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South Hangs On For
Victory
South 21, North 16
MOBILE, Alabama (Sunday, January 21,
2001) --
The South got two early gifts, then squashed a late North rally to hold on
to a 21-16 win in the 52nd annual Senior Bowl presented by Delchamps at
Ladd-Peebles Stadium Saturday in front of an announced sellout crowd of
40,646.
Down 21-9, the North's Joe Tafoya of
Arizona blocked a David Leaverton punt and Jerrod Cooper of Kansas State
returned it 30 yards for a touchdown to pull the North to within 21-16
with 3:31 remaining. But the ensuing onsides kick failed.
The North forced Florida quarterback
Jesse Palmer to fumble and had a final chance with 2:40 left but turned it
over on downs.
"You can't count your blessings
before it is over with and we might have done a little bit of that,"
Green Bay and South head coach Mike Sherman said of the North's late
rally.
The North played from behind the whole
game, giving the South plenty of opportunities to score points.
Kansas State's David Allen fumbled a
Leaverton punt on the North's first attempt at a possession, and Kevan
Barlow of Pittsburgh fumbled on the North's ensuing possession. The
turnovers led to quick points for the South, which led 14-0 in the blink
of an eye.
TCU running back and Senior Bowl Most
Valuable Player LaDainian Tomlinson capped off a seven-play, 36 yard-drive
with a 1-yard run, and Palmer scored from the 5 for the South, capping a
nine-play, 56-yard drive.
"I think it was a good day for us
offensively," said Palmer, who finished 4 of 5 passing for 38 yards.
"I think we were able to come out here and execute well. I think we
were able to run the football, score some points and ensure ourselves the
win."
But it was the running of Tomlinson that
sparked the South offense. The 5-foot-10, 221-pound running back felt
comfortable in the confines of Ladd-Peebles, finishing with 88 yards on 19
carries and a score.
"It's my third time here,"
Tomlinson said, referring to his two previous visits to the Port City as a
member of the TCU teams that competed in the Mobile Alabama Bowl. "I
don't know if it was the stadium or what, I'm just happy to be here. I'm
pretty used to the traction out here and the cutting.
"I think we did a great job. We were
jelling as a team. We did a great job of coming in, learning the plays and
winning this game."
Sherman was impressed by Tomlinson's
production and now his stock in the upcoming NFL draft.
"I think he has tremendous power,
balance and quickness," Sherman said of Tomlinson, who averaged 4.6
yards a carry. "He certainly exhibited those today. He's very
powerful. He had a lot of runs on second and third efforts. He really
helped himself in practice this week and in the game."
The North managed a 39-yard field goal
from Jamie Rheem early in the second quarter to make it 14-3, despite the
penetration of Georgia linebacker Kendrell Bell. Rheem managed to kick the
ball under Bell, who laid out for the block.
But Auburn quarterback Ben Leard led the
South on 13-play, 78-yard drive, capped off by his 1-yard run to end the
half with a 21-3 lead. Leard finished 4 of 8 passing for 36 yards.
The North came out in the second half
with a heavy dose of Lamont Jordan, who was named the North's Offensive
MVP. The Maryland running back rushed for 62 yards on nine carries,
including a 7-yard touchdown run to make it a 21-9.
"We got off to a rough start early
but I liked the way we came back," Pittsburgh and North head coach
Bill Cowher said. "They really responded and made a few plays. It was
a good group of kids and what happened in the second half was indicative
of this group. They worked real hard, fought through some of the weather.
They were down 21-3 and fought real hard to remain in the game."
Despite outgaining the South 307-236, the
North squandered other scoring opportunities throughout the game when
Rheem missed on field goals of 40 and 33 yards and an extra-point kick.
Oklahoma's Torrance Marshall, who was
named the North's Defensive MVP, intercepted David Rivers' pass in the
third quarter and returned to the South 40 but the North failed to make
good on the opportunity, having to punt four plays later.
Tennessee's Cedric Wilson earned the
South's Offensive MVP honors with his four-catch performance that tallied
33 yards. Mississippi State's Fred Smoot won the South's Defensive MVP,
something he was not shy about.
"You know all I was going to do was play
the way I can play," Smoot said. "If I got the MVP or not, you know I was
going to think I was MVP."
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