Jan. 14, 2011
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By Leigh Torbin
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Three former UCF Knights, Josh Sitton, Atari Bigby and Michael Greco will continue the pursuit of the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Saturday night when the Green Bay Packers travel to Atlanta to face the top-seeded Falcons at 8 p.m. on FOX in the NFC Divisional playoffs.
The contest rematches a narrow 20-17 Atlanta win on Nov. 28, also at the Georgia Dome that was won on a 47-yard matt Bryant field goal in the closing seconds.
The Packers advanced to the Divisional round with a 21-16 win over the NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles last weekend at the Eagles' Lincoln Financial Field. It allowed the Packers to join the 1981 New York Giants as the only teams to ever beat the Eagles twice at home in the same season of that franchise's long history.
Sitton was again the starter at right guard as Packer tailback James Starks set a franchise rookie playoff record with his 123 rushing yards. Green Bay impressively was 8-for-13 on third down conversions against the Eagles. He also helped protect quarterback Aaron Rodgers who set an NFL record by throwing for a total of seven touchdowns in his first two playoff starts combined (three at Philadelphia and four last year at Arizona).
Bigby was a game day inactive in the wild card round due to a groin injury. He had been limited in Packer practice earlier this week with that injury but fully participated on Thursday and is listed as questionable. Greco remains with Green Bay's practice squad as a defensive back.
Unfortunately that Packer win over Philadelphia ended the quest for a third Super Bowl championship for former Knight Asante Samuel. While he'd certainly rather be heading to Texas for Super Bowl XLV, Samuel can take some solace in spending the weekend before in Honolulu for his UCF alumni record fourth Pro Bowl. Samuel led the NFC with seven interceptions in 2010 and tied for second in the NFL behind only Baltimore's Ed Reed's eight. Devin McCourty of New England and Troy Polamalu of Pittsburgh also picked off seven passes in 2010. Impressively, Samuel made those seven interceptions while playing in just 11 games due to injury.
Sitton won the fan vote to start at guard for the NFL in the Pro Bowl but didn't earn a spot on the team. He has been selected as an alternate for the showcase event. Sitton has started every game for Green Bay this year and helped the Packer offenses throughout their playoff run as the team's best blocker. Bigby was a starter for Green Bay at safety in 2009 but was hampered by injuries for much of this season. He made six tackles and appeared in four games this fall, contests where the Packers went 3-1 with the lone loss coming at New England. Greco has had two stints with the Packers' practice squad this year after being released by the New York Giants following preseason camp.
To catch the next round of NFL Knights in action for UCF as they defend the Conference USA championship, place your deposit now for 2011 football season tickets. Contact the UCF Athletics ticket office at (407) 823-1000 for more information or place your deposit online on the main ticket page at UCFAthletics.com.