Isa Abdul-Quddus Detroit Lions Roster Page | Patrick Murray Tampa Bay Buccaneers Roster Page
 
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Commentary | Tampa Bay Buccaneers field goal kicker Patrick Murray, a one-in-a-million chance guy, makes it (Bradenton.com)
 
The son of a Monaghan footballer will start his first NFL game this Sunday
 
Bronx, N.Y. (September 5, 2014) – For the fourth straight year, two former Fordham University football Rams will suit up for NFL teams on opening week as safety Isa Abdul-Quddus begins his fourth year in the league, his first with the Detroit Lions, while kicker Patrick Murray will handle the kicking chores for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
 
Abdul-Quddus' Lions will host the New York Giants in primetime on Monday night at 7:00 p.m. while Murray and the Bucs will host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at 4:25 p.m.
 

Abdul-Quddus, who signed a free agent contract with the New Orleans in 2011, played for three years with the Saints before being claimed by the Lions last February. In his three years with New Orleans, Abdul-Quddus had 74 total tackles, nine passes defensed and a pair of interceptions to go with three forced fumbles. 
 
A Second Team Preseason All-Patriot League by Phil Steele's College Football Preview, Abdul-Quddus closed out his Fordham career leading the 2010 squad with 78 tackles, 56 of those solo, and he recorded six pass breakups and forced three fumbles. He tied for the Patriot League lead in forced fumbles/game (0.27) and was eleventh in the League in tackles/game (7.1). He opened season with a career-high 14 total tackles, ten solo, while also forcing a fumble at Bryant.
 
Over his career, Abdul-Quddus, who was a two-year starter in the defensive backfield, had 193 total tackles, 134 solo, including 12 for loss and three sacks. He also amassed ten pass deflections and three interceptions. Abdul-Quddus tied a school record with three interceptions in a game at Cornell in 2009.
 
Murray signed a futures contract with Tampa Bay last December. One of the most prolific placekickers in Fordham football history, he was a consensus All-American in 2012 and he also received the 2012 Fred Mitchell Award as the most outstanding place kicker in all NCAA Division (excluding NCAA BCS).
 
The Mitchell Award was one of a plethora of awards Murray received for the 2012 season. He was named a consensus First Team All-American placekicker by the Associated Press, The Sports Network, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and the Beyond Sports Network (BSN). He was also named the BSN Special Teams Player the Year and received First Team All-Patriot League honors as both a placekicker and punter.
 

Murray was also named the 2012 College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) Placekicker of the Year as well as being named an ECAC All-Star at both placekicker and punter. It is the second straight year Murray has been honored by the CFPA as in 2011 he was named the Punt Performer of the Year.
 
Murray enjoyed the most successful season for a Fordham kicker in school history, leading all of the NCAA in field goals with 25 and leading the Patriot League and ranking second in the NCAA in punting average (46.0). He set a new Fordham and Patriot League record with 25 field goals, shattering the former mark of 18 set by Fordham's Matt Fordyce in 2002. The 25 three-pointers was just one shy of the NCAA FCS record of 26 set by set by Tony Zendejas from Nevada in 1982 and matched by Northern Iowa's Brian Mitchell in 1990.
 
Murray connected on four field goals of over 50 yards in 2012, the most 50-yarders of any NCAA Division I kicker. He booted a school-record 55-yarder at Cincinnati as well as connecting on a 52-yard field goal versus Lock Haven.
 
On the year, Murray converted 25 of his 30 field goal attempts and 30 of 31 PATs to amass 105 points, ranking third on the school's single season list and becoming the first Fordham kicker to score more than 100 points in a season. He also broke the Patriot League mark of 97 kick scoring points in a season set by Fordyce in 2002.

Over his career, Murray booted 38 field goals, sixth best all-time at Fordham.