South Defeats North 45-16 in Senior Bowl; Richmond QB Kyle Lauletta Named MVP

Behind a huge performance from Richmond quarterback Kyle Lauletta, the South All-Stars defeated the North All-Stars 45-16 in Saturday's Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

Lauletta was named the 2018 Senior Bowl MVP by virtue of his 198 yards and three touchdowns on 8-of-12 passing.

The South racked up 548 yards of total offense in the game, with much of that coming through the air. Lauletta, Western Kentucky's Mike White and Virginia's Kurt Benkert all threw for at least 90 yards and one touchdown.

San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny followed up his FBS-leading rushing season with 64 rushing yards, 73 receiving yards and one touchdown, while LSU wide receiver D.J. Chark reeled in five passes for 160 yards and one score for the South.

The North struggled to move the ball at times, but Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen went a long way toward solidifying himself as a first-round pick with 158 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield finished with just nine yards on 3-of-7 passing for the North. However, the Oklahoma quarterback left the Senior Bowl early to be with his ill mother, per College Football Talk's Kevin McGuire 

With Saturday's win, the South has now been victorious over the North for three straight years.

The South asserted its dominance on both sides of the ball during the first half, and Texas-San Antonio defensive end Marcus Davenport was among the biggest reasons for that.

As seen in the following video courtesy of NFL Network, Davenport hauled down Mayfield on the North's opening drive of the game:

Davenport finished the game with one sack and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, and he may have put himself in the conversation as the best defensive end in the draft class along with NC State's Bradley Chubb.

The South took advantage of that defensive stop when White hit UCF wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith for a 14-yard touchdown on the ensuing drive:

Although White was a spectator for the second half, he likely did enough to pique the interest of several quarterback-needy teams in the draft after a strong showing in the first two quarters.

Former NFL quarterback and current analyst Jim Miller liked what he saw out of White, per SiriusXM NFL Radio:

After the North and South traded field goals, the South All-Stars found paydirt once again early in the second quarter.

Benkert and Penny converted a dazzling play when the Virginia quarterback rolled out and fired a perfect strike to Penny, who finished it off by racing 73 yards to the end zone:

Despite his incredible numbers as a senior at San Diego State, Penny hasn't received much publicity as one of the top running backs in the draft.

According to SiriusXM NFL Radio, Pat Kirwan believes that may soon change:

Following a two-point conversion, the South took an 18-3 lead, which it carried into halftime.

The North All-Stars may have received a quality pep talk from Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph in the locker room since they looked like a different team to start the third quarter.

Each of the North's first two drives of the second half culminated in touchdowns courtesy of Allen.

The first was a perfectly placed ball off a play fake to Central Michigan tight end Tyler Conklin from 16 yards out:

Just over two minutes later, Allen dropped a dime to Notre Dame tight end Durham Smythe for a 27-yard touchdown:

While the North's two-point conversion attempt failed, it was suddenly back in the game at 18-16.

Allen was the primary reason for that, and NFL.com's Gil Brandt felt the Wyoming signal-caller helped his draft stock significantly with his performance:

The North All-Stars never scored again, however, and the South went on to put up 27 unanswered points in the second half.

Lauletta led the way, getting the South back on track with a 75-yard scoring strike to Chark in the third quarter:

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller believes Chark has a chance to be even better at the next level than he was in college:

Lauletta threw his second touchdown of the game just minutes later when he found Western Kentucky tight end Deon Yelder from one yard out.

On the next offensive play, Nebraska quarterback Tanner Lee, representing the North, was sacked by Ole Miss defensive end Marquis Haynes.

Davenport then scooped up the fumble and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown:

The game was well in hand at that time, but the exclamation point came courtesy of Lauletta in the fourth quarter.

The unheralded Richmond signal-caller threw a 14-yard touchdown to Oklahoma State wideout Marcell Ateman for his third passing score of the day to make it 45-16:

In watching Lauletta throw for 198 yards and three touchdowns, Brandt tweeted that he finally understood the hype surrounding him:

Despite there being several higher-profile quarterbacks in the game, Lauletta was the unquestioned star, and he likely boosted his draft stock more than anyone at the Senior Bowl.

It is difficult to imagine Lauletta getting himself into the conversation as a possible first-round pick, but he may warrant some Day 2 consideration based on what he was able to accomplish.

Lauletta hasn't received much attention, but as former North Dakota State and current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has shown, it is possible for an FCS quarterback to transition successfully to a starring role in the NFL.