MOBILE, Ala. — As much as the Senior Bowl helps NFL teams get acquainted with the recent college stars turned draft prospects, it also helps those players start the transition to pro football.
The latest edition of the all-star showcase demonstrated that with a big play that might have been even bigger.
Washington State cornerback Chau Smith-Wade returned an interception 83 yards in the last two minutes, setting up the final score in the National team’s 16-7 victory over the American team Saturday at the University of South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium.
In a game dominated by the defenses, Smith-Wade sprawled out to pick off a deep ball from Tennessee’s Joe Milton III. Smith-Wade hesitated momentarily, though, before realizing he wasn’t officially down under NFL rules.
Then he shook off one tackle attempt on the right sideline and cut back across the field before TCU running back Emani Bailey stopped him at the 1-yard line with 1:38 left.
“I got up, and it’s not college anymore where you’re down,” Smith-Wade said. “You’ve got to be down by contact now. So I got up, I started to celebrate a little bit, and my teammates were like, ‘Go, go, go.'”
The offense couldn’t punch it in, but Stanford’s Joshua Karty made his third field goal of the day, scoring on kicks of 19, 37 and 52 yards.
Smith-Wade, who got his second pick on a Hail Mary into the end zone by Tulane’s Michael Pratt, was named the National team’s player of the game Georgia defensive back Tykee Smith was the American team’s player of the game after breaking up three passes.
South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler, who played for the American team, was named the game’s overall MVP.
AP photo by Butch Dill / American team quarterback Joe Milton III of Tennessee scrambles for yardage against the National team during Saturday’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.Although the quarterback class for April’s draft is considered a solid group, it wasn’t a big game for that position Saturday with the top-rated passers seeing only limited action.
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. — the Heisman Trophy runner-up who led the Huskies to the national championship game in January — opted not to play after participating in practices during the week.
Fellow Pac-12 Conference star Bo Nix of Oregon, who was third in the Heisman voting, played only two series for the National team, as did Rattler for the American team.
Nix, who started his career a few hours away at Southeastern Conference program Auburn, was 4-of-5 passing for 21 yards in two series. His final play was a 2-yard pass to Minnesota tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford, with Nix rolling out before firing up the middle for his team’s only touchdown.
“He’s just absolutely a winner,” said New York Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who served as the National coach.
Rattler completed all four of his attempts for 65 yards. He capped his first drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Georgia’s Marcus-Rosemy-Jacksaint in a connection between two players who competed for rival schools in the SEC East Division.
“I felt like I wanted to come out here, create relationships and have fun,” Rattler said. “This was just the cherry on top.”
No other quarterback was as effective. Milton was 9-of-13 for 80 yards for the American team but was intercepted twice. Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman played most of the way for the National team, going 7-of-25 for 69 yards with an interception.
TCU’s Bailey had four runs and a catch totaling 35 yards on the American team’s first five plays. He finished with 53 yards on 10 carries and four catches for 34 yards.
Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske switched sides Saturday morning to the National team because of roster attrition. He had four tackles, 1 1/2 tackles for loss and was in on a sack.
It was the game’s first sellout since 2010, when Florida quarterback Tim Tebow was on the roster. Players wore helmets with stickers featuring a parrot drinking a margarita to honor singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who grew up in Mobile. Buffett died in September at age 76.