East West Shrine Game Recap

FROM JOHN MURPHY:

GAME DAY REVIEW & MVP:

A tightly contested game ended with less than a minute to play on a fourth-and-goal throw by Central Washington quarterback Mike Reilly (West) that was broken up by Norfolk State cornerback Don Carey and other East defenders who closed on the ball. The East ran out the clock and held on for 24-19 victory for head coach Bobby Ross.

Duke linebacker Michael Tauiliili earned defensive MVP honors with 13 tackles for the East, which won despite being outgained 434 yards to 257 and running 31 fewer offensive plays.

Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky gained 68 yards and scored a touchdown after a lackluster week of practices due to a lingering turf-toe injury.  Tennessee State running back Javarris Williams gained 56 yards and also scored. The East team connected on just 6 of 15 pass attempts.

The West, led by Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee and Fresno State QB Tom Brandstater, passed for 317 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Bowl-bound wide receiver Mike Thomas (Arizona) had five catches for 73 yards and one touchdown.  Rice’s Jarett Dillard caught the longest pass of the game, a 35-yarder for a touchdown.

Both kickers, Graham Gano (Florida State) and David Buehler (USC), showcased the leg strength to consistently put the ball at or near the goal line on their kickoffs. The two also converted three field goals.

Mississippi State safety Keith Fitzhugh continued his fine play by adding nine tackles for the East squad.  Other top performers included Iowa cornerback Bradley Fletcher (six tackles), Kentucky defensive tackle Myron Pryor (six tackles) and Richmond defensive end Lawrence Sidbury, who pressured Reilly on the late play to help force the incompletion.

On the West side, Texas defensive tackle Roy Miller and USC linebacker Kaluka Maiava each had six tackles, while Utah State safety De’Von Hall, a late replacement, was active on special teams and added six tackles.

MEDICAL FILE:

Stillman (Ala.) DT Sammie Lee Hill (hamstring), USC S Kevin Ellison (knee), USC CB Cary Harris (hamstring), California LB Anthony Felder (hamstring), Texas OG Cedric Dockery (hamstring), BYU OL Ray Feinga (leg) and Texas A&M DE Michael Bennett (flu symptoms) each was affected by injuries during the week. 

Bennett and Felder dressed for the game; the others did not take the field.

ALL-SHRINE GAME TEAM:

The All-Shrine Game team considers practice days, player interviews and game performance.  An average practice player may have earned a spot with a great performance in the game.

The players are listed by position, starting with the week’s highest rated player. Positions are broken down based on total number of players in attendance; for example, 20 total offensive linemen as compared to just four fullbacks.

QB Stephen McGee, Texas A&M

QB Tom Brandstater, Fresno State

RB Gartrell Johnson, Colorado State

RB Javarris Williams, Tennessee State

RB Tyrell Sutton, Northwestern

FB/H-B Mark Hafner, Houston

WR Jarett Dillard, Rice

WR Mike Thomas, Arizona

WR Darius Passmore, Marshall

WR Deon Butler, Penn State

WR Taurus Johnson, South Florida

TE Brian Mandeville, Northeastern

OT Jamon Meredith, South Carolina

OT Ramon Foster, Tennessee

OT Sebastian Vollmer, Houston

OT Fenuki Tupou, Oregon

OG Seth Olson, Iowa

OG Louis Vasquez, Texas Tech

OG Jaimie Thomas, Maryland

OC Edwin Williams, Maryland

DE Matt Shaughnessy, Wisconsin

DE Lawrence Sidbury, Richmond

DL Clinton McDonald, Memphis

DL Jarron Gilbert, San Jose State

DL Myron Pryor, Kentucky

DL Roy Miller, Texas

LB Kaluka Maiava, USC

LB Mortty Ivy, West Virginia

LB Johnny Williams, Kentucky

LB Jason Williams, Western Illinois

LB Michael Tauiliili, Duke

LB Anthony Felder, California

CB Bradley Fletcher, Iowa CB Ryan Palmer, Texas CB Don Carey, Norfolk State CB Ryan Mouton, Hawaii S Keith Fitzhugh, Mississippi State S Curtis Taylor, LSU

S Keith Ellison, USC S C.J. Spillman, Marshall

K David Buehler, USC

P Jake Richardson, Miami (OH)

RT Aaron Brown, TCU

Top Canadian – Simeon Rottier, Alberta

PLAYERS TO WATCH IN MOBILE:

A one-hour flight carried me from Houston to Mobile, Ala., earlier today for the NFL’s version of a corporate convention. 

According to a Senior Bowl official, more than 500 credentials are expected to be distributed by the time the weigh-in begins Monday.  However, a number of potential first-round prospects are not expected to be in attendance. Players I have confirmed who are not expected to play: Virginia OT Eugene Monroe, Ohio State CB Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State LB James Laurinaitis, Wake Forest OLB Aaron Curry and Missouri TE Chase Coffman.

Which players could catch the attention of scouts this week?  Here are a few worth watching: Liberty U. RB Rashad Jennings, Cal Poly WR Ramses Barden, Connecticut OT William Beatty, Boston College DT Ron Brace, Ole Miss LB Ashlee Palmer, Oregon State CB Keenan Lewis and Western Michigan S Louis Delmas.

John Murphy started his own company - Next Level Scouting, Inc. - in 1999 and quickly became a familiar face in scouting circles with his detailed reports and information to all 32 NFL teams. He currently serves as Director of Scouting for the Calgary Stampeders, the recent winner of the 2008 Grey Cup Championship, completing the season with a 16-6 record. Murphy, serving as head coach, then led the South team to a 27-0 victory in the 8th annual East Coast Bowl, the first-ever shutout victory and only the second win by the South squad in the game’s eight-year history. He previously worked as a U.S. college and pro scout for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, and he has served on the selection committee for the East-West Shrine Game since 2002. He also is one of the creative forces behind the Texas vs. the Nation All-Star Challenge, where he serves as V.P. Director of Player Personnel and helped develop the NFL Draft Bible.

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