Senior Bowl 2015: Score and Twitter Reaction for College All-Star Game

Saturday's 2015 Senior Bowl was filled with standout performances from running backs and did nothing to dismiss the notion that this year's NFL draft is thin on viable franchise quarterbacks.

The North team defeated the South 34-13 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, as the top ball-carriers stole the show.

Nebraska standout Ameer Abdullah showed off an impressive all-around game, exploding for 62 yards on five carries along with four receptions for 40 yards before halftime.

SiriusXM NFL Radio noticed Abdullah's explosiveness and also mentioned that he won the game's MVP award:

"

Ameer Abdullah @Ameerguapo @huskers shows nice burst of speed for North - 20 yard gain @seniorbowl @SiriusXMNFL Ch. 88

— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) January 24, 2015"

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah wasn't ready to rank Abdullah higher than a Day 2 NFL draft pick, though:

Another Big Ten star in Minnesota's David Cobb imposed his will, rushing for 69 yards and scoring on a four-yard jaunt to put the North ahead 20-10 near the end of the third quarter.

That was only a two-play, 11-yard drive, sandwiched between two interceptions from South QB Bryan Bennett in as many attempts.

Turron Davenport of The Baltimore Times lauded the efforts Miami of Ohio cornerback Quinten Rollins made to snag the second pick off Bennett, a former Oregon backup QB who transferred to Southeastern Louisiana:

Miami Athletics tweeted footage of Rollins' sensational interception:

Charles Davis of NFL.com liked what he saw from Auburn standout Cameron Artis-Payne on the South side, the key cog in the Tigers' run-heavy attack in 2014:

Another less dynamic but underrated all-purpose back emerged in Northern Iowa's David Johnson, who scored the South's only touchdown on a 19-yard scamper in the first quarter to open the scoring.

ESPN Insider Chris Sprow and Josh Norris of Rotoworld gave Johnson strong reviews:

For more focus on the other side of the ball, Iowa defensive tackle Carl Davis stood out with his outstanding motor, pursuit and athleticism.

After underwhelming a bit in 2014, Davis has boosted his stock in a big way. Joe Everett of DraftScouts.com was impressed with how Davis' practice-field work carried over to live-game action:

Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net fed the notion that Davis lit it up in practice even prior to the game:

Among the big-name quarterbacks on the field, Bryce Petty of Baylor was the most prominent one who got the longest look.

The Bears star expressed plenty of faith in his own abilities on Wednesday, per Newsday's Kimberley A. Martin:

"

I feel like I'm No. 1. I really do. That's not a cocky thing, it's not an arrogant thing. It's just me being confident in what I do and understanding that I have a learning curve [to adjust to]. 

But at the same time, I'm really like a little kid in a candy store. I love the idea of playing chess instead of checkers, which is what we've been playing in college. So beating you with my mind and my arm is an aspect that I haven't had the opportunity to do, so I'd love it.

"

Although there were some encouraging signs, concerns about whether Petty's spread-style game will translate to the NFL gridiron won't go away after Saturday.

Petty did complete nine of 13 passes for a game-high 123 yards, yet he missed badly on a seam throw that was high and behind the intended target and intercepted by TCU cornerback Kevin White.

Rob Rang of CBSSports.com analyzed Petty's game after the ill-fated throw:

The South's big notable was Blake Sims of Alabama, who completed four of 11 pass attempts for 50 yards but also showed athleticism with 23 yards on three rushing attempts.

Oregon State's Sean Mannion, who threw the only TD pass of the game to Notre Dame tight end Ben Koyack in the second quarter, ended up 9-of-14 passing for 71 yards.

Shane Carden of East Carolina has an unconventional throwing motion that impacts his ability to get the ball out on time, so his collegiate numbers should be taken with a grain of salt.

Optimum Scouting's Alex Brown tweeted his take on Carden:

Helping the North's victorious efforts was LSU offensive lineman La'el Collins. Norris believes the big man is nimble enough to be a franchise left tackle, while Draft TV's Shane P. Hallam likes Collins' ability to play guard in the pros:

Collins came from a pro-style offense under coordinator Cam Cameron at LSU, with experience at both guard and tackle. He did nothing to harm his stock in Mobile and could be the highest selection of the entire lot of talented prospects.

Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel highlighted a lesser-known strong blocker on the North side in offensive guard Ali Marpet from Hobart College:

Yale Football was pleased when its prized fullback/tailback Tyler Varga found pay dirt twice in the fourth to help bust the game open:

The hard, hungry running on display from multiple running backs in this game offered a good showcase for the offensive linemen involved. It also showed some of the depth NFL teams can pick up later in the draft in the backfield.

Running backs have been devalued in the modern NFL because of the grueling wear and tear players at the position endure, along with the rules that favor teams with prolific passing offenses.

It's still a remote possibility that a ball-carrier will hear his name called on Day 1 of the draft, but plenty should yield outstanding value in the second, third and fourth rounds.

Among the QBs, Petty appears to be the most promising of the bunch, if only for his collegiate production and demonstrated confidence. What will be interesting to see is how he and other signal-callers bounce back after a week in Mobile in which no one distinguishes himself.