Senior Bowl : Chandler Leads North to 21-7 Win

Chris Chandler of Washington got the ball rolling with a first-quarter touchdown pass, and the North went on to down the South, 21-7, Saturday in the Senior Bowl.

“All I had to do was pull the trigger a couple of times,” Chandler said.

Don McPherson of Syracuse also threw for a touchdown as the North built a 14-0 halftime lead and was never seriously challenged.

“The defense played hard, the offense made the big plays,” North Coach Chuck Knox of the Seattle Seahawks said.

“They had the two big plays and the interception,” South Coach Jim Mora of the New Orleans Saints said, referring to the two touchdown passes and an interception that set up the other North score.

“We had a hard time stopping their running game,” Mora said. The North netted 231 yards rushing.

Chandler engineered a 99-yard drive in the first quarter and completed a 36-yard touchdown pass to Willie (Flipper) Anderson of UCLA.

McPherson connected with Anthony Miller of Tennessee on a 53-yard scoring pass play 50 seconds before halftime.

The North built its lead to 21-0 early in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run by Icky Woods of Nevada Las Vegas one play after Vincent Brown of Mississippi Valley State returned an intercepted pass 26 yards.

The South avoided the first shutout in the game’s 39-year history when Florida’s Kerwin Bell connected with Sterling Sharpe of South Carolina on a 60-yard touchdown play with 11:41 left to play.

The North defense kept the South bottled up most of the day, recording six sacks--three by Ken Harvey of California.

Each member of the North team was paid $1,750 for participating in the all-star game. Each member of the South team received $1,500.

Thurman Thomas of Oklahoma State, who rushed for 97 yards in 16 carries, was awarded a car for being named the game’s most valuable player.

Chandler and Bell each received an extra $1,000 for being voted the outstanding offensive players on their respective teams, and linebackers Ken Harvey of California and Aundray Bruce of Auburn got similar awards as their team’s outstanding defensive players.