Trojan Trio at the Super Bowl Part Two - Osi Umenyiora

As the New York Giants prepare to face off in a Super Bowl rematch with the New England Patriots this Sunday, the Trojan Nation will be watching closely as three of their own prepare to reach the pinnacle of their profession, some of them for the second time.

TroyTrojans.com will do a three-part mini-series of articles profiling those three Trojans: defensive end Osi Umenyiora, wide receiver/kick returner Jerrel Jernigan and kicker Lawrence Tynes in the days leading up to the biggest game of their lives.

Today, the focus will reside on Osi Umenyiora, a quarterback terror for the team affectionately known as Big Blue. Before he was collapsing the pockets under the bright lights of New York, Umenyiora plied his craft here at Troy from 1999-2002.

The British-born, Auburn native was a force in the cardinal, black and silver, registering 276 total tackles with 25 sacks. He also accumulated 39 tackles for loss, which was a school record until it was broken by fellow Trojan turned All-Pro DeMarcus Ware.

However, according to Troy head coach Larry Blakeney, if not for a fated call from James Joseph, Umenyiora's high school coach, Troy may have never been able to unleash Umenyiora upon its competition. Still, given that Umenyiora was a late bloomer in high school, no one could have foresaw the contributions that he would bring to the table.

“He called us and told us we needed to take a second look at Osi, and we did and we signed him,” Blakeney said. “He was a 16-year-old high school senior and we redshirted him. He played inside for us for two years and played outside for two years and really did a great job for us.”

While the Trojans and their opponents knew the force that Umenyiora was, the NFL was slow to recognize the level of talent that he possessed as he was not invited to the scouting combine. So, Umenyiora used the Troy University facilities to his advantage, as his workouts, along with his on-field production, netted him a second round selection.

His potential then bubbled under the surface until 2005, when he exploded into the conversation of elite NFL pass rushers as he picked up 14.5 sacks for the G-Men. This garnered him a trip to Honolulu for the Pro Bowl and an All-Pro selection.

The astounding total of sacks was also tops in the NFC that season.

While injuries have slowed Umenyiora from continuing to truly build on his resume, he is still one of the most feared pass-rushers in the league and can make an impact in the largest of ways, whether it is totaling six sacks in a single game against the Eagles (a Giants franchise record) or making the key strip of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.

While injuries were problematic for Umenyiora this season, he was still able to garner nine sacks despite only playing in nine games, starting seven.

When asked what the Trojans were able to do to help mold Umenyiora into the fearsome defender he is now, Blakeney put most of the credit on Umenyiora himself.

“A lot of it is individual talent… we tried to give him as much opportunity to have a two-way go on the guys outside and teach him how to deal with those big guys. It goes back to sheer ability and trying to teach them some things that will help them enhance that ability,” Blakeney said.

So, as Umenyiora prepares to possibly join hallowed ranks as a multiple-time Super Bowl champion, Blakeney expressed great pride in not only Umenyiora, but Jernigan and Tynes as well.

“I'm very proud of all three guys. All three are good, smart, tough and have ability. We'll (the Trojan nation) all be watching them but the main thing is to win.”

Troy University Athletics

Trojan Trio at the Super Bowl Part Two - Osi Umenyiora

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