College football

Overlooked stars shine in audition for NFL

By wire services
Published January 30, 2005

MOBILE, Ala. - Charlie Frye made the most of the opportunity when he finally got a chance to play in the postseason.

The Akron quarterback was nearly flawless in the Senior Bowl on Saturday, completing 10 of 12 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown to lead the North to a 23-13 victory over the South in an audition for top senior NFL prospects.

Frye seized the spotlight after his Zips were the 57th team in the NCAA's 56-team bowl sweepstakes, the only eligible team snubbed by the bowls. But he downplayed any effect Saturday's performance had on his hopes of becoming the next Mid-American Conference quarterback to make it in the NFL.

"I'm not worried about that," Frye said. "I just came in here to have fun and I just look forward to having a chance to play in that league."

The game capped a weeklong audition for top NFL prospects and wound up showcasing lesser-known players such as Akron's Frye and the game's smallest player, Kansas State's Darren Sproles, who's trying to prove he can play in the NFL.

The 5-foot-5 Sproles outplayed bigger tailbacks, darting through the middle for 24 yards and the game's first touchdown with 10:07 left in the third quarter, immediately ripping off his helmet to celebrate the score.

His goal for the week "was just to show people that I could play, that it doesn't matter what my size is," said Sproles, who had 55 yards on five carries and was selected North offensive player of the game.

Frye, selected the MVP, hit Northwestern's Noah Herron with a 22-yard touchdown pass in the final minutes to cap his performance.

Purdue's Kyle Orton was 6-of-13 for 51 yards and was intercepted on his opening series, and the other North quarterback, Connecticut's Dan Orlovsky, was taken to the hospital before the game with the flu, according to game officials.

Ohio State's Mike Nugent, the Lou Groza Award winner as the nation's top kicker, converted field goals of 25, 36 and 41 yards. Frye was impressed by his fellow Ohio product.

"If you get it inside the 40, he's not going to miss," said Frye, who set up one field goal with a 40-yard pass to Stanford tight end Alex Smith.

Jason Campbell of Auburn completed 9-of-13 passes for 116 yards and set up two field goals by Mississippi's Jonathan Nichols to earn top offensive honors for the South. Clemson's Leroy Hill was the team's defensive player of the game.

Georgia's David Greene hit former Arkansas star Matt Jones, a college quarterback who played receiver in the game, with a 5-yard touchdown pass with 1:05 to play. Greene, Division I's winningest quarterback, was 11 of 16 for 102 yards.

J.J. Arrington, California's 2,000-yard rusher, had five carries for just 9 yards for the North.

The game's biggest offensive star, Auburn tailback Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, made a cameo on the first series but didn't play again because of a strained muscle in his back. Williams is a potential top-five draft pick who spent the week meeting with coaches such as the Bucs' Jon Gruden (No. 5 pick) and Miami's Nick Saban (No. 2).

Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Tice was standing on the sideline last week, smoking a cigar and charting defensive backs during Senior Bowl workouts.

Up came one of the coaches, striking up a conversation with Tice at this unofficial unemployed coaches convention. Tice, sensing he was being hit up for a job, was distant but encouraging to the desperate, out-of-work coach.

"Keep up the good fight," Tice told him. "Keep fighting, it will come."

While the main purpose of Senior Bowl week is to scout prospective picks for April's NFL draft, it has evolved into the primary opportunity for NFL coaches to lay the groundwork for job interviews.

For the unemployed, there is a financial and emotional strain. For those with jobs, it is difficult to see their peers looking for work.

"I've been there and it's terrible," Carolina defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac said. "It's sad, really. It's sad to see these good coaches out there, having to almost beg for work. I had to do it once here and it was a bad situation. Hopefully, guys will all get themselves jobs, but this is often a sad week."

The NFL takes over this Gulf Coast town for a week, turning it into a sea of NFL jackets and hats. Many coaches go, as do many assistants, scouts and front-office types. There may be as many out-of-work coaches and wannabe coaches, however, as authorized NFL personnel.

On nearly every corner, there is an unemployed coach talking to a head coach or personnel director. These coaches-in-flux go to practices, work the lobby of the game headquarters and enjoy the social hours - just like the employed coaches.

"You got to make a living," said Rich Olson, recently released as the quarterbacks coach at San Francisco. "I'm only 56. I still have to work for a while. This is our convention and hopefully it pays off for me."

[Last modified January 30, 2005, 00:10:19]