Linval Joseph life and biography

CAREER NOTES

* Joseph played in 41 games with 27 starts – 18 at right defensive tackle and 9 at nose guard…Registered 143 tackles (57 solo) with 6.5 sacks for minus 47 yards, 29.5 stops for losses totaling 96 yards and 20 quarterback pressures…Recovered and forced 3 fumbles…Deflected 2 passes and blocked 3 kicks…Also carried once for a 1-yard touchdown vs. Southern Mississippi in 2009.

2009 SEASON

* All-Conference USA 1st-team choice by the league's coaches…Started all 14 games at right defensive tackle, leading a unit that ranked 2nd in the conference and 27th nationally vs. the run (120.3 yards per game), led the league in scoring defense (21.9 points per game) and ranked 3rd in total defense (378.3 yards per game)…Recorded a career-best 60 tackles (22 solo) with 3 sacks for minus 17 yards…Led the team and ranked 6th in the conference with 13.0 stops for losses of 39 yards and tied for the team lead with 14 quarterback pressures…Had 1 pass deflection and blocked a 26-yard field goal attempt vs. Central Florida…Also recovered a fumble and forced 2 others…Rushed for a 1-yard touchdown vs. Southern Mississippi…Made 57 plays vs. the run, holding those ball carriers to 45 yards (0.79 yards per carry) and no touchdowns, as he also took down five of those runners for no gain at the line of scrimmage…Posted 7 tackles inside the red zone vs. the run, including 5 on goal-line plays…Of his 14 QB pressures, 7 came on 3rd-down snaps and 1 on a fourth-down play.
* APPALACHIAN STATE…Opened the season with 7 tackles, assisting on a sack while making 2.5 stops for loss and producing two pressures.
* NORTH CAROLINA…Posted 6 tackles (4 solo), including taking down Shaun Draughn for a 2-yard loss on a rushing attempt up the middle on the game's 1st play.
* CENTRAL FLORIDA…Tallied 6 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2 pressures and 1.5…Sacked Brett Hodges for a 5-yard loss, then blocked a 26-yard field goal attempt and preserved the 19-14 win when he sacked Hodges for a 1-yard loss with 2:23 left in the game.
* RICE…Finished with 4 tackles, including an 8-yard sack of Nick Fanuzzi on a 3rd-and-4, forcing the Owls to punt.
* VIRGINIA TECH…Recorded 7 tackles, including 1 on tailback Ryan Williams for a 5-yard loss.
* TULSA…Contributed 3 tackles, 2 behind the line of scrimmage…G.J. Kinne's pass on 4th-and-6 bounced off of Joseph's helmet and fell incomplete in the 4th quarter.
* SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI…Posted 6 tackles with 3 pressures, but his biggest play was on offense. He took a handoff from Patrick Pinkney and plunged across the goal line in the 2nd quarter.
* HOUSTON (Conference USA Championship)…Had 2 tackles and 3 pressures, including one with 1:47 left in the game, when he flushed Case Keenum out of the pocket and his errant pass was picked off by ECU's Van Eskridge, preserving a 38-32 decision that gave the Pirates the conference title.
* ARKANSAS (Liberty Bowl)…Recorded the 16th tackle for loss in his last 15 games, dropping Dennis Johnson for a 7-yard loss.

2008 SEASON

* Earned All-Conference USA honorable mention…Missed most of fall camp with a back sprain, but played in all 14 games, starting the final 9 at nose guard…Contributed 43 tackles (22 solo) with 2.5 sacks for minus 23 yards, 8 stops for losses of 34 yards and 1 quarterback pressure…Forced a fumble, blocked 2 kicks and deflected a pass…Helped ECU lead the league in total defense (333.0 yards per game) and scoring defense (21.1 points per game)…Had a career-high 9 tackles vs. Tulsa in the Conference USA Championship Game, when he also forced a fumble and batted down a pass…Followed with 7 stops vs. Kentucky in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, where he also blocked two PATs.

2007 SEASON

* Consensus Freshman All-Conference USA 1st-team selection by the league's coaches and media…Played in all 13 games, sharing right defensive tackle duties with Khalif Mitchell…Started vs. West Virginia, Houston, Central Florida and Tulane…Finished with 40 tackles (13 solo), a 7-yard sack, 8.5 stops for losses of 23 yards and 5 quarterback pressures…Also recovered 2 fumbles…Picked up 1st career sacks and recovered a fumble vs. Southern Mississippi.

HIGH SCHOOL

* Lettered 4 times for Sante Fe High School in Gainesville, Fla.…Two-time All-State Class AAA selection, adding All-Region honors as a senior…Excelled as a weight man for the school's track team…Lettered 3 times in the sport, helping the team advance to the state finals, as he competed in the shot put and discus events…A 3-time member of Sante Fe's weightlifting team, he captured the Florida State Weightlifting Championship as a junior with a 415-pound bench press and a 320-pound clean jerk.

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