2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl: South Team Game Notes

It’s finally here! The 2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl has come and gone and now it’s time to analyze who impressed during game action. After 3 long days of practice, the players really came out to play this year in the game. The South team lost 34-24 despite having the better talent. Kyle Shanahan’s team fell apart after the half. Despite the loss, there were still a lot of takeaways to consider. Who stood out for better or worse on the South team during the 2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl?

Quarterbacks:

There was some really bad quarterback play. It makes it hard to evaluate. Will Grier was super reckless. He just kept throwing balls up for grabs that could have easily been picked. When he’s on the move, there’s no shot Grier is completing a ball. For a guy that was really accurate in college, Grier was far from it all week. 4-8 for 61 yards of meh.

Jarrett Stidham was terrible. He held on to the ball too long. Got strip sacked twice. It was hilarious to watch. Gardner Minshew couldn’t complete a pass to save his life. 1-8 of ugly.

The best of the bunch was Tyree Jackson. He’s poor mans Josh Allen. Touchdown, followed by a pick, followed by a touchdown. It’s fireworks and friendly fire grenades. That’s what you’re getting. Jackson is the only guy who took deep shots down the field. The Buffalo QB went 13-21, 165 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a pick. He has to move up the boards. Look at who Jackson is competing with? Isn’t he worth the flier over guys you already know suck?

Running Backs:

The running backs were awful too. Just no athletic burst from anyone. The only running back that’s probably worth anything at this game is the Temple back. Ryquell Armstead just runs hard. 24 yards rushing isn’t sexy but Armstead doesn’t mess around. No dancing, just hit the hole and bruise.

Remember the Pitt back? Yeah, Darrin Hall had negative rushing yards. I knew he was a fraud.

Wide Receivers:

Awful quarterback play made this difficult to grade. Deebo Samuel should have had 100 yards but the quarterbacks in the first half (Grier & Minshew) couldn’t hit him. Gary Jennings put his speed on display. He reeled in a 54-yard deep ball from Jackson. Then caught a 10-yard touchdown just a few plays later. I have no idea how high Jennings will go but he could be a guy that stretches the field for you and makes big plays.

Offensive Line:

The two starting tackles (Andre Dillard and Tytus Howard) played awesome. Just excellent in pass protection. The Oklahoma guys showed up. The Alabama guard played well. Outside of them, it was a bit of a rough day. 4 sacks given up is a high number in an All-Star setting where you’re not allowed to blitz.

Defensive Line:

The pass rush for the South was non-existent. Oshane Ximenes sucks. So does Jaylon Ferguson. Montez Sweat created some pressure but was quiet overall. Outside of a few defensive tackles playing ok (Kingsley Keke, Dontavius Russell, and Isaiah Buggs) I don’t have much for you.

Linebackers:

Deshaun Davis of Auburn and Terrill Hanks of New Mexico State were awesome. The South defense was on the field way too much but Davis and Hanks kept making tackles. Both are undersized range linebackers who run sideline to sideline to make plays. Both were great.

Cornerbacks:

Again, bad quarterback play makes this tough to grade. I thought Lonnie Johnson bounced back well. He made great plays in coverage. So did Rock Ya-Sin of Temple. He does a great job of playing the ball in the air.