Gilyard tough, Tebow so-so at Senior Bowl

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Mardy Gilyard once worked four jobs to stay in school after losing his scholarship.

The former Cincinnati star turned in an awfully strong audition for a much more lucrative career in Saturday’s Senior Bowl, racking up 103 yards receiving and catching a 32-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to help the North race to a 31-13 victory over the South.

“All my hard work just kind of came into one game,” an exuberant Gilyard said. “I’m truly blessed. I worked my butt off and I played my butt off. I’ve been through so much in my career. “This game sums up everything.”

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, meanwhile, had a shaky outing running a pro-style offense against a sturdy defense.

He fumbled twice and finished 8 of 12 passing for 50 yards in the showcase for senior NFL prospects. Tebow’s longest completion was 11 yards and he netted 4 yards on four rushes, but was never turned loose as a power runner as he often was with the Gators. He battled strep throat early but didn’t miss any practice time during a week when he was trying to prove to skeptical NFL teams and draft analysts that he could be a starting pro quarterback.

“I think I’m definitely open to improving my fundamentals,” Tebow said. “I think I definitely showed that by being here. If you just watched the way I played, you could see there is room for improvement and what I need to work on.”

One of the nation’s top all-purpose threats, Gilyard also set up a third-quarter touchdown with a 43-yard catch down the right sideline and had five receptions. Both that pass and the TD came from Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour.

Michigan defensive lineman Brandon Graham had two sacks and a forced fumble and was chosen the game’s Most Valuable Player. The South committed six turnovers.

“It shows that I’m going to go hard 100 percent of the time all day and whoever gets me is going to love me,” Graham said.

Gilyard returned two kicks for 52 yards and gained 24 on two punt returns. He was chosen offensive player of the game while Mississippi State’s Jamar Chaney earned defensive honors.