2 Former Cal Bears to Face Off in Super Bowl XLIX

By Cal Athletics:

Former Cal running backs Marshawn Lynch (Seattle) and Shane Vereen (New England) will face each other in Super Bowl XLIX after helping their respective NFL teams to NFC and AFC titles on Sunday. Super Bowl XLIX will take place February 1 (4:30 pm MT/3:30 pm PT, NBC) at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Cal has now had at least one former player on a Super Bowl roster 13 times in the last 14 seasons. Lynch will be playing in the Super Bowl for the second consecutive season with his defending champion Seahawks, while Vereen was a rookie with the Patriots during Super Bowl XLVI but did not play in the game.

Lynch rushed for a playoff career-high 157 yards on 25 carries and had a key 24-yard go-ahead touchdown run late in the fourth quarter as the Seahawks rallied from 16-0 halftime and 19-7 fourth quarter deficits to eventually win 28-22 in overtime. Lynch also had one catch for 26 yards late in the fourth quarter that was originally ruled a 35-yard touchdown catch but brought back to the nine-yard line when a review determined he stepped out of bounds at that point. Lynch would pick up another four yards on the ground on the next play and two plays later Russell Wilson scored on a one-yard touchdown run to pull the Seahawks within 19-14.

Vereen got the start at running back and had a five-yard reception on the Patriots’ first play from scrimmage in New England’s 45-7 win over Indianapolis. He finished the contest with three catches for 41 yards and one rush for two.

Aaron Rodgers and Richard Rodgers looked headed to Super Bowl XLIX rather than Lynch before the Seahawks’ comeback denied Aaron Rodgers of his second Super Bowl trip and Richard Rodgers of his first. Aaron Rodgers, who was the MVP of Super Bowl XLV, completed 19-of-34 passes for 178 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions inSunday’s NFC Championship Game, while Richard Rodgers had playoff career highs of four catches and 35 yards receiving.

Aaron Rodgers is a leading candidate to pick up the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award for the second time in his career (also 2011) after he completed 341-of-520 passes for 4,381 yards with 38 touchdowns and five interceptions for a 112.2 quarterback rating that ranked second in the league during the 2014 regular season.

Rodgers, who was also named a finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award on Sunday, will find out during the NFL Honors show on January 31 if he wins either award. He has already been named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press and selected to the Pro Bowl to be played January 25 (6 pm MT/5 pm PT) also at University of Phoenix Stadium.

The four participants in Sunday’s championship games were among 11 former Cal players involved in this season’s NFL Playoffs with the others Lorenzo Alexander (Arizona), C.J. Anderson (Denver), Thomas DeCoud (Carolina), Justin Forsett (Baltimore), L.P. Ladouceur (Dallas), Ron Rivera (Carolina head coach) and Jeremy Ross (Detroit). Two others – Brandon Mebane (Seattle) and Marvin Jones (Cincinnati) – were on injured reserve for playoff teams.

SUPER BOWL XLIX
Sunday, February 1, 2015 (University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ – 4:30 pm MT/3:30 pm PT, NBC)
New England (AFC) vs. Seattle (NFC)

NFL PLAYOFFS RESULTS

WILD CARD ROUND
Saturday, January 3, 2015
NFC – at No. 4 Carolina 27, No. 5 Arizona 16 (ESPN)
AFC – No. 6 Baltimore 30, at No. 3 Pittsburgh 17 (NBC)

Sunday, January 4, 2015
AFC – at No. 4 Indianapolis 26, No. 5 Cincinnati 10 (CBS)
NFC – at No. 3 Dallas 24, Detroit 20 (FOX)

DIVISIONAL ROUND
Saturday, January 10, 2015
AFC – at No. 1 New England 35, No. 6 Baltimore 31 (NBC)
NFC – at No. 1 Seattle 31, No. 4 Carolina 17 (FOX)

Sunday, January 11, 2015
NFC – at No. 2 Green Bay 26, No. 3 Dallas 21 (FOX)
AFC – No. 4 Indianapolis 24, at No. 2 Denver 13 (CBS)

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
Sunday, January 18, 2015
NFC – at No. 1 Seattle 28, No. 2 Green Bay 22 – OT (FOX)
AFC – at No. 1 New England 45, No. 4 Indianapolis 7 (CBS)

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