| MOBILE, Ala. — Look out, Deuce McAllister. After the way
Texas Christian's LaDainian Tomlinson strutted his stuff in the 52nd annual Senior
Bowl on a brisk, windy afternoon at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, you no longer may be considered
the top-rated running back in the nation. Combining superb cutback ability with great
vision and patience, Tomlinson no doubt upgraded his already lofty status in the eyes of
pro talent evaluators with a 118-yard performance rushing and receiving and the game's
first touchdown to spearhead the South's 21-16 victory over the North.
There was some doubt Tomlinson would be able to play in the Senior Bowl after pulling a
hamstring in a midweek practice. But when he woke up Saturday morning, he felt ready and
raring to go.
"It (the hamstring) definitely felt a lot better," said Tomlinson, who took
advantage of the fact McAlister had opted to bypass the Senior Bowl and two other highly
rated backs, Anthony Thomas of Michigan and Travis Henry of Tennessee, were
unable to play because of injuries. "I felt real good. I was just able to get through
the game without any problem and have a lot of fun in a game with a lot of
all-stars."
The North held its own behind strong performances from Maryland RB LaMont Jordan
(91 yards rushing and receiving and a seven-yard TD), Iowa State QB Sage Rosenfels
(8-of-12 completions for 85 yards) and Oregon State WR Chad Johnson (seven catches
for 93 yards).
But two early turnovers proved to be especially costly.
The first one came with 13:08 remaining in the first quarter when Kansas State's David
Allen fumbled a punt that was recovered by Georgia's Kendrell Bell on the
North's 36-yard line. On the ensuing drive, a pair of 11-yard jaunts by Tomlinson and
Florida QB Jesse Palmer's 16-yard completion to Tennessee WR Cedrick Wilson
set up Tomlinson's one-yard score for a 7-0 South lead.
On the North's next possession, Florida State OLB Tommy Polley (five solo
tackles, two assists) forced a fumble by Pittsburgh RB Kevan Barlow that was
recovered by Alabama S Tony Dixon on the South's 44-yard line.
The South proceeded to crank out a nine-play, 56-yard scoring drive culminated by
Palmer's five-yard TD run that consumed just over five minutes. On the drive, Tomlinson
kept the North defense on its heels, showing great balance and agility with his gliding
runs against the grain.
"Really, it was those two turnovers that made the difference," Rosenfels
said. "Every time we had the ball, we moved the ball very well. We just shot
ourselves in the foot too many times, and they were able to capitalize on our
mistakes."
Shaky placekicking by Kansas State's Jamie Rheem didn't help matters. After
somehow managing to kick a 39-yard field goal with a low trajectory underneath an
onrushing defender for the North's first score, Rheem botched a 40-yard field goal with
7:12 remaining in the second quarter. Rheem also missed the extra point following Jordan's
seven-yard TD burst with 2:27 left in the third quarter.
But that was nothing, compared to what Rheem was forced to deal with off the field a
few nights before the game. After picking up his girlfriend at the Mobile airport, the car
he was driving was sideswiped by another car going 50 mph. Rheem wasn't hurt, but his
girlfriend injured her elbow in the accident.
The North made things interesting with a pair of blocked punts late in the fourth
quarter, the first of which was returned for a 30-yard TD by Kansas State's Jerrod
Cooper to get within five points with 3:31 remaining.
Cooper partially blocked another punt by Tennessee's David Leaverton with 2:40
remaining, and after Rutgers QB Mike McMahon connected with Johnson on a 29-yard
strike to the South 48, the prospect of a come-from-behind victory loomed large.
But after Barlow was stopped for no gain on fourth down at the South 41 by Tennessee LB
Eric Westmoreland with 1:02 remaining, the South ran out the clock to seal the
verdict.
"I was just trying to come out and get something going right there at the end of
the play," said Westmoreland, who made a strong impression on a number of pro scouts
during the week. "I didn't really know whether it was a pass or a draw set, so I just
tried to hang in there and not let him get outside."
Another player who made a strong impression was Johnson, who caught everything in sight
all week despite frequently wet field conditions.
"He's a very talented kid," North head coach Bill Cowher said of
Johnson. "He's got great hands, and he's very infectious. He really likes to play the
game, and he was a lot of fun to work with. He is going to be a good football
player."
Cowher had nothing but good things to say about the senior crop that displayed its
wares all week.
"I don't think there's any kid out there today who won't get a shot at making it
in the NFL at some point," Cowher said. "We'll be seeing a lot of successful NFL
players from this game."
52nd Senior Bowl award winners
Most Valuable Player: Texas Christian RB LaDainian Tomlinson
Outstanding Offensive Player (South): Tennessee WR Cedric Wilson
Outstanding Defensive Player (South): Mississippi State CB Fred Smoot
Outstanding Offensive Player (North): Maryland RB Lamont Jordan
Outstanding Defensive Player (North): Oklahoma LB Torrance Marshall
Longest play (40-yard run): Nebraska WR Bobby Newcombe
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