Rypien, Stick lead East to win

Pittsburgh’s Darrin Hall (Fitch) leads West with 77 yards rushing

Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.

Brett Rypien displayed some of his pedigree in the East-West Shrine Game.

Rypien and Easton Stick each threw a touchdown pass to help the West beat the East 21-17 on Saturday.

Rypien, a Boise State product and nephew of Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien, was 10 of 14 for 134 yards.

Scouts from a number of NFL teams talked with Rypien during a week of workouts preceding the game.

“Overall it was a great week,” Rypien said. “I thought I came down here and did what I needed to do as far as what I wanted to show the scouts.”

Stick, from North Dakota State, completed 5 of 8 passes for 51 yards.

Purdue’s David Blough had two touchdowns and 149 yards on 10-of-15 passing.

Rypien connected on a 22-yard scoring strike with LSU’s Nick Brossette during the first drive of the game.

Nebraska’s Devine Ozigbo had a two-yard TD run midway through the second as the West took a 14-0 lead. The score was set up by a fumble return by Michigan’s Tyree Kinnel.

On the first play following an interception by BJ Blunt of McNeese State, Stick threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Arizona State’s Shawn Poindexter that made 21-0 five minutes into the third.

The East got to 21-14 during the final three minutes of the third when Blough threw 6- and 18-yard TD passes to Terry Godwin II of Georgia. Godwin had four receptions for 80 yards.

Matthew Gay of Utah had a 47-yard field goal that cut the East deficit to 21-17 with 4 minutes left.

West’s Darrin Hall Jr. of Pitt (Austintown Fitch) was the leading rusher with 77 yards on 12 carries.

One of the most exciting plays came on the final play in the first half when James Madison’s Jimmy Moreland caught a 61-yard field-goal try by John Baron II of San Diego State in the back of the end zone and was tipped during his return near midfield.

American 10, National 7

PASADENA, Calif.

Colorado’s Juwann Winfree made a spectacular 22-yard touchdown catch and Wisconsin’s Rafael Gaglianone made a 43-yard field goal to lead the American team to a victory over the National squad at the Rose Bowl in the NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl.

Gaglianone made the winning field goal with 4 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Slippery Rock’s Wes Hills was selected the game MVP after running 79 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries for the National team. Youngstown State center Vitas Hrynkiewicz played for the American team.

It was the first victory for the American team, this year coached by Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, in the bowl game’s eight-year history.

The all-star game is designed to showcase players not expected to go high in the NFL draft.

The American team made tied it at 7 midway into the third quarter after North Texas’ Nate Brooks intercepted a pass to set up the Americans at the National 19. After a 2-yard loss, Rhode Island’s JaJuan Lawson lifted a pass into the right corner of the end zone and Winfree made a diving, reaching grab.