former Southern Miss letterwinner from 2009-12 tallied a team-high 11 tackles to go along with two passed defended and one quarterback hit.
Collins led the Patriots during the regular season in tackles with 109 to go along with four sacks in his second year with the organization.
He added two interceptions, four forced fumbles and two recoveries during the regular season for the Patriots that finished 12-4 heading into the playoffs and capturing the AFC East division.
The Patriots have one more hurdle, the Indianapolis Colts, this Sunday in the AFC championship contest. The game is set to take place at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. Game time is set for 5:40 p.m., CT, and can be seen on NBC.
One other former Golden Eagle, Khyri Thornton, is a member of the Green Bay Packers during the 2014 season, but has been on injured reserve for the whole campaign.
