Blue-Grey All-American Bowl: South 41, North 31

MAC target Tristan Ardnt, Middle Tennessee State commit Lantz Peoples and Missouri Valley Football Conference target Daniel Grein (left to right in all blue) were among the high-profile prospects to play in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl.

With the all the action taking place on a national broadcast via ESPN, at Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium no less, and several of the country’s premier prospects from the Class of 2024 on hand, the scene was essentially set for a memorable game.

Safe to say, participants and spectators alike, that no one left disappointed either. In a back-and-forth affair, with both teams fighting from the opening kickoff to the final whistle, South withstood a late comeback to defeat North, 41-31, in a showdown on Jan. 29.

American Athletic Conference target Ti’lan McGee was, by most accounts, the difference between winning and losing for the South, with 212 all-purpose yards, 133 rushing yards and 79 receiving yards.

Georgia State commit Dennis Murray was in the running for Offensive MVP. He was 16-of-19 with 197 passing yards and two touchdowns for the South. Also, his peer, Ohio Valley Conference target Drake Fisher finished 12-of-15 with 153 passing yards and a score.

There were no shortage of options on the offensive side for the South, specifically Pitt commit Truitt Brown, American Athletic Conference target Christopher Nance, Sun Belt Conference target Nate Cogle and Southern Conference target Corey Winston.

The strength for the North was its offensive line, anchored by Middle Tennessee commit Lantz Peoples. Mid-American Conference (MAC) target Tristan Ardnt and Missouri Valley Football Conference target Daniel Grein also contributed down in the trenches.

All eyes were on Ball State commit D.J. Williams for the North. That was, before, during, and after the game. His interview, in fact, during the first half with Buccaneers’ sideline reporter Casey Phillips created quite a buzz in stadium and the media realm.

For the South, with NFL veteran and coach Ken Stills, American Athletic Conference target D’Wayne Bain was a force, as was Conference USA target Treaden Henry, American Athletic Conference target Jameson Jensen and Central Florida commit Noah Senka.

MAC target Cameron Jewell and Colonial Athletic Association target Louden Murphy were reliable options for Southern Conference target Donte Strickland. Others were Southern Conference target Amare Caines and Big Sky Conference target Jackson Garrett.

Jackson State commit Terrance Weatherspoon, MAC target Terrance Sandidge and Missouri Valley Football Conference target Kennarius Chandler did particularly well on defense for the North. Same thing can be said for MAC target DeSean Logan-Russell.

SEC target Jackson Howell and Southern Conference target Nolan Burchfield did well for the South, along with Conference USA target Carson Fortunes, American Athletic Conference target Bo Kenney and Sun Belt Conference target DeAndre Williams.