Wallace, Jerry score in Senior Bowl
Ole Miss leading receiver Mike Wallace had a 39-yard scoring catch in the Senior Bowl while teammate Peria Jerry recovered a fumble for a score to help pace the South squad to a 35-18 win over the North in the Senior Bowl on Saturday night.
Wallace and Jerry were joined by left tackle Michael Oher and linebacker Ashlee Palmer as Ole Miss players participating in the post season event.
Pat White passed for 95 yards and a touchdown and directed two scoring drives to help the South dominate in the game.
The West Virginia quarterback is a native of Daphne just outside Mobile. The most prolific running quarterback in major college football history, and projected to be a receiver in the NFL, White stood out among a group of high profile signal callers and was the most valuable player of the game that featured many top NFL prospects.
If there were doubts about the strength of Whites arm, he tried to erase them in the third quarter when he stretched the Souths lead with the impressive 39-yard scoring toss to Wallace in the corner of the end zone.
Alabamas John Parker Wilson also played well, completing 7-of-13 passes for 56 yards and scoring on a four-yard scamper in the first quarter.
Wilson was named offensive player of the game, while Robert Ayers of Tennessee was named the games outstanding defensive player.
The South led 21-10 at halftime and stretched it to 28-10 with Whites scoring pass midway through the third quarter.
The North narrowed the lead to 28-18 early in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run by Eric Kettani of Navy and a 2-point conversion run by Oregons Jeremiah Johnson. But any hopes of getting closer were dashed with 8:47 to play when Jerry, an All-American, fell on a fumble in the North end zone for the final South score.
It was Jerrys second score of the season - he returned a fumble for a score last September against Vanderbilt.
The South dominated in the first half as three different quarterbacks directed impressive scoring drives.
Wilson started the scoring with a 4-yard run from out of the shotgun formation with 7:28 to play in the first quarter. Wilsons score ended a 16-play, 80-yard drive in which he completed four passes for 37 yards.
The first quarter ended with the South ahead 7-3 after the North got on the board with a 38-yard field goal by Utahs Louie Sakoda.
White showed what he could do early in the second quarter, leading an eight-play, 68-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Quinn Johnson of LSU. The drive included a 33-yard pass from White to North Carolina State running back Andre Brown.
Then it was Clemsons Cullen Harpers turn behind center and he took the South 59 yards in eight plays, with Brown scoring on a 1-yard run with 3:35 to play in the half. The drive was sparked by a 32-yard pass from Harper to Arizonas Mike Thomas.
The North narrowed the Souths lead to 21-10 with 1:02 to play in the half as Central Arkansas quarterback Nathan Brown completed a 4-yard pass to Johnson.
Neither team was able to launch much of a running attack. The leading rusher was the Souths Rashad Jennings of Liberty College in Virginia, who carried nine times for 41 yards.
The Norths Juaquin Iglesias of Oklahoma was the leading receiver with six catches for 90 yards.