MOBILE, Ala. -- A few things we learned from Saturday's Reese's Senior Bowl in a 20-10 win by the South squad:
1) Ford the week's big winner: Dee Ford is on another level as a prospect compared with just about anyone on either Senior Bowl roster. The Auburn defensive end probably helped his draft stock as much or more than any player, showing great first-step explosiveness off the edge all week in practice. Nothing changed when the lights came on.
2. Thomas' sack issues remain: Pocket presence remains an issue for Virginia Tech's Logan Thomas. The Cam-Newton-sized quarterback took as many sacks, five, as he had pass attempts. Credit him for being fearless in the pocket and seeking open receivers in the face of a rush, but at some point, he's got to learn to move within the pocket to buy himself an extra second of time to throw. He didn't do that Saturday.
3. Strong game by Borland: Wisconsin linebacker Chris Borland more than held his own against Senior Bowl-level competition. The 5-foot-11 fireplug made a game-high eight tackles and filled gaps between the tackles fearlessly. He made a tackle for loss and forced a fumble as well. The NFL Scouting Combine, where Borland's 40-yard dash will be the race of his life, figures to determine a lot about Borland's draft status.
Senior Bowl honors
Biggest game among the small-school prospects: Has to be Princeton defensive tackle Caraun Reid, who registered a pair of sacks on back-to-back plays in the third quarter against quarterback Logan Thomas of Virginia Tech. Reid helped himself a great deal in practice this week, showing the strength, size and power to fit nicely in an NFL 4-3 scheme.
Posterized: Miami offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson had a game to forget, allowing pressure around the edge get to the North quarterbacks. He had trouble with several rushers, primarily Dee Ford. North coach Mike Smith (Atlanta Falcons) had a quote that would make Henderson cringe: "This film is going to be scrutinized more than any tape they put out there."
Toughest throw of the day: David Fales' over-the-shoulder sideline completion to Vanderbilt's Jordan Matthews in the fourth quarter was a thing of beauty, and probably the most impressive completion of the night. Matthews, for his part, made a nice adjustment on the 33-yard reception, the longest of the day by either club.
Almost had it: Nebraska cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste just missed an interception in the first half. "I jumped a slant route, and I should have had it," said Jean-Baptiste, who drew a comparison to Seahawks star cornerback Richard Sherman from NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt early in the week. "That's a play I would normally make."
Good practice week, tough game: Georgia tight end Arthur Lynch had an outstanding week of practice and helped his draft stock but never really got involved in the South squad passing attack in making just one catch for 1 yard.
Tough practice week, good game: Auburn cornerback Chris Davis had some issues in coverage during the practice week, with two scouts noting to College Football 24/7 that he was holding receivers downfield too much, but he came up with one of three interceptions by the South squad, followed by a nifty return of 17 yards.
Best game by a late-arriving alternate: Colorado State tight end Crockett Gillmore only got one full practice in, plus a walk-through, but managed to pull in game-highs in catches (five) and yards (61), plus the first touchdown of the game.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
