QBs struggle in Senior Bowl

By: JournalNow Staff | The Associated Press
Published: January 29, 2012

MOBILE, Ala. --

Isaiah Pead took a stutter step forward, then raced to the left sideline and went 60 yards upfield on a punt return before being tripped up.

He followed with a 38-yard return a couple minutes later, late in the first half, and played a starring role Saturday in the North's 23-13 victory against the South in the Senior Bowl.

The first return set up a field goal and helped Pead, from Cincinnati, outshine bigger names to win the most-valuable-player award.

"(Coach) told me what the punt return call was … and told me to make sure I set my blocks up or the play would be dead," said Pead, who set a Senior Bowl record with 98 yards on punt returns. "I tried to do that the best that I could. The rest was just ability."

Kirk Cousins (Michigan State) and Russell Wilson (Wisconsin) threw touchdown passes for the North. Carson Wiggs (Purdue) put the victory away with his third short field goal, a 28-yarder with 4:11 left in the showcase game for senior NFL prospects.

Nick Foles (Arizona) put the South in the end zone with a 20-yard touchdown pass to former teammate Juron Criner with 12:55 left in the game.

It was an up-and-down day for a crew of quarterbacks with sparkling college credentials that combined to throw five interceptions.

It was mostly up for Pead, who only had 74 yards on eight punt returns as a senior but did rush for 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns. Pead gained a team-high 31 yards on eight carries in the Senior Bowl.

Cousins completed 5 of 11 passes for 115 yards but threw an interception. Kellen Moore (Boise State) was 6 of 12 for 50 yards, with a 23-yard completion that set up the final field goal that put the North up two scores.

Wilson completed 4 of 7 passes for 45 yards with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones in the second quarter. He also threw an interception.

"I think I did a really good job, besides the interception," Wilson said. "You never want to throw an interception, obviously. I think I waited a little bit too long on that one. Other than that, I came back. I had amnesia and just forgot about it and got the ball in the end zone there."

Foles had the best stats line of the six quarterbacks — 11 of 15 passing for 136 yards and a touchdown, without an interception.