The 2024 Senior Bowl week of practices concluded on Thursday ahead of the actual game on Saturday afternoon. The American Team and National Team have been working all week to put together a cohesive plan and today the two teams faced off. This is the last bit of tape these players will get to put out there for scouts prior to the draft. The week of practices hold more weight than the actual game itself, but with many of the practice standouts sitting out of the game, the next tier of players will get their chance to shine.
Here are some of the players who are not playing today, per SportingNews’ Crissy Froyd. Some of them might be dealing with minor injuries while others showed enough during the week to not be worth risking their health in the game.
The American Team started the game with the ball and SC QB Spencer Rattler got the first look at quarterback. TCU RB Emani Bailey got the first five touches with four carries and a reception to march down into National Team territory. TCU OG Brandon Coleman pulled across to help open a big hole for Bailey on one of those plays. Only one of those plays by Bailey was unsuccessful.
They turned to Missouri RB Cody Schrader after that first loss by Bailey and he gained about 12 yards on a screen pass running over Notre Dame CB Cam Hart. The next play, Rattler dialed up a 30-yard touchdown pass to Georgia WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint who made a beautiful contested catch over Virginia State CB Willie Drew.
Oregon QB Bo Nix took the field as QB1 for the National Team the next drive. They immediately tried a flea flicker gadget play and Nix went deep to UNC WR Tez Walker, but it fell incomplete with Auburn CB D.J. James in coverage. They quickly needed to punt after LB Nathaniel Watson blew up the third down play.
FSU DT Braden Fiske shot into the backfield for a TFL on first down. They switched him from the American Team to the National Team due to some attrition throughout the week. Hart had a nice TFL on third down and was a little shaken up on the play.
Troy RB Kimani Vidal had a nice carry for about 25 yards on first down showing nice burst through the hole. Nix completed a pass to UCF WR Javon Baker to get to the one-yard line. Nix rolled out to his right and threw back across his body to Minnesota WR Brevyn Spann-Ford for a contested catch in the end zone.
UT QB Joe Milton III took over for the American Team. On his first third down pass of the game, he badly missed a wide open receiver to force a punt.
Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman took over for the National Team. He went downfield, but Auburn CB Nehemiah Pritchett was in position to knock the ball away for an incompletion. He went for another deep ball on 3rd down, but Georgia S Tykee Smith was in position to knock it away. He probably could have intercepted the pass.
Milton led a drive down the field, but threw across his body into the end zone for an interception to Oregon DB Evan Williams. A bad throw by Milton. Williams had a nice week in Mobile and capped it off with that pick.
Hartman’s first down pass was deflected by LB Jackson Sirmon who jumped into the air to bat the pass down. Sirmon made a tackle against a scrambling Hartman the next play. They forced a quick punt after the interception.
Tulane QB Michael Pratt checked in for the American Team. A quick three-and-out and they attempted a 57-yard field goal with Alabama K Will Reichard that hit the upright.
Hartman had a wide open receiver on a seam route and missed him badly on 1st down. The next play he found Baker for a nice gain and a fresh set of downs. Just outside the red zone, Hartman scrambled for a first down to get into scoring position prior to the two-minute warning. He attempted a third down pass to the back corner of the end zone to Walker, but it fell incomplete with Pritchett in coverage. Stanford K Joshua Karty missed the chip shot.
Just before the end of the half, Pratt fumbled the snap and the National Team recovered. Hartman was immediately intercepted by Louisville CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. Another guy who capped off a solid week with a pick in the game.
The score was 7-7 going into halftime.
Hartman remained the QB for the National Team coming out of halftime. Smith came up in run support to stuff the first down run to start the half. Auburn DT Marcus Harris got in for an easy sack going almost untouched off the line.
The National Team drove into scoring position, but had to settle for a field goal.
South Alabama QB Carter Bradley checked in at QB for the American Team playing in his college stadium. He had a nice throw to Texas A&M WR Ainias Smith, but he couldn’t quite haul it in. On third down, UNC LB Cedric Gray elevated and tipped the pass to force an incompletion. It otherwise had a great shot at converting. Nice play by Gray.
Hartman and the Florida C Kingsley Eguakun had a bad operation on the snap and fumbled, but Hartman dove on the fumble. Karty made a 52-yard field goal to give the National team a 13-7 lead.
Utah S Cole Bishop made a nice open field tackle on third down to force a punt.
Penn State CB Kalen King with a nice hustle play coming all the way across the defense to make a tackle on 2nd down. Milton back at QB for the American Team. Braden Fiske made a nice TFL on third down to end the drive. Fiske continues to stand out after a strong week in Mobile.
Washington State CB Chau Smith-Wade made a beautiful diving interception and returned it almost all the way to the end zone to set up the National Team’s final field goal. Milton’s rough day continued at quarterback.
Smith-Wade got another interception on a hail mary pass to end the game in garbage time.
The National Team won the game 16-7 to cap off the week in Mobile.
Here are some notable stat lines from the game:
Passing:
-Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman: 7-25, 69 yards, 1 int
-Oregon QB Bo Nix: 4-5, 21 yards, 1 TD
-Tennessee QB Joe Milton III: 9-13, 80 yards, 2 ints
-South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler: 4-4, 65 yards, 1 TD
Rushing:
-South Dakota RB Isaiah Davis: 6 attempts, 29 yards
-Troy RB Kimani Vidal: 6 attempts, 26 yards
-TCU RB Emani Bailey: 10 attempts, 53 yards
Receiving:
-Minnesota WR Brevyn Spann-Ford: 1 reception, 2 yards, 1 TD
-Rice WR Luke McCaffrey: 2 receptions, 28 yards
-Missouri RB Cody Schrader: 5 receptions, 54 yards
-TCU RB Emani Bailey: 4 receptions, 34 yards
-Georgia WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint: 1 reception, 29 yards, 1 TD
Defense:
-UNC LB Cedric Gray: 7 tackles, 2 PBUs
-Washington LB Edefuan Ulofoshio: 5 tackles, 0.5 sacks
-FSU DT Braden Fiske: 4 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 1.5 TFLs
-Oregon DB Evan Williams: 3 tackles, 1 int
-WSU CB Chau Smith-Wade: 3 tackles, 1 PBU, 2 ints
-Mississippi State LB Nathaniel Watson: 7 tackles, 0.5 TFLs, 1 PBU
-UK LB Trevin Wallace: 6 tackles, 0.5 TFLs
-Louisville CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr: 1 tackle, 1 int
-Georgia S Tykee Smith: 1 tackle, 0.5 TFLs, 3 PBUs
-Auburn CB Nehemiah Pritchett: 2 PBUs
Spencer Rattler was named the MVP of the 2024 Senior Bowl, per Tom Pelissero on X.
