
Johnson, Rayford Ready for Tropical Bowl
January 11, 2019 | Football
by Brandon Langlois/Associate Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – A pair of Mississippi State seniors have been invited to play in the SPIRAL Tropical Bowl FBS All-American game on Sunday.
Tight end Justin Johnson and cornerback Chris Rayford will represent the Bulldogs and suit up for the American Team. The fourth annual all-star game will be played at Daytona Stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida, at 9 a.m. CT.
The game can be viewed live via live stream worldwide by its broadcast partner FloFootball.com. A FloFootball subscription is required.
Johnson, from Birmingham, Alabama, played in 44 career games and started all 13 games in 2018. He caught 25 passes for 282 yards and a pair of touchdowns during his career. The bulk of his production came this past season when he totaled 238 yards receiving and a touchdown on 17 receptions. He had at least one catch for 25 or more yards in five games
Rayford, a native of Byhalia, Mississippi, finished his fifth year with the Bulldogs. He played in 52 career games and was a part of MSU's starting rotation while also contributing on special teams. Rayford totaled 55 tackles, including two for loss, four pass breakups, one forced fumble and one recovered fumble during his career.
Over 110 SPIRAL Tropical Bowl alumni have gone on to the NFL since its inception in 2016.
STARKVILLE – A pair of Mississippi State seniors have been invited to play in the SPIRAL Tropical Bowl FBS All-American game on Sunday.
Tight end Justin Johnson and cornerback Chris Rayford will represent the Bulldogs and suit up for the American Team. The fourth annual all-star game will be played at Daytona Stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida, at 9 a.m. CT.
The game can be viewed live via live stream worldwide by its broadcast partner FloFootball.com. A FloFootball subscription is required.
Johnson, from Birmingham, Alabama, played in 44 career games and started all 13 games in 2018. He caught 25 passes for 282 yards and a pair of touchdowns during his career. The bulk of his production came this past season when he totaled 238 yards receiving and a touchdown on 17 receptions. He had at least one catch for 25 or more yards in five games
Rayford, a native of Byhalia, Mississippi, finished his fifth year with the Bulldogs. He played in 52 career games and was a part of MSU's starting rotation while also contributing on special teams. Rayford totaled 55 tackles, including two for loss, four pass breakups, one forced fumble and one recovered fumble during his career.
Over 110 SPIRAL Tropical Bowl alumni have gone on to the NFL since its inception in 2016.
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