ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.,
Jan. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/
-- Make no mistake, Tropicana Field is on Florida's west coast. And when it comes to the
East-West Shrine Game the West team owns it, extending their
winning streak to four straight and six-of-eight contests in the
dome.
The West squad started fast, taking the opening drive 81 yards
in just 8 plays. Quarterback Brett
Rypien (Boise State) completed a
22-yard pass to Nick Brossette (RB,
Louisiana State) for a touchdown less
than 4 minutes into the game. (Point after by John Baron II from San
Diego State was good).
On the ensuing drive, East running back Ty Johnson (Maryland) racked up 42 all-purpose yards rushing on
2 carries and a catch before the drive stalled (turned over on
downs) at the West 27 yard line.
The next two drives ended in booming punts, with West punter
Jack Fox (Rice) booting a 57-yarder and the East's AJ Cole
III (North Carolina State) answering
with a 60 yard kick. The pair would kick 9 times, with Fox pinning
the East inside their 20 three times and Cole averaging 50 yards
per kick.
In the second quarter, West safety Tyree
Kinnel (Michigan) recovered a
fumble after a long completion and returned it 32 yards to the East
2 yard line. On the following play, running back Devine Ozigbo (Nebraska) would score the West's second touchdown.
(Baron's PAT good).
The first half came to an exciting close with a 61-yard field
goal attempt by Baron coming up just short of the crossbar. The
attempt was received 9 yards deep in the end zone by East DB
Jimmy Moreland (James Madison). Moreland returned it 61 yards
before being slowed by Baron and tackled by long snapper
Chris Wilkerson (Stephen F. Austin State).
On the third possession of the second half, West linebacker BJ
Blunt (McNeese State) intercepted a
pass on third down and returned the ball 21 yards to the East 22.
The West offense cashed in on the turnover on the next play with a
pass from Easton Stick (North Dakota State) to Shawn Poindexter (Arizona) to make the score 21-0 (Barron PAT
good).
Three plays later West defensive back Mazzi Wilkins (South
Florida) intercepted another East aerial and returned it 31
yards to the East 35. The East defense forced the West to turn the
ball back over on downs after a 12-yard sack by Tre Watson (Maryland) on first down kept the West behind the
sticks.
That defensive stand signaled a change in momentum with the East
taking over on their own 26 and quarterback David Blough (Purdue) leading a drive that culminated with a
6-yard touchdown pass to Terry Godwin
II (WR, Georgia) to finally get
the East on the scoreboard with 2:52 left in the third quarter.
(Kicker Matthew Gay from Utah
converted the PAT).
The East defense held the West to a 4-and-out on the following
drive, returning the ball to their offense with two minutes left in
the third quarter. On the first play, a 37-yard pass interference
penalty flipped the field. The East put up another touchdown when
Blough again found Godwin with 12 seconds left in the quarter.
Gay's PAT cut the West lead to 21-14.
On the ensuing drive the West squad drove to the East 17 before
a fumbled snap was recovered by linebacker Jordan Brailford (Oklahoma
State) ended the threat.
East QB Jordan Ta'amu
(Mississippi) led the team on a 12-play
drive culminating in a 47-yard field goal by Gay to close the gap
to just 4 points with 4:19 left in the game.
The West stumbled out of the blocks, but their drive was
extended by a roughing the passer penalty on third down. After that
they rode running back Darrin Hall
Jr. (Pittsburgh), who carried
the ball the next seven plays – including one carry for 39 yards –
to milk the clock. A failed fourth down conversion turned the ball
over to the East on their own 13 yard line with just 4 seconds on
the clock.
On the game's final play, the East attempted a lateral play that
was stymied when the first lateral was fumbled and recovered by
Blunt to end the game.
West RB Hall ended the day with 77 yards rushing to lead the
game, and East QB Blough led all passers with 10 completions for
149 yards. East receiver Godwin was the game's Offensive Most
Outstanding Player with 80 yards on 4 catches with a pair of
touchdowns.
The Defensive Most Outstanding Player was West linebacker
Justin Hollins (Oregon) who ended the game with 10 tackles (9
solo), 2 sacks, and 3 TFL.
The game was played in front of 19,654.
About the East-West Shrine Game: Originating in 1925, the
East-West Shrine Game is the longest-running college all-star
football game in the country and features some of the highest-rated
players in the projected NFL draft ranking. While the teams are
divided by East and West, the players come together for the
beneficiary of the event, Shriners Hospitals for Children. Learn
more at http://www.shrinegame.com.
About Shriners Hospitals for Children: Shriners Hospitals for
Children is changing lives every day through innovative pediatric
specialty care, world-class research and outstanding medical
education. The 22 facilities in the
United States, Canada and
Mexico provide advanced care for
children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries,
and cleft lip and palate.
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations
are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. To learn
more about Shriners Hospitals for Children, please visit
http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.
SOURCE East-West Shrine Game