The South held on for a 16-15 victory over the North in the 68th annual Reese's Senior Bowl on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
The South stopped a North 2-point conversion attempt with 1:51 left in the game to preserve its victory.
California quarterback Davis Webb, who completed 11-of-16 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown for the South was named the game's Most Valuable Player.
Toledo running back Kareem Hunt, who ran for 118 yards on 15 carries, was the North's Most Outstanding Player.
The South's Most Outstanding Player was Kansas State defensive end Jordan Willis, who had two strip-sacks in the game.
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End of game: The South was able to run out the final 1:51 of the game after turning back the North's 2-point conversion to hold on for a 16-15 victory.
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1:51 fourth quarter: Pittsburgh quarterback Nate Peterman took the North on an 84-yard touchdown drive, hitting East Carolina wide receiver Zay Jones with a fourth-down pass from 6 yards out with 1:51 left in the game to cut the South's lead to 16-15. The North went for 2 instead of settling for a tie, and Chattanooga defensive end Keionta Davis ruined the play for the North by chasing Peterman deep into the backfield. The Pitt QB threw the ball up for grabs into a crowd in the end zone, and it went incomplete, keeping the South up by one point.
Kareem Hunt of Toledo had an 18-yard run, and Peterman had a 20-yard completion to Louisiana Tech wide receiver Trent Taylor and an 18-yarder to Arkansas tight end Jeremy Sprinkle to get the North down the field on an 11-play, 84-yard drive.
-----7:40 fourth quarter: The South's opportunity to put the game away was short-circuited by St. Francis safety Lorenzo Jerome when he made his second interception of the game. North Carolina State's Matt Dayes had a 24-yard run to get the South going. But Tiffin's Antonio Pipkin was picked off in the end zone on a second-down throw from the North 24-yard line.
The South holds a 16-9 lead as the North starts at its 16-yard line after Jerome's return.
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11:13 fourth quarter: A promising North drive that started with a 21-yard completion from Pittsburgh's Nate Peterman to East Carolina's Zay Jones ended with the South on the football at its 33-yard line. Villanova defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon sacked Peterman, causing him to fumble, and Auburn defensive tackle Montravius Adams came up with the loose football for the South.
The South takes over leading 16-9.
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End of third quarter: Arizona State's Zane Gonzalez kicked his third field goal of the 2017 Reese's Senior Bowl - a 39-yarder - on the last play of the third quarter to cut the South's lead to 16-9. Gonzalez kicked his field goal - after being iced by South coach Hue Jackson of the Cleveland Browns - on a first-down snap because the end of each quarter is treated like the end of a half. That gave Pittsburgh QB Nate Peterman the chance to drive the North in a two-minute drill, and he came through with a 14-yard completion to East Carolina's Zay Jones and a 11-yard toss to Toledo's Kareem Hunt.
The North gets to keep the ball, too, starting at its 25-yard line to open the fourth quarter.
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1:00 third quarter: After being sacked by Carroll Phillips of Illinois, Antonio Pipkin's first pass of the game was intercepted by Lamar cornerback Brendan Langley, who tried to lateral to Missouri cornerback Aarion Penton. The North kept the ball and will start at its 39-yard line with Pittsburgh's Nate Peterman back at quarterback.
Before the South started its ill-fated possession, a fan tried to run on the field, but was quickly tackled and hauled off.
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1:57 third quarter: The North found a spark in Toledo running back Kareem Hunt, who broke off consecutive runs of 20 and 43 yards. Houston outside linebacker Tyus Bowser pulled down Hunt from behind on the South 17-yard line on his longest run. The drive bogged down, though, as the North never passed, even on third-and-5 at the South 12, and Arizona State's Zane Gonzalez kicked his second field goal of the game - this one a 29-yarder - to cut the South's lead to 16-6.
The South start its second second-half possession at its 25-yard line with Tiffin's Antonio Pipkin at quarterback for the first time.
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6:29 third quarter: North Carolina State running back Matt Dayes capped the best drive of the 2017 Reese's Senior Bowl with a 2-yard touchdown run as the South took a 16-3 lead on the North. The 16-play, 80-yard drive took 8:31 off the clock, directed by California quarterback Davis Webb. Webb ran for a first down on a fourth-and-1 snap from the South 41-yard line, and he overcame a 10-yard loss on a sack by Youngstown State's Derek Rivers with a 27-yard connection to Mississippi State wide receiver Fred Ross on the next play. Dayes followed that completion with a 15-yard run, then scored the South's second touchdown of the game. The South has outgained the North 340 yards to 83 yards.
The North starts its first second-half possession on its 25-yard line with Colorado's Sefo Liufau in at quarterback for the first time.
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15:00 third quarter: The South will start the second half at its 20-yard line with a 9-3 lead with California's Davis Webb remaining at quarterback.
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Halftime: The North got off one snap after the South's field goal, and Kansas State defensive end Jordan Willis came up with his second strip-sack of the quarter. He knocked the ball loose taking down Iowa QB C.J. Beathard, but the North recovered to end the half with the South leading 9-3.
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The South leads the North at halftime of the Reese's Senior Bowl 9-3, getting a 39-yard touchdown pass from California's Davis Webb to Texas A&M's Josh Reynolds and a 37-yard field goal by Memphis' Jake Elliott.
The South leads even though it lost turnovers on three straight possessions.
The North's points came on 22-yard field goal by Arizona State's Zane Gonzalez. The North lost a 43-yard touchdown pass from Iowa's C.J. Beathard to East Carolina's Zay Jones to a penalty.
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0:06 second quarter: Memphis place-kicker Jake Elliott lifted the South's lead to 9-3 with a 37-yard field goal - after being iced by North coach John Fox of the Chicago Bears. Davis Webb had completions of 15 and 6 yards to Mississippi State wide receiver Fred Ross to get the South into position for the field goal.
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1:03 second quarter: The South gets a chance for a late score, starting at the North's 40-yard line. Chattanooga defensive end Keionta Davis sacked Iowa QB C.J. Beathard to end a three-and-out for the North, and San Diego State running back Donnell Pumphrey came up a 24-yard punt return to put the South in business.
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2:33 second quarter: California quarterback Davis Webb connected with Texas A&M wide receiver Josh Reynolds three times for gains of 21, 13 and 39 yards - the last one good for the first touchdown of the 2017 Reese's Senior Bowl - during the South's eight-play, 76-yard drive. Game rules require teams to go for 2 after second-quarter touchdowns, and Reynolds came down with Webb's fade pass out of the end zone on the conversion attempt to keep the South's lead at 6-3.
The North starts at its 25-yard line.
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6:38 second quarter: The North lost a 43-yard touchdown pass from Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard to East Carolina wide receiver Zay Jones to a facemask penalty against Baylor center Kyle Fuller. Things went downhill for the North offense after that, with Beathard fumbling when buried by Kansas State defensive end Jordan Willis. The North recovered the loose football and punted. The South will start at its 24-yard line with California's Davis Webb at quarterback. The North leads 3-0.
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11:22 second quarter: For the third straight possession, the South has turned the ball over. This time, Texas A&M wide receiver Josh Reynolds coughed it up on a reserve when he was tackled from behind by St. Francis safety Lorenzo Jerome. Southern Cal defensive tackle Stevie Tu'ikolovatu recovered the fumble. Jerome has an interception and a forced fumble in the game. The North starts its possession at its 42-yard line with Iowa's C.J. Beathard replacing Pittsburgh's Nate Peterman at quarterback.
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End of first quarter: The South will open the second quarter at its 25-yard line even though the first quarter ended when Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs connected with Alabama tight end O.J. Howard for a 24-yard gain to the North 25-yard line. The North leads 3-0. Since the South didn't score in its two-minute drill to end the first quarter, it has to start over at its 25-yard line, trailing 3-0.
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1:02 first quarter: The North got a first down on Nate Peterman's 11-yard completion to Michigan wide receiver Amara Darboh, but after three more snaps, Arkansas' Toby Baker came on to punt. The South gets the ball back at its 27.
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2:00 first quarter: The North came up with a takeaway for the second straight South possession as St. Francis safety Lorenzo Jerome intercepted with a fluttering pass by Tennessee QB Josh Dobbs. After N.C. State's Matt Dayes ran for 17 yards and Dobbs hit Grambling wide receiver Chad Williams for a 10-yard gain to get back in North territory, Dobbs' blockers were jammed back into the quarterback, causing his pass to go off-course. The North has the ball on its 28-yard line.
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3:35 first quarter: Zane Gonzalez of Arizona State kicked a 22-yard field goal for the first points of the game as the North took a 3-0 lead. The field goal ended a 12-play, 58-yard drive that was derailed by a holding penalty against Western Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Moton on a snap from the South 1-yard line. Nate Peterman had a 14-yard pass to East Carolina wide receiver Zay Jones to get the North into the South's end of the field for the first time. Peterman also scrambled 7 yards for a first down, and Toledo running back Kadeem Hunt got the North to the South 1 with a nifty spin on a 12-yard run. But after the holding penalty and two runs, Peterman's throw to a wide-open Jones in the back of the end zone was too high, and he couldn't come down with it inbounds.
The South gets the ball at its 25-yard line. There won't be another kickoff until the start of the second half.
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10:33 first quarter: The North has the football again at its 38-yard line after Connecticut safety Obi Melifonwu recovered a fumble by North Carolina State running back Matt Dayes on a third-and-1 run. Michigan inside linebacker Ben Gedeon got credit for forcing the fumble. The South had moved into North territory on three straight plays by San Diego running back Donnel Pumphrey, who had runs of 5 and 11 yards and a 9-yard reception from Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs.
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13:04 first quarter: The South will start its first possession at its 28-yard line with Josh Dobbs at quarterback. The North's first possession was a three-and-out as Nate Peterman completed three short passes to Michigan running back De'Veon Smith - one lost 4 yards and the third-down throw was a flip as Villanova's Tanoh Kpassagnon rode the quarterback to the turf.
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First possession, North: Pittsburgh's Nate Peterman will start the game at quarterback.
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Kickoff: Captains for the South are three Alabama players - O.J. Howard, Cole Mazza and Dalvin Tomlinson - and Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware. The North captains are Pittsburgh quarterback Nate Peterman, Eastern Washington wide receiver Cooper Kupp and Temple inside linebacker Haason Reddick.
The North will receive the kickoff with the South's Jake Elliott kicking from the south end of the field. Kupp is deep to receive the kick.
The North is wearing orange jerseys with gray pants. The South has orange jerseys and orange pants.
Skies are overcast, with the temperature in the low 50s.
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The Reese's Senior Bowl kicks off at 1:30 p.m. CST Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. NFL Network will televise the 68th annual all-star game that caps a week of activities immersing some of the nation's top pro football prospects in the world of the NFL.
"It's really the most unique football experience in the country because you're really merging," said Phil Savage, the executive director of the Reese's Senior Bowl. "It's where the two worlds of football collide - college and pro. And we want to be seen as the ultimate bridge from college to the NFL."
Hue Jackson and the Cleveland Browns' staff are coaching the South. John Fox and the Chicago Bears' staff are guiding the North. In addition to being led by NFL coaches on the practice field and in the meeting rooms, the players have undergone media and financial coaching and taken part in community outreach at USA Children's and Women's Hospital, Mobile Infirmary and area schools during the week.
"I'm excited about the roster," Savage said. "I think this is a good group of players. We think again the opportunity here is so great, not only on the field to compete, but off the field to connect with 32 potential employers and then with the elements we've added off the field as it pertains to media, money and community, this gives the players a real head start for their futures."
While the game is a North-South format, the distribution of the players does have what Savage calls "geographical anamolies."
For instance, Baylor center Kyle Fuller, Florida International tight end Jonnu Smith, Lamar cornerback Brendan Langley and Louisiana Tech wide receiver Trent Taylor are playing for the North and Drake tight end Eric Saubert, Minnesota safety Damarius Travis, Tiffin quarterback Antonio Pipkin and Villanova defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon wound up on the South. Travis is from Pensacola, though.
"Oftentimes to make the rosters work, our geography wouldn't pass a high school class," Savage said. "But we try to get the best players and work the lines from there."
While it's the Senior Bowl, the game includes two juniors this year, including the first true junior to play in the game - Clemson wide receiver Artavis Scott. The other junior is Florida inside linebacker Alex Anzalone. Both players were eligible because they have received their undergraduate degrees.
"We're interested in attracting players that graduated and put themselves in position to be part of the game here," Savage said. "... I don't know that this will be the trend and we'll end up with 10 or 15 or 20 one day, but I do think it gives players that are going in as a mid-year enrollee as a high school senior, it gives those players that play three years or maybe get into their fourth season and they've graduated an opportunity to be here. So I think it's been a good move for us."
To help the college stars transition to the NFL, the Senior Bowl added pro officials to the practice sessions on Wednesday and Thursday.
"I think this is a really important element that we've added because the professional game is refereed and called differently than the college game," Savage said at the beginning of the week. "So we think the players can get some feedback during the practices from their coaches and these officials in the film reviews and we think that's going to be a real added bonus to the week for them."
One thing that won't be like the NFL is the Reese's Go For 2. In the second quarter of Saturday's game, any team scoring a touchdown will be required to try a 2-point conversion rather than kick an extra point.
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