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Gray, Jackson Accept Invitations to Postseason Bowls
1/12/2021 9:00:00 AM | Football
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke tight end Noah Gray and running back Deon Jackson have accepted invitations to the Reese's Senior Bowl and NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, respectively.
The Senior Bowl is set for January 30 in Mobile, Ala., while the Collegiate Bowl is being hosted virtually on Jan. 13 & 14.
This year's Senior Bowl will kick off at 1:30 p.m. at Hancock Whitney Stadium and will be televised live by the NFL Network.
Gray is the 27th Blue Devil to earn an invitation to the Senior Bowl and joins Conner Vernon (2012), Jamison Crowder (2014), Laken Tomlinson (2014), Jeremy Cash (2015), Ross Martin (2015), and Daniel Jones (2019) as invitees from the David Cutcliffe Era. Jones was named the games' MVP after completing 8-of 11 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown in addition to a rushing score in helping the North squad to a 34-24 victory against the South.
Gray finished his senior season ranked second in the ACC for a tight end with 29 catches for 285 yards and two scores. In the Blue Devils' game at NC State, he broke a 57-year-old program record when he surpassed Stan Crisson to become Duke's career leader in receptions by a tight end. Gray only missed one contest during his Duke tenure (48 career games), while making 21 starts. During that time, he recorded 105 receptions for 948 yards (9.03) and eight touchdowns. Gray also finished fourth in program history for most career touchdown receptions by a tight end.
Jackson is the sixth Blue Devil to be invited to the NFLPA Bowl, joining Takoby Cofield (2014), Max McCaffrey (2015), Breon Borders (2016), and Trevon McSwain and Koby Quansah from a year ago.
Jackson wrapped up his senior season becoming the eighth Duke player to surpass the 2,000-rushing yard mark during their career. His 2,267 career yards and 526 rushing attempts place him sixth all-time in program lore.
With his pair of ground scores against Charlotte earlier this season, Jackson moved into a tie for 14th on Duke's career list for rushing touchdowns with 17. He also become just the fifth player in Blue Devil history to rush for 2,000+ yards while registering multiple rushing touchdowns in three consecutive seasons. Jackson joined teammate Mataeo Durant in 2020 as well to become the fourth pair of running backs to have eclipsed the 600-yard mark on the ground during the same season.
He finished tied for sixth in program history with four career touchdown receptions by a running back and 12th in career all-purpose yards with 3,412. He also did manage to set Duke's all-purpose yards record for a single game when he earned 403 yards against Pittsburgh in 2018 (162 rushing, 89 receiving and 152 kickoff return).
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