Hue Jackson-coached South team defeats North team 16-15 in Senior Bowl

The week’s worth of Senior Bowl practices culminated in the actual game itself on Saturday, which saw the South defeat the North by a score of 16-15. It capped off a great week for Hue Jackson and his Browns assistants, who got an up-close-and-personal look at the players on the South club.

The North got on the board first with a 22-yard field to lead 3-0 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, a rule stated that any team that scored a touchdown would have to go for two points instead of an extra point.

With just over two minutes to go in the first half, South QB Davis Webb found WR Josh Reynolds for a 39-yard touchdown. Here is a look at the touchdown:

The two-point try was no good. The defense for the South continued to play well, and with six seconds left in the half, K Jake Elliott was good from 37 yards out to take a 9-3 lead.

The South controlled the action to begin the third quarter, as described by Alabama.com:

North Carolina State running back Matt Dayes capped the best drive of the 2017 Reese's Senior Bowl with a 2-yard touchdown run as the South took a 16-3 lead on the North. The 16-play, 80-yard drive took 8:31 off the clock, directed by California quarterback Davis Webb. Webb ran for a first down on a fourth-and-1 snap from the South 41-yard line, and he overcame a 10-yard loss on a sack by Youngstown State's Derek Rivers with a 27-yard connection to Mississippi State wide receiver Fred Ross on the next play. Dayes followed that completion with a 15-yard run, then scored the South's second touchdown of the game. The South has outgained the North 340 yards to 83 yards.

Here is one of Webb’s passes that got the South team in scoring range:

An 8.5 minute drive, and out-gaining the North 340 yards to 83 yards? That’s complete domination. A 29-yard field goal at the end of the third quarter by the North made it a 16-6 game. Webb had done a great job for the South, but to close out the third quarter, it was time for Antonio Pipkin to see action...and his first pass was intercepted:

The North tried a 39-yard field goal to end the third quarter, making it a 16-9 game. because of Senior Bowl rules, they also got the ball to begin the fourth quarter for a new possession. With the North driving and looking for the tie, a pair of South defensive linemen who stood out during the week came up with a strip (Tanoh Kpassagnon) and a recovery (Montravius Adams).

Trying to seal the game for the South, Pipkin was picked off in the end zone to keep the North’s hope alive.

North QB Nate Peterman hit WR Zay Jones on 4th-and-goal for a touchdown with under two minutes to go. That made it a 16-15 game, and the North went for two points and the win, but they could not convert. The South was able to run out the clock from there.

Webb was named the game’s Most Valuable Player for completing 11-of-16 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown. DE Jordan Willis also had a big game for the South, registering two strip-sacks.