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Game Recaps : 2010s


2016


SOUTH 27, NORTH 16

MVP: Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
NORTH COACH: Jason Garrett, Cowboys
SOUTH COACH: Gus Bradley, Jaguars
TOP PLAYERS: Carson Wentz, Noah Spence, Sheldon Rankins, Jarran Reed, Reggie Ragland, Jason Spriggs, Vernon Butler, Sterling Shepard, Braxton Miller, Josh Garnett, Austin Johnson, Carl Nassib.

In a game dominated by deep and talented defensive fronts, it was a quarterback who walked away with the Reese's Cup as the game's Most Outstanding Player.

Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott marched the South down the field late in the second quarter -- his only quarter of play -- and found Paul McRoberts of Southeast Missouri State for a five-yard score that proved to be the winning points in a 27-16 victory over the South in front of 35,271 at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.

"It was fun," Prescott said. "These guys -- they are fun to play with. I created some great relationships all throughout the week. Just being able to get in there and for them to rally around me in that two-minute offense and to be able to go score, it was fun."

Prescott finished his one quarter of play 7-of-10 passing for 61 yards and a touchdown and ran for another 14 yards on three carries.

The South defense sacked North quarterbacks three times in the first half to help the South build a 17-3 lead. Baylor's Shawn Oakman, who came up with two of those sacks, was named the South's Most Outstanding Player of the Game. Harlan Miller led the South with seven tackles.

Eastern Kentucky's Noah Spence was active as well, picking up a sack as the South's dominant front four helped hold the four North quarterbacks to a combined 220 passing yards.

North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz, one of the top prospects in the game, played only the first quarter and completed 6 of 10 passes for 50 yards.

North defensive tackles Vernon Butler of Louisiana Tech and Notre Dame's Sheldon Day each and tallied a sack for the North.

2015


NORTH 34, SOUTH 13

MVP: Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska
NORTH COACH: Ken Whisenhunt, Titans
SOUTH COACH: Gus Bradley, Jaguars
TOP PLAYERS: Danny Shelton, Ameer Abdullah, Carl Davis, Tre Jackson, Phillip Dorsett, Nate Orchard, Denzel Perryman, T.J. Clemmings, La'el Collins and Sammie Coates

A pair of Big Ten running backs, Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah and Minnesota's David Cobb, combined for 142 yards and a touchdown to lead the North past the South, 34-13, in the 66th Reese's Senior Bowl in front of 36,471 fans at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the North.

Abdullah, who rushed for 73 yards and also had a team-high four catches for 40 yards, was named the game's Most Outstanding Player and was awarded the 'Reese's Cup' after the game.

"Being down here was much more than putting on a good performance for me," said Abdullah, who grew up in Homewood, Ala., near Birmingham. "Leaving this state was something that was hard for me to do, but that's how it happened. You could write a movie about it, really, just coming back and playing on Alabama soil for my last time as a collegiate athlete. I couldn't paint a bigger picture. It was emotional for me. I grew up watching this game. This was a monumental day for me."

Cobb added 69 yards and a touchdown as the North turned a 10-10 game into a rout, outscoring the South 24-3 in the second half.

The South controlled the game on the ground behind a strong offensive line, led by Florida State's Tre' Jackson, who was named the Most Outstanding Player for the South. Utah's Nate Orchard was the North's Most Outstanding Player, racking up five tackles and one tackle for loss.

Northern Iowa's David Johnson started the scoring with a 19-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to put the South on the board first. The South would only add a pair of Justin Manton field goals the rest of the way. The North ran for three scores in the second half, one by Cobb and two by Yale's Tyler Varga.

2015 Game Stats

2014


SOUTH 20, NORTH 10

MVP: Dee Ford, Auburn
NORTH COACH: Mike Smith, Falcons
SOUTH COACH: Gus Bradley, Jaguars
TOP PLAYERS: Zack Martin, Derek Carr, Aaron Donald, Morgan Moses, Chris Borland, Dee Ford, Rashede Hageman, Jimmie Ward

Auburn's Dee Ford had two sacks and a pass deflection to lead a suffocating defense as the South captured its second straight win in the Reese's Senior Bowl, 20-10. The defensive end, who had a breakout week in practices, was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

"Our team just came together," Ford said. "We were a team, and it was just a great week playing with these guys."

Wisconsin's James White, who rushed for a game-high 62 yards and the North's only touchdown, was named the North's Most Outstanding Player. Alabama wide receiver Kevin Norwood, who had four catches for 53 yards and a touchdown, was the South's Most Outstanding Player.

"Hopefully I proved to the scouts that I belong," Norwood said after the game. "From day one (the Reese's Senior Bowl experience) was wonderful. I had a lot of fans here especially being at home."

The South opened the scoring late in the first quarter when Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr found Colorado State tight end Crockett Gilmore wide open in the flat for a 17-yard touchdown. Auburn's Cody Parkey added two field goals, including a 50-yarder, to give the South a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter.

San Jose State quarterback David Fales then scrambled and found Norwood all alone near the sideline for a 24-yard score to make it 20-0.

The North added a Chris Boswell 38-yard field goal before the half to cut the South lead to 20-3 at the break. The North added a late touchdown in the fourth quarter when White scored on a one-yard run with 6:04 left in the game.

Neither team could do much offensively in the game, combining for only 460 yards of offense and five interceptions.

2014 Game Stats

2013


SOUTH 21, NORTH 16

MVP: E.J. Manuel, Florida State
NORTH COACH: Dennis Allen, Raiders
SOUTH COACH: Jim Schwartz, Lions
TOP PLAYERS: Ziggy Ansah, Kawann Short, Eric Fisher, Lane Johnson, Desmond Trufant, Markus Wheaton, Datone Jones, Jamar Taylor

Florida State's E.J. Manuel came into the game having led the Seminoles to four bowl game victories in his career, only the second player to have done that (Pat White - WVU). So, it was not a huge surprise that the 'Noles QB led the South to a 21-16 win on a beautiful sunny afternoon at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

Manuel guided the South squad on two first quarter touchdown drives, capping the first with a 5-yard touchdown run and then hitting Alabama tight end Michael Williams on a 20-yard strike to give the South a 14-0 edge.

BYU's Ziggy Ansah, a native of Ghana who had never played football until 2010, led the South defense with seven tackles (3.5 for loss), 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

2013 Game Stats

2012


NORTH 23, SOUTH 13

MVP: Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati
NORTH COACH: Leslie Frazier, Vikings
SOUTH COACH: Mike Shanahan, Redskins
TOP PLAYERS: Russell Wilson, Alfred Morris, Doug Martin, Quinton Coples, Bobby Wagner, Janoris Jenkins, Melvin Ingram, Courtney Upshaw

Playing in front of a sold out Ladd-Peebles Stadium (40,646) crowd under perfect weather conditions, the North broke a 3-3 tie in the second quarter and never looked back-posting a 23-13 victory.

Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead was named the game's Most Valuable Player after totaling 133 all-purpose yards, including a Senior Bowl record 98 punt return yards, for the North in the victory.

Despite the North's victory, the South did enjoy some highlights Saturday as Joe Adams earned Most Outstanding Player of the South squad with 133 receiving yards on eight catches.

It was Adams' fumble, however, that led to the game's first points, a 27-yard field goal by Purdue's Carson Wiggs. The South would answer back to tie the game at 3 on Randy Bullock's 39-yard field goal with 3:47 to go in the first quarter.

The second quarter belonged to the North as they outscored their opponent 10-3, thanks to an 8-yard scoring strike from Wisconsin's Russell Wilson to Cal's Marvin Jones and another Wiggs field goal-this time from 32 yards out. Bullock added his second field goal of the day in the second quarter too, but the South went into the locker room down 13-6.

Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins continued the North's offensive success in the second half, hitting Arizona State wide receiver Gerell Robinson over the middle for a 41-yard touchdown to give the North a 20-6 lead. The South appeared to have life in the early going of the fourth quarter on Arizona quarterback Nick Foles' 20-yard touchdown toss to his former teammate in Tucson, Juron Criner, but Wiggs' third field goal of the day-a 28-yarder-was all the North needed to hang on for the win.

2012 Game Stats

2011


SOUTH 24, NORTH 10

MVP: Christian Ponder, Florida State
NORTH COACH: Marvin Lewis, Bengals
SOUTH COACH: Chan Gailey, Bills
TOP PLAYERS: Christian Ponder, Von Miller, Sam Acho, Leonard Hankerson, Mason Foster, Ryan Kerrigan, Kendric Burney, Brooks Reed

Former Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder earned Most Valuable Player honors after throwing for 132 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-10 South victory in front of a sold out (40,646) crowd in Mobile's Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

Ponder's first touchdown toss went to former Miami wide receiver Leonard Hankerson on an 18-yard strike in the opening quarter to push the South's lead to 10-0 following a Josh Jasper field goal on the game's opening drive. Hankerson, the Offensive Player of the Game, finished the day with five catches for 100 yards and that one touchdown.

The South would tack on another score with just over four minutes to go in the half when former West Virginia running back Noel Devine went untouched around the left side on a one-yard touchdown run, putting the South up 17-0.

The North finally did get on the board in the third quarter when former UCLA kicker Kai Forbath drilled a 24-yard field goal to spoil the shutout and make it a 17-3 game. Running back Da'Rel Scott then made it a one possession game when he went in from 1-yard out and pulled the North to within a touchdown, 17-10, with just 19 seconds to go in the third quarter.

That was as close as the North would get however as Ponder closed out the scoring with a beautiful 23-yard strike to former TCU wide receiver Jeremy Kerley, giving the South a 24-10 advantage.

2010


NORTH 31, SOUTH 13

MVP: Brandon Graham, Michigan
NORTH COACH: Jim Schwartz, Lions
SOUTH COACH: Tony Sparano, Dolphins
TOP PLAYERS: Brandon Graham, Dan Williams, Kyle Wilson, Tim Tebow, Mardy Gilyard, Jeremy Williams

Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham tallied two sacks and a forced fumble to pick up Most Valuable Player honors as the North celebrated a 31-13 win in front of a sold out crowd (40,646) in Mobile's Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

The North never trailed in the game, taking a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on Brett Swenson's 43 yard field goal. Leigh Tiffin would answer with a 43 yard field goal of his own--tying the game at three late in the first quarter. Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount's 14-yard touchdown run in the second quarter would give the North a 10-3 lead and Austen Lane's six yard fumble return for a touchdown put the visitors out in front 17-3 with just under ten minutes to play in the half.

Despite several turnovers, Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano's South squad seemed to be riding some momentum into the half - scoring 10 unanswered points to close out the first half. Leigh Tiffin drilled a 33 yard field goal and Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson fired a 19 yard touchdown pass to Alabama tight end Colin Peek, cutting the North's lead to just four, 17-13, at the half.

But the North squad, under the direction of Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz and his staff, shut out the South in the second half - scoring 14 unanswered points in the final two quarters. Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour, who earned Most Outstanding Player honors for the North, ran for a one-yard touchdown and threw a 32 yard scoring strike to Cincinnati's Mardy Gilyard (Offensive Player of the Game) to close out the scoring.

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