Northwestern University Athletics
Kevin Bentley Named MVP Of The Blue Squad
12/25/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 25, 2001
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Led by Northwestern linebacker Kevin Bentley (North Hills, Calif.), the Blue squad ended a four-game losing skid to the Gray with a 28-10 victory in the 64th Annual Blue-Gray All-Star Classic on Tuesday.
Bentley, named the Blue's Most Valuable Player, recorded 16 tackles, one interception and a forced fumble to help slow down the Gray. His interception in the first half helped set up the Blue's second touchdown, which gave them a 14-0 lead.
"We jelled as the week went on, almost as if we had been a team for a while here," said Bentley. "We just wanted to get a victory and that's what we got."
Bentley's Blue squad got some help on the offensive side from a pair of fellow Big Ten players. Penn State running backs Eddie Drummond and Omar Easy needed just a week to mesh with their all-star team. Drummond and Easy both had short touchdown runs.
"This is a bowl game for me right here," said Easy, voted the Blue's outstanding offensive player. "It was fun. We meshed as a team from all over the country and came together for a win today."
The Penn State players were relegated to the all-star game after the team lost its first four games before a strong finish came up a win short of bowl eligibility.
It was a long day for the offenses, with the Gray squad committing five turnovers and none of the quarterbacks reaching 100 yards passing.
After Penn State's runners put the Blue in charge, Algie Atkinson of Kansas returned a fumbled punt 11 yards for a touchdown with 4:10 remaining to seal the game. It was an appropriate way to decide a game dominated by the defenses from the outset.
The Gray managed just one first down in its first three fourth-quarter possessions before Atkinson's score. The Gray's opening drive of the final quarter ended with Tyree Foreman losing a fumble on a fourth-and-2 run from the Gray 42. The Blue's David Hills then missed a 30-yard field goal.
Mississippi State defensive back Shawn Byrdsong was MVP for the Gray, showing he could make the switch from safety to cornerback. He deflected seven passes and intercepted another.
Of the four quarterbacks, only Alabama State's Darnell Kennedy (99 yards) and Virginia's John Welsh (91) approached 100 yards.
"The offense needs a little bit more time to get clicking than the defense, and I guess the all-star game showed that," said Kennedy, a Montgomery native.
Easy had a 2-yard score in the first quarter and Drummond added a 3-yard score late in the third quarter.
Todd DeLamielleure of Hofstra claimed the defensive honors for the Blue with 10 tackles, one for a loss.
Foreman, of Virginia, rushed for 56 yards to earn offensive honors for the Gray. Nate Morrow of Vanderbilt (15 tackles) was voted the team's top defensive player.
The Blue's Welsh completed 8 of 19 passes, with one interception. David Neill of Nevada was 1-for-9 for 20 yards.
The Gray's Kennedy, a Montgomery native, was 9-of-27 with an interception. Greg Zolman of Vanderbilt was 12-of-23 for 67 yards.
Defensive players provided the biggest numbers. Bentley's interception and forced fumble set up touchdowns for the Blue. He also was in on the tackle when the Gray fumbled a punt return and Atkinson picked up the loose ball and returned it for their final score of the day.
Byrdsong also had a punt return for a touchdown negated by penalty before fumbling his final attempt at a return. He was still happy with the MVP trophy.
"That's sweet, man," Byrdsong said. "I haven't had an MVP trophy in a while. It's a good feeling. I don't know how I'm going to get back on the plane with it. I'm going to get it there somehow."
The game, pitting the North against the South, is for seniors whose schools were not playing in bowl games.
The teams combined for just 79 yards in the first quarter, but the Blue didn't need much more. It jumped out 14-0 in the first eight minutes, thanks partly to good field position.
First, the Blue took over at the Gray's 45 on a short punt, setting up Easy's score.
Bentley then returned an interception of Kennedy's pass 20 yards to the Gray 7 and Delvon Flowers of Arizona State vaulted into the end zone.
The Gray squad put together a pair of long second-quarter drives to make it 14-10 at halftime.
Foreman capped a 13-play, 84-yard march with a 2-yard run. A 15-play possession, set up by Byrdsong's interception, ended with a 32-yard field goal by Ryan White.
The loss snapped the Gray's four-game winning streak.
By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer
