ORLANDO, Fla. — LSU’s Marcus Randall connected on 7-of-11 passes for 88 yards on his way to earning MVP honors in leading the South to a 24-21 win over the North here Saturday at the Gridiron Classic.
Randall, who just completed his senior season at LSU, also rushed for six yards on six attempts.
In a second half that saw four lead changes, UNLV running back Dominique Dorsey’s 28-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter provided the difference.
Randall opened the contest as the South’s starting quarterback, directing his team on a 4-play, 69-yard drive for a 7-0 lead. Randall connected with Efrem Hill on a 43-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage to eventually set up the first quarter score for the South.
For the North, Hampton wide receiver Jerome Mathis scored on a 26-yard reception and a 38-yard run off a reverse. Mathis had 108 yards of total offense – 59 yards receiving on two catches, and 49 yards rushing on two carries.
The South was outrushed 234-105 and converted only two of 11 third downs, but took advantage of a key fumble by Boston College’s Grant Adams and three missed field goals by Maryland’s Nick Novak.
Texas’ Chance Mock threw a 23-yard touchdown to Mississippi wide receiver Eric Rice late in the third quarter to put the South up 17-14. The touchdown was set up by Texas A&M’s Byron Jones recovering a muffed punt return by Adams.
With 11 seconds left in the third quarter, Mathis’ run put the North back ahead by four. Coming from the left, Mathis took the ball from running back Maurice Hall, turned the corner, evaded several would-be tacklers about 10 yards downfield and outran the pursuit for the score.
The North took a 14-10 lead early in the third quarter on a TD pass from North Carolina’s Darian Durant to Mathis. Ohio State’s Lydell Ross set up the score with a 25-yard run on the previous play.
The North tied the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter on 6-yard run by Ross. West Virginia quarterback Rasheed Marshall carried most of the load on the drive, completing three straight passes for 67 yards and scrambling for an additional 8 yards. Marshall was 10-of-16 for 113 yards, with 30 rushing yards.
For the second straight year, the Gridiron Classic was played at The Villages, a massive retirement community 60 miles northwest of Orlando. A temporary stadium was erected on a converted polo field, and fans arrived in hundreds of golf carts.