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Game Recaps : 2000s


2000


NORTH 24, SOUTH 21

MVP: Chad Pennington, Marshall
NORTH COACH: George Seifert, Panthers
SOUTH COACH: Gunther Cunningham, Chiefs
TOP PLAYERS: Brian Urlacher, Chad Pennington, Shaun Alexander, John Abraham, Mike Brown, Keith Bulluck, Julian Peterson

Quarterbacks ruled the day as the North's Chad Pennington of Marshall and Chris Redman of Louisville led their team to a 24-21 victory over the South in the 51st Senior Bowl, a contest that achieved the game's earliest sellout in history on December 20, 1999.

Pennington won MVP honors, completing 11-of-14 passes for 92 yards and one touchdown, while Redman went 12-for-20 for 134 yards and led the North on its game-winning fourth quarter drive.

Michigan State's Paul Edinger booted a 28-yard field goal with 5:15 remaining to give them the three-point victory. The contest also featured the game's most talented roster ever, as a record 102 players from the North and South squads - including 14 in the first round - were selected in the NFL Draft three months later.

2001


SOUTH 21, NORTH 16

MVP: LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU
NORTH COACH: Bill Cowher, Steelers
SOUTH COACH: Mike Sherman, Packers
TOP PLAYERS: LaDainian Tomlinson, Adam Archuleta, Marcus Stroud, Kendrell Bell, Kris Jenkins, Rod Gardner

It was the LaDainian Tomlinson Show as the TCU running back earned MVP honors with 88 yards rushing, 28 more receiving and a touchdown to lead the South to a 21-16 victory over the North in front of the game's seventh consecutive sellout crowd. A spectacular one-yard touchdown run by Tomlinson and a five-yard scamper by Florida quarterback Jesse Palmer staked the South to a 14-0 first quarter lead, which it never relinquished.

The North was led by Maryland running back LaMont Jordan, who ran for 62 yards and a touchdown, and Kansas State's Jerrod Cooper blocked a South punt and ran it in for another score. However, the North couldn't muster much other offense and the South had its first victory of the new millenium.

2002


SOUTH 41, NORTH 26

MVP: Antwaan Randle El, Indiana
NORTH COACH: Mike Holmgren, Seahawks
SOUTH COACH: Dave McGinnis, Cardinals
TOP PLAYERS: David Carr, Ryan Sims, Patrick Ramsey, Antwaan Randle El, LeCharles Bentley, Javon Walker

The South scored its second straight win in the series, 41-26, led by the play of marquee quarterbacks David Carr of Fresno State, Patrick Ramsey of Tulane and LSU's Rohan Davey.

In front of another sellout crowd in Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Indiana's electrifying Antwaan Randle El became the first player from a losing team since 1969 to win the game's MVP Award. Randle El, a converted quarterback, had a spectacular performance in a receiving/kick return role as he caught two TD's, returned a punt 40 yards and made a leaping 31-yard catch to set up a North field goal.

Carr used an outstanding performance throughout Senior Bowl Week to become the first player selected in the 2002 NFL Draft, while Davey threw two touchdown passes and Ramsey led three second-half South scoring drives for the South's fourth win in five years.

2003


NORTH 17, SOUTH 0

MVP: Larry Johnson, Penn State
NORTH COACH: Dom Capers, Texans
SOUTH COACH: Marty Mornhinweg, Lions
TOP PLAYERS: Carson Palmer, Kyle Boller, Marcus Trufant, Andre Woolfolk, Michael Haynes, Larry Johnson

Not even Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer of USC could lead the South to victory in the 2003 Senior Bowl. The North's dominating defense pitched just the second shutout in the game's 54-year history to win 17-0 in front of the game's ninth straight sellout crowd in Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

A pair of Penn State stars led the way for the North, as Defensive MVP Michael Haynes recorded a sack, forced two fumbles and broke up a pass, and college football's premier running back in 2002 - Larry Johnson - earned the game's overall MVP Award.

Trailing 10-0 in the fourth quarter, the South threatened to the close gap after reaching the North's eight-yard line, but Notre Dame's Shane Walton stepped in front of a Chris Simms pass and raced a Senior Bowl record 99 yards for a touchdown to seal the North victory.

The contest also featured one of the game's most talented rosters ever. In addition to Palmer, who became the second Senior Bowl player in as many years to be the first overall selection in the NFL Draft, a record-tying 14 members of the North and South squads were selected in the first round of the draft three months later.

2004


SOUTH 28, NORTH 10

MVP: Philip Rivers, N.C. State
NORTH COACH: Marvin Lewis, Bengals
SOUTH COACH: Marty Schottenheimer, Chargers
TOP PLAYERS:

North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns to win the game's MVP Award and help lead the South to a 28-10 victory in front of another sellout crowd of 40,646 in Mobile's Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

The South jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead on the strength of two Rivers' touchdown passes. The first was a nine-yarder to Arkansas' Cedric Cobbs, and the second a 21-yard strike to Virginia Tech's Ernest Wilford. Florida State running back Greg Jones then scored on a brilliant 16-yard run to give the South a commanding 21-point lead with 1:16 remaining in the opening quarter.

The North countered with 10 unanswered points, with Michigan's John Navarre connecting on a 35-yard touchdown pass to USC's Keary Colbert at the 12:25 mark of the second quarter and Iowa's Nate Kaeding hitting a 25-yard field goal with 2:04 left in the third.

Jones then closed out the scoring with his second touchdown of the day, a four-yard run with 4:01 remaining in the game to seal the win for the South.

2005


NORTH 23, SOUTH 13

MVP: Charlie Frye, Akron
NORTH COACH: Norv Turner, Raiders
SOUTH COACH: Jon Gruden, Buccaneers
TOP PLAYERS: Charlie Frye, Darren Sproles, Jason Campbell

Akron quarterback Charlie Frye made the most of his opportunity, putting on a near flawless performance (10-12 passing, 138 yards, TD) to lead the North to a 23-13 in front of a sellout crowd of 40,646 at Ladd-Peebles.

In addition to Frye, the contest also showcased the game's smallest player, Kansas State's Darren Sproles. The 5-foot-5 Sproles outplayed bigger tailbacks, darting through the middle for 24 yards and the game's first touchdown with 10:07 left in the third quarter, immediately ripping off his helmet to celebrate the score.

2006


NORTH 31, SOUTH 14

MVP: Sinorice Moss, Miami
NORTH COACH: Jeff Fisher, Titans
SOUTH COACH: Mike Nolan, 49ers
TOP PLAYERS: Sinorice Moss, Jay Cutler, Charlie Whitehurst, DeAngelo Williams

The North rode the arm of Clemson's Charlie Whitehurst, the legs of Penn State's Michael Robinson and some outstanding defensive plays to score a 31-14 win over the South in the 57th annual Senior Bowl.

However, the South's Sinorice Moss, a wide receiver from the University of Miami, won the game's MVP Award with an impressive effort. He had three receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown, plus a 27-yard gain on a reverse.

Whitehurst and Robinson both managed to shine for the North, with Whitehurst being named the North's Offensive MVP for a performance that included directing a seamless drive in which he was perfect on five attempts for 66 yards, concluding with a 15-yard scoring pass to Colorado tight end Joe Klopfenstein. He finished the game 7-of-9 for 90 yards.

Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler accounted for one North touchdown on a seven-yard pass to Arizona State's Derek Hagan in the fourth quarter, and Virginia Tech running back Cedric Humes scored the contest's other touchdown on a one-yard run in the third. Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams was named the South's Offensive MVP, running three times for 31 yards and grabbing a 28-yard screen pass.

2007


NORTH 27, SOUTH 0

MVP: Tony Hunt, Penn State
NORTH COACH: Jon Gruden, Buccaneers
SOUTH COACH: Mike Nolan, 49ers
TOP PLAYERS: Patrick Willis, Ben Grubbs, Troy Smith, Tony Hunt

The North used a dominating defense, some big plays on offense and an MVP performance from Penn State's Tony Hunt to shut out the South 27-0 in the 58th annual Senior Bowl. Hunt was named the game's MVP, rushing eight times for 39 yards and the one touchdown. The North offensive MVP went to Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton, who was 8-12 passing for 63 yards and a touchdown. The defensive MVP was awarded to Michigan cornerback Leon Hall, who had four tackles and one pass break-up.

2008


SOUTH 17, NORTH 16

MVP: Matt Forte, Tulane
NORTH COACH: Lane Kiffin, Raiders
SOUTH COACH: Mike Nolan, 49ers
TOP PLAYERS: Matt Forte, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Joe Flacco, Sedrick Ellis, Leodis McKelvin

The 2008 Senior Bowl was perhaps the best of the bunch. The South escaped with a 17-16 victory thanks to Florida's Andre Caldwell, who scored on a reverse on the game's final play. Georgia kicker Brandon Coutu kicked the point after with no time remaining on the clock to give the South the one-point victory.

Tulane RB Matt Forte was named the game's MVP after rushing for 59 yards and grabbing four receptions for 38 yards, including a key 13-yard reception on the game's winning drive.

2009


SOUTH 35, NORTH 18

MVP: Pat White, West Virginia
NORTH COACH: Marvin Lewis, Bengals
SOUTH COACH: Jack Del Rio, Jaguars
TOP PLAYERS: Pat White, Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews, B.J. Raji, Larry English, Robert Ayers, Louis Delmas, Brandon Pettigrew

Daphne, Ala. native Pat White returned to the Gulf Coast after a tremendous career at West Virginia to help lead the South to a 35-18 victory. White, the game's MVP, accounted for 126 yards of total offense including a 39-yard touchdown toss to Ole Miss' Mike Wallace that put the game out of reach in the third quarter.

The South set the tone early on Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson's four-yard touchdown run on the second drive of the game. Wilson was named the Offensive Player of the Game.

The South increased its lead to 21-3 late in the second quarter thanks to a pair of one-yard touchdown plunges by LSU's Quinn Johnson and NC State's Andre Brown. Brown was named the South's Most Outstanding Player for his performance. The North cut it to 21-10 just before the half on Oregon running back Jeremiah Johnson's four-yard touchdown catch from Nathan Brown, but White's strike to Wallace put the South ahead 28-10 midway through the third quarter. Ole Miss defensive lineman Peria Jerry fell on a Rhett Bomar fumble in the end zone for the South's final score in the fourth quarter.

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