If you were a Husker fan tuning in to Saturday’s Senior Bowl, the Tanner Lee portion of the proceedings may have felt somewhat familiar. The former Nebraska quarterback showed flashes of his remarkable arm talent, but also had two turnovers to complicate matters.
A late add to the North roster as a replacement for Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph, Lee was the third quarterback in the game for the North behind Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield and Wyoming’s Josh Allen. He led the final three drives of the first half, and was 4-of-9 passing for 38 yards at halftime.
Allen led two touchdown drives in the second half before giving way to Lee again with 41 seconds remaining in the third quarter. What followed were a rough 34 seconds of game clock. After a South touchdown, Lee and the North took over at its own 25, where Lee was sacked and stripped by Ole Miss defensive end Marquis Haynes. UTSA’s Marcus Davenport returned the fumble for a touchdown. Three plays later, Lee was intercepted by South Alabama safety Jeremy Reaves.
The South would score on its next possession to provide the final 45-16 margin. Lee finished the game 8-of-19 for 86 yards, but perhaps more dangerous than the stat line was the play of the other quarterbacks. Allen, considered a first-round pick, was named MVP for the North after going 9-for-13 for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He and Lee aren’t really competing in the same weight class, but two other middle-to-late round quarterbacks had good days.
South quarterback Kyle Lauletta (Richmond) earned game MVP honors after completing 8-of-12 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns. Western Kentucky quarterback Mike White was almost as good, completing 8-of-11 throws for 128 yards and a touchdown. NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah listed the pair among his players who helped their stock on Saturday alongside Allen.
Expect to hear a lot about Lauletta and White in the weeks to come, even in a crowded quarterback draft class. Lee? He’s got some ground to make up.
Huskers Make the Cut for 3-Star CB
In our current poll asking readers which of Nebraska’s remaining targets is the most important to land, 3-star cornerback Taiyon Palmer from Lawrenceville, Georgia, isn’t anywhere close to the lead. But the Huskers are close to lead for Palmer, who tweeted his final group on Sunday:
https://twitter.com/__TLP3/status/957791482580295684
Guess there will be a little signing-day drama for the Huskers. I have Palmer pretty high on my list of potential Nebraska prospects based on his position. Cornerbacks are always tough to find, and Nebraska has some questions to answer in 2018 at that spot. I don’t know that Palmer would provide the immediate answer to any of those, but it would be nice to have that option.
The Grab Bag
- Sam Khan Jr. of ESPN on Texas recruiting, which has become its own "ecosystem." Good read.
- Here's an updated mock draft after the Senior Bowl.
- Interesting multi-part series from Ian Boyd on positionless football. (Part 1, Part 2)
- ICYMI: Busy weekend on this here site, featuring men's and women's basketball, women's gymnastics, wrestling, recruiting and baseball.
Today's Song of Today
Brandon is the Managing Editor for Hail Varsity and has covered Nebraska athletics for the magazine and web since 2012, Hail Varsity’s first season on the scene. His sports writing has also been featured by Fox Sports, The Guardian and CBS Sports.
