By Southern Pigskin Staff
SouthernPigskin.com

Follow us at Twitter.com/SouthernPigskin.  Become a fan at the SouthernPigskin.com Facebook Page

Former FSU quarterback Christian Ponder took full advantage of earning the start under center in Saturday’s Under Armour Senior Bowl.

Mobile, AL. (Jan. 29)—Ponder  led his South squad to a 24-10 victory in front of a sold out crowd (40,646) in Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium on an absolutely beautiful day. Ponder wasted little time getting the South on the board, leading the home team on a 10-play, 73-yard drive which culminated with a 23-yard field goal by former LSU kicker Josh Jasper, giving the South an early 3-0 lead.

Ponder earned the game’s Most Valuable Player honors after throwing for 132 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. His first touchdown toss went to former Miami wide receiver Leonard Hankerson on an 18-yard strike in the opening quarter to push the South’s lead to 10-0. Hankerson, the Under Armour Offensive Player of the Game, finished the day with five catches for 100 yards and that one touchdown.

The South would tack on another score with just over four minutes to go in the half when former West Virginia running back Noel Devine went untouched around the left side on a one-yard touchdown run, putting the South up 17-0.

While the South offense seemed to be clicking, their defense was just as impressive—holding the North offense to just 18 total yards and one first down in the first half. Texas A&M’s Von Miller played a big role in shutting down the North offensive attack, posting four tackles on the day including two tackles for loss. Miller was named the Under Armour Defensive Player of the Game for his efforts.

The North finally did get on the board in the third quarter when former UCLA kicker Kai Forbath drilled a 24-yard field goal to spoil the shutout and make it a 17-3 game. Running back Da’Rel Scott then made it a one possession game when he went in from 1-yard out and pulled the North to within a touchdown, 17-10, with just 19 seconds to go in the third quarter.

The North had an opportunity to cut into that lead even further but Forbath missed a 43-yard field goal with 8:11 to go in the fourth quarter and they would never get any closer. Ponder closed out the scoring with a beautiful 23-yard strike to former TCU wide receiver Jeremy Kerley, giving the South a 24-10 advantage.

Other award winners Saturday included Kendric Burney and Sam Acho. Burney, a former standout at North Carolina, was named the Most Outstanding Player for the North squad after totaling 7 tackles on the afternoon. Acho, an All-American from the University of Texas, finished the day with three tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Acho was named the Most Outstanding Player for the South team.

The loss was the third for coach Marvin Lewis and his Bengals staff in the Senior Bowl, while Buffalo’s Chan Gailey claims the win in his Senior Bowl coaching debut. The Bills are now 2-1-1 overall in Senior Bowls. The South now leads the all-time series over the North 30-26-3.