College football roundup
EAST-WEST SHRINE CLASSIC
West 10, East 3
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.
Eli McGuire made the most of his opportunity at the East-West Shrine game. Hoping to improve his standing among NFL scouts evaluating potential help for their teams, the Louisiana-Lafayette star scored the only touchdown Saturday in the West’s victory before a crowd of 22,198 at Tropicana Field. The 5-foot-9, 205-pound running back broke an 18-yard run off right tackle, putting the West ahead for good early in the fourth quarter. San Diego State’s Calvin Munson recovered a fumble inside the West 5 yard-line, and another East threat was stopped on downs in the final minute of the game’s lowest scoring matchup since the East won 14-6 in 1992. “I thought this week was going to be fun,” said McGuire, who finished with 42 yards rushing on seven carries. “It was fun, but at the same time it was a grind. You only get a week together. You’re learning a whole new playbook, so you’ve got to really focus in at practice.” Idaho’s Austin Rehkow kicked a 27-yard field goal in the opening quarter for the West, and North Carolina’s Nick Weiler countered with a 21-yarder in the second quarter for the East. McGuire, who rushed for 1,127 yards and seven TDs for Louisiana-Lafayette this season, scooted through a hole of the right side of the East defense to score the game’s only touchdown. Munson recovered a fumble by Michigan’s De’Veon Smith on third-and-2 from the West 5 to thwart an East scoring opportunity set up by a muffed punt. “It was a run to the right, and it was all crowded. I had nowhere to go, so the O-line made a crease on the backside for me,” McGuire said. “I saw the crease and made one defender miss going into the end zone.” Illinois’ Wes Lunt completed 11 of 14 passes for 101 yards and no interceptions, while sharing quarterback duties for the West with Cincinnati’s Gunner Kiel and Western Michigan’s Zach Terrell, who led his school to its first New Year’s bowl appearance as a senior and is hoping to show he can make the transition from excelling in a shotgun spread offense in college to a pro-style attack in the NFL. Terrell didn’t get many chances to throw Saturday, going 4 of 9 for 33 yards. “This was an amazing opportunity and I learned a lot from it,” Terrell said. “I’m going to take everything I learned and implement it when my pro day comes around.” Central Michigan’s Cooper Rush, Penn’s Alek Torgensen and Southern Mississippi’s Nick Mullens saw action at quarterback for the East, though none of them threw for more than 94 yards.
NFLPA COLLEGIATE BOWL
Nationals 27, Americans 7
CARSON, CALIF.
San Jose State linebacker Isaiah Irving returned a fumble for a touchdown and the Nationals college all-star team beat the Americans 27-7 on Saturday in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. St. Francis’ Lorenzo Jerome had two interceptions for the Americans and was named MVP of the game, which is a showcase for players who might be taken in the latter rounds of the NFL draft. The NFLPA said nearly 200 scouts attended. The game was played at a nearly empty StubHub Center, the 27,000-seat soccer stadium that is scheduled to be the future temporary home of the San Diego Chargers. The Nationals team, led by former Rams coach Mike Martz, took command on the first play of the second half when Irving scooped up a fumble and returned it 15 yards for a TD. Miles Bergner’s 45-yard field goal made it 20-0 before another American turnover proved costly. Quarterback Ryan Higgins (Louisiana Tech) was picked off by Jamal Agnew (San Diego) to set up a 40-yard drive. Running back Taquan Mizzell (Virginia) scored from 6 yards out. Mizzel finished with 96 yards and a TD on 10 carries. The Americans avoided a shutout with 3:06 to play when running back Teriyon Gipson (New Mexico) took a swing pass from Higgins and ran 13 yards up the sideline for the score. Former Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn led the American team. The Nationals led 10-0 at the half despite Jerome’s interceptions. The Nationals took the opening kickoff and drove 89 yards to open the scoring. Quarterback Philip Nelson (East Carolina) completed 4 of 6 passes on the drive before scoring on a 1-yard run. The Nationals went up 10-0 in the second quarter when Bergner connected on a 27-yard field goal.
Associated Press