SENIOR BOWL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Colt Brennan played four series yesterday for the South team at the Senior Bowl, completing two of sixpasses for 29 yards with an interception while being sacked two times. Brennan's next chance to impress NFL teams will be at the Scouting Combine on Feb. 20-26 in Indianapolis.
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Brennan struggles
Former SEC rivals work together to win Senior Bowl
STORY SUMMARY »
Former Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan had a rough outing in the Senior Bowl yesterday in Mobile, Ala.
Brennan started for the South team and completed two of six passes for 29 yards, threw an interception and was sacked twice in the showcase for college seniors. The South eventually rallied to win 17-16.
Former Waimea and Colorado standout Jordon Dizon started at linebacker for the North and finished with four tackles.
Brennan played in four series, sharing time with Kentucky's Andre' Woodson and Tennessee's Erik Ainge, who led the game-winning drive.
Brennan's first drive ended with an interception by Penn State linebacker Dan Connor. His biggest play was a 21-yard completion to Houston's Donnie Avery.
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Associated Press
MOBILE, Ala. » For once, Andre Caldwell and Erik Ainge had a dramatic finish that both could cheer.
Florida's Caldwell scored on a 2-yard endaround off a handoff from Tennessee's Ainge on the final play of the Senior Bowl to cap a 14-play, 86-yard final drive and lift the South to a 17-16 win over the North yesterday.
After careers spent battling for the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division in a bitter rivalry, they made for an odd pairing on the winning play.
"It's fun to end your college career like that," said Ainge, whose 13-for-21 passing and 159 yards all came in the second half. "I'll remember handing the ball to a Gator to win for the rest of my life."
Caldwell plunged into the end zone, getting hit by Terrence Wheatley at the goal line, and promptly celebrated the fourth-down score with a Gator chomp. Georgia's Brandon Coutu then made the extra point.
"I knew I was going to get hit," Caldwell said. "I just lowered my head. To get in the end zone was a great feeling."
Ainge, who was invited to the all-star game after Louisville's Brian Brohm bowed out, took over at his own 14 with 2:48 left after the North was stopped on fourth down. He completed six passes and benefited from a pass interference call and some nice runs for extra yardage by his receivers.
He completed an 18-yarder to Caldwell on fourth and 10 from the South's 14, then hooked up with Houston's Donnie Avery for a 22-yarder across the middle. The South got another first down on a pass interference call and Harry Douglas of Louisville caught the ball across the middle and managed to outrun everyone to the sideline to stop the clock after a 23-yard gain.
Tulane running back Matt Forte then gained 14 yards on a catch and run down to the 2. Ainge threw three incompletions in the end zone, leaving only 2 seconds on the clock for a final play.
"On that last play, you have a chance to call anything because it's the last play," said South coach Mike Nolan of the San Francisco 49ers. "Whereas the ones prior, he just had to keep it alive and not use up all the clock. A play like that you call it the first or second play and we never get another play off. It was a great call and it worked."
Ainge earned South offensive MVP honors. Forte ran for a game-high 59 yards and had 38 receiving to land the overall MVP award.
Michigan's Chad Henne, the North offensive MVP, accounted for both his team's touchdowns with a 36-yard pass to Lavelle Hawkins of California in the first half and a 4-yarder to Missouri tight end Martin Rucker with 14:32 left in the game. He and Ainge were the only quarterbacks to avoid costly mistakes.
The defensive players accounted for many of the big plays before the South's final drive. Southern California defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis outshined his college quarterback, John David Booty, by sacking Andre' Woodson of Kentucky to record a safety for the North.
Those two points were the margin until the fourth quarter, and Ellis was the North's defensive MVP. LSU linebacker Ali Highsmith received South defensive honors.
Hawaii's Colt Brennan was 2-for-6 for 29 yards with an interception. Delaware's Joe Flacco was 2-for-7 for 22 yards and a pick.
Senior Bowl
South 17, North 16
South |
0 |
7 |
0 |
10 |
-- |
17
|
North |
7 |
2 |
0 |
7 |
-- |
16 |
First Quarter
North--Hawkins 36 pass from Henne (Serna kick), 12:00.
Second Quarter
South--Cottam 6 pass from Woodson (Coutu kick), 8:21.
North--Safety, Woodson tackled in end zone, 3:09.
Fourth Quarter
North--Rucker 4 pass from Henne (Serna kick), 14:32.
South--FG Coutu 20, 9:27.
South--Caldwell 2 run (Coutu kick), :00.
A--40,646.
RUSHING--South, Forte 8-59, Hillis 9-44, Choice 7-29, Little 3-14, Caldwell 2-14, Hester 1-5, Ainge 1-0, Brennan 3-(minus 6), Woodson 3-(minus 16). North, Washington 5-38, Bernard 8-35, Forsett 9-27, Savage 7-22, Booty 2-2, Hawkins 1-1, Henne 1-0.
PASSING--South, Ainge 13-21-0-159, Woodson 3-6-0-27, Brennan 2-6-1-29. North, Booty 6-12-1-72, Henne 5-9-0-64, Flacco 2-7-1-22.
RECEIVING--South, Forte 4-38, Avery 3-54, Douglas 3-35, Hall 2-20, Tamme 2-12, Choice 1-23, Caldwell 1-18, Hester 1-9, Cottam 1-6. North, Hawkins 3-63, Rucker 3-36, Bowman 2-22, Nelson 1-12, Smith 1-9, Crosslin 1-8, Washington 1-5, Bryant 1-3.