(Logan, UT) – Utah State Aggie linebacker Bobby Wagner was named the North’s Most Outstanding Player of the 2012 Senior Bowl on Saturday,after he helped his sqaud to a 23-13 win over the South team at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

A crowd of 40,646 in attendance and a national television audience on the NFL Network saw Wagner snare an interception and lead the North with seven tackles, tying for game-high honors with Antonio Allen of the South team. One of Wagner’s seven tackles was for a loss and he also had a pass break-up at the goal line.

Minnesota Vikings’ head coach Leslie Frazier coached the North team that Wagner played for.

“It feels great. I’m just happy to represent small schools and prove that no matter where you play you can shine,” Wagner said. “I was very proud to represent Utah State with the U-State logo on my helmet and help create some buzz about Utah State. No matter what I do or where I go, I will always be an Aggie.”

Wagner, a native of Ontario, California (Colony HS), led the Western Athletic Conference and ranked eighth in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in tackles with 11.3 per game, ranking third in total tackles with 147 on the season. In addition, earned first-team all-WAC accolades for the third-straight season and was a strong candidate for the WAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2011. In the Aggies’ 13 games this season, Wagner posted nine double-digit tackle outings, highlighted by a career-high 20 stops against Louisiana Tech on October 22, while adding 18 stops against Colorado State on September 24.

The Senior Bowl is the nation’s most unique football game and football’s premier pre-draft event, annually featuring the country’s best senior collegiate football players and top NFL draft prospects on teams representing the North and South that are coached by the entire coaching staffs of two National Football League teams.

After a seven-year drought for a Utah State player to be selected to the Senior Bowl, this was the second-straight season for an Aggie to be invited to the prestigious game, as cornerback Curtis Marsh was selected for the 2011 game, but could not play due to an injury. Prior to Marsh, the last time that a USU player was selected was tight end Chris Cooley in 2004. Overall, Wagner is the 16th USU player selected to the Senior Bowl since 1962.

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The NFL Combine is February 22-28.

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