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For the first time in six years, all three of Utah's FBS programs will be represented in the Super Bowl.
That statement comes with an asterisk, because former Utah State tight end D.J. Tialavea is likely to be listed as inactive on Super Bowl Sunday, now that the Atlanta Falcons are fully staffed at his position.
He's a member of the 53-man roster, though, as the Falcons prepare to meet the New England Patriots in Houston on Feb. 5.
Six years ago, the Super Bowl rosters included Green Bay defensive back Jarrett Bush of USU and four Pittsburgh players from BYU (Brett Keisel and Chris Hoke) and Utah (Chris Kemoeatu and Stevenson Sylvester).
In Super Bowl LI, the Patriots will have former BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy and ex-Utah defensive back Eric Rowe, who each made a nice contribution to a 36-17 victory over Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game.
They're not starters, but they made an impact Sunday with four tackles apiece and were involved in two second-half takeaways. Van Noy forced a fumble that teammate Rob Ninkovich recovered and Rowe returned an interception 37 yards. Rowe was involved in at least four pass plays in or near the end zone, all resulting in incompletions.
These two players are good examples of how the Patriots keep finding players who thrive in their system. Via trades, New England acquired Rowe from Philadelphia in September and got Van Noy from Detroit in October.
Rowe will extend the Ute alumni's run of Super Bowl appearances to five years. The streak began with Baltimore's Paul Kruger and David Reed and San Francisco's Alex Smith in February 2014, followed by Denver's Zane Beadles, New England's Sealver Siliga and Carolina's Star Lotulelei and Denver's Sam Brenner the past three years (Brenner was inactive on game day, when 45 players dress). Ex-Ute defensive lineman Derrick Shelby plays for Atlanta, but he was placed on injured reserve in October with an Achilles' tendon injury.
Van Noy will be the first ex-Cougar in the Super Bowl since Baltimore's Dennis Pitta four years ago.
Thanks to former Utah State linebacker Bobby Wagner's two appearances with Seattle, the Aggies have been well represented in Super Bowls lately. Even if Tialavea is inactive in Houston, USU will claim Falcons tight ends coach Wade Harman, a former Aggie linebacker. Harman's distinction this season is that five of his players, including Tialavea, have caught touchdown passes.
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