Leach Named Offensive MVP at Blue-Gray Classic
December 26, 2003 | Football
TROY, Ala. (AP) -- East Carolina fullback Vonta Leach, who plowed in for two touchdowns, was named the Gray team's offensive MVP and was one of three Pirates playing in Thursday's Blue-Gray All-Star Classic.
The Blue squad, behind Marshall running back Butchie Wallace's two fourth-quarter touchdowns, claimed a 31-24 victory.
Leach carried five times for 28 yards and caught three passes for 27 yards. Joining him on the Gray roster were ECU receiver Terrance Copper, who had three catches for 33 yards, and defensive tackle Damane Duckett.
Long a Christmas Day tradition, the Blue-Gray game was canceled last year because officials couldn't line up a sponsor. It had been held 50 miles north in Montgomery since 1938, matching college seniors from the North (Blue) against those from the South (Gray).
Wallace, who played for Blue offensive coach Bob Pruett at Marshall, was a late addition to the roster and responded with touchdown runs of 3 and 17 yards in a 3:34 span of the fourth quarter at Troy State's Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium.
Wallace arrived in Alabama on Tuesday night to replace Southern Illinois running back Tom Koutsos, who hurt his right knee in practice. Representing a program more known for its passers than runners, Wallace capitalized with seven carries for 33 yards.
The Blue squad broke a 17-all tie early in the fourth on Wallace's 3-yard score.
San Jose State quarterback Scott Rislov was 3-of-3 passing for 62 yards on the drive, including a 34-yarder to Penn State tight end Matt Kranchik to the 3. Wallace rambled into the end zone again on the next drive.
Rislov, who threw for 3,016 yards and only five interceptions this season, was equally efficient in the All-Star game to earn overall MVP honors for the Blue. He was 16-of-24 for 195 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown to Nebraska-Omaha's Ryan Krause in the second quarter.
Derrick Ward of Ottawa College in Kansas was the Blue's offensive MVP with five catches for 59 yards and 38 yards on five rushes. Syracuse linebacker Rich Scanlon won defensive honors with eight tackles.
The Gray's overall MVP was Cody Spencer, a North Texas linebacker who had a game-high 13 tackles. Defensive MVP was Alabama linebacker Derrick Pope (nine tackles).
Louisiana Tech quarterback Luke McCown found Bobby Blizzard of North Carolina for a 14-yard touchdown pass with 23 seconds left, but Ward recovered the onside kick.
McCown was 15-of-24 passing for 114 yards, while Jackson State's Robert Kent went 5-of-9 for 52 yards. Kent replaced Kentucky's Jared Lorenzen, who skipped the game with a nagging shoulder injury.
Blue quarterback Brett Mitchell of the NAIA's Evangel University in Springfield, Mo., was only 2-of-5 but completed a 56-yarder and a 49-yarder in his first appearance in the national spotlight.
McCown overcame a sluggish start by leading a big third-quarter drive. A four-year starter at Louisiana Tech, he had a 39-yard scramble and completed three short passes to set up Leach's second touchdown run, a 3-yarder.
McCown was just 3-of-7 for 12 yards in the first half.
Rislov made up for offenses that combined for only 76 yards in the first quarter by leading a 95-yard touchdown drive to open the second.
He completed a 35-yarder down the right sideline to Lance Young of Iowa State. Two plays later, Rislov found Krause on the opposite side for a 35-yard touchdown.
Larry Croom of UNLV scored on a 3-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter to give the Blue squad a 14-3 lead, and Steve Azar of Northern Illinois added a 28-yard field goal.
North Carolina's Michael Waddell returned the ensuing kickoff 48 yards to set up Leach's 1-yard touchdown with 2:45 left, and Azar pushed a 33-yarder wide left.
Blue 0 17 0 14 -- 31
Gray 3 7 7 7 -- 24
First Quarter
Gray--FG Scobee 37, :35.
Second Quarter
Blue--Krause 35 pass from Rislov (Azar kick), 11:45.
Blue--Croom 3 run (Azar kick), 7:20.
Blue--FG Azar 28, 4:26.
Gray--Leach 1 run (Scobee kick), 2:45.
Third Quarter
Gray--Leach 3 run (Scobee kick), 3:09.
Fourth Quarter
Blue--Wallace 3 run (Azar kick), 11:46.
Blue--Wallace 17 run (Azar kick), 8:12.
Gray--Blizzard 14 pass from McCown (Scobee kick), :23.
A--10,252.
Blue Gray
First downs 20 15
Rushes-yards 39-133 32-92
Passing 300 166
Comp-Att-Int 18-31-1 20-33-1
Return Yards 94 162
Punts-Avg. 4-43.8 7-43.3
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 3-0
Penalties-Yds 5-37 7-33
Time of Poss 31:59 28:01
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Blue, Croom 15-48, Ward 5-38, Wallace 7-33, McGrorty 7-20,
Rislov 4-(minus 5), team 1-(minus 1). Gray, Kincade 9-44, Leach 5-28,
Green 6-15, King 3-10, McCown 7-10, Kent 2-(minus 15).
PASSING--Blue, Rislov 16-24-0-195, Mitchell 2-5-0-105, Ward 0-2-1-0.
Gray, McCown 15-24-0-114, Kint 5-9-1-52.
RECEIVING--Blue, Ward 5-59, Johnson 3-75, Kranchick 2-39, Ghent 2-10,
McGrorty 2-1, Thurman 1-49, Krause 1-35, Young 1-35, Wallace 1-(minus 3).
Gray, King 4-(minus 6), Whittaker 3-68, Copper 3-33, Leach 3-27,
Kincade 2-5, Blizzard 1-14, Fulghum 1-8, Green 1-7, Fletcher 1-6,
Owens 1-4.
