Jan. 18, 2008

Houston, Texas - University of Tulsa senior quarterback Paul Smith is one of three quarterbacks for the East squad in Saturday's 83rd Annual East-West Shrine Game. Game time is 6:00 pm (CT) at John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium on the campus of the University of Houston.

A week ago, Smith participated in the Hula Bowl, where he scored two rushing touchdowns.

Smith led his Golden Hurricane team to the school's sixth 10-win season this year and a 63-7 victory over Bowling Green in the GMAC Bowl. Smith was named the GMAC Bowl's MVP after passing for 312 yards and five touchdowns.

The senior from Owasso, Oklahoma, had an NCAA single-season record 14 straight 300+ passing games this season. Smith completed 327-of-544 passes for 5,065 yards and 47 touchdowns, both Tulsa and Conference USA records. He became just the seventh player in NCAA history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a single season.

This year, Smith was among the NCAA leaders in a number of statistical categories. He ranked first in points responsible for, second for total offense and total passing yards, third in passing yards per game, and fourth in pass efficiency.

Smith established 12 school records and six Conference USA marks this season while leading the Hurricane to a 10-4 record. He threw for 10,936 yards and 83 touchdowns in his career.

Smith will be joined by Penn State's Anthony Morelli and Marshall's Bernard Morris as the East squad quarterbacks. The East squad is coached by former NFL Super Bowl Head Coach Dick Vermeil.

The East-West Shrine Game is being played in Houston for the second straight year, but the first year on the UH campus. The game has been played since 1925 and moved out of the San Francisco Bay area in 2006.