Blue-Grey All-American Bowl: East 45, West 15

Iowa commit Deuce Hogan participated in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl at Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium. (Photo courtesy of Jessica Payne)

There was no shortage of talented quarterbacks in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl on Dec. 16 at Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium. In the end however, perhaps Andrew Brister managed to best make his mark as East defeated West, 45-15, in game featuring the nation’s top prospects in the Class of 2020. 

With a growing list of scholarship offers, the 6-foot-5 and 195-pound signal-caller threw a pair of touchdowns, a nine-yarder to Jaylin Smith and an 18-yarder to Troy Hall, then accordingly was named as the Offensive MVP for his efforts.

Not to be outdone, Iowa commit Deuce Hogan shined in the spotlight for the West. He finished 10-for-12 with 149 passing yards and 68 rushing yards. With a closer outcome, his name would’ve been in the conversation for Brister’s award.

Ole Miss commit Kade Renfro on the West also drew plenty of attention. Not in action, but on the sidelines with a uniform in a coaching-like capacity, he made national headlines by pledging to the Rebels mere minutes before kickoff. His in-game interview following the decision created quite a buzz, as one can imagine.    

Kansas State commit Hadley Panzer, Sun Belt Conference target Sam Bartis, Big Sky Conference targets A.J. Laux, Jackson Clements, Takeo Kano and Jadon Morgan anchored the West line. Spencer Peterson was the main beneficiary. 

Similarly, for the East, Fordham commit Andy Buttrell guided the big boys up front and had help from Conference USA target Cayde Taylor, American Athletic Conference target Liam Fultineer and Big Sky Conference target Chris Torres. 

Missouri Valley Football Conference targets Cole Long, Scotti Easter, Matt Burba, Ben Haynes and Drew Edwards held their own on defense for the East. Same goes for Big Sky Conference targets Cooper Ahlers and Taylor Evans. 

Cornell commit Connor Henderson, UC Davis commit Luka Sarac and Mountain West Conference target Buju Tuisavura were in the running for Defensive MVP. In the end, it should be noted, Purdue commit Ben Furtney received the nod. 

Worth mentioning, Parker Lewis connected on a 46-yard field for the West. Moreover, the attempt appeared particularly easy for the USC commit despite the professional playing conditions and certainly the pressure that comes along with it. 

The fact Brister delivered on the big stage shouldn’t be a surprise, his father Bubby Brister played in the NFL. He reunited, moreover, with teammates from the Philadelphia Eagles, Mark McMillian and Byron Evans, during the visit to Texas.

The younger version of Brister was complimented by Luke Lunsford on the East. The Patriot League target was 8-for-11 with 105 passing yards with a touchdown. Ke’Shawn Turner, Luke Doucet and John Olver were reliable options, too.