Williams, Scott happy with Senior moments

MOBILE, Ala. - Even though the South squad lost 31-13 in the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Saturday, the University of Tennessee's Dan Williams and Chris Scott felt they were still winners.

Both said they felt good about their performances despite coming out on the losing end. While Williams didn't exactly set the world on fire with individual stats (one tackle, one assist, and one deflected pass), he still felt that he had some good moments.

Asked about how his performance in the game helped his chances in the NFL draft, Williams said: "I don't think it was just the game, but the whole week that helped me a lot. I don't know if I answered any questions, and I know there are some things I could have done better, but overall, I think I did well this week."

Scott added: "I think I did very well today and helped myself out. I got a lot of looks at right tackle, which is a position that a lot of coaches say that I'm supposed to be playing at the next level. I think I did my part.

"This was my first time playing in a while, and all I needed to do was get comfortable. That's something that I'm going back into my training at that position so I can start working on it some more and get ready at the next level."

Both Scott and Williams had different results in their first series. Although Scott held his own on the first South offensive series, especially on pass plays, Williams got a slow start in the 4-3 scheme. He especially had trouble early on against the North's Mike Iupati of Idaho. who at 6-foot-6, 345 pounds, dwarfed Williams, who stood 6-3, 327.

"Everybody was good out here," said Williams. "They made you up your level of competition. You're working hard, you're trying to fight off blocks. Everybody's out here competing, and we're showing the NFL scouts what we can do."

As for his battle with Iupati, Williams laughed and said: "I don't think he (Iupati) got the best of me and all that - we'll have to watch the film on that one. But he's a good player and he's very well respected, so it was fun to go against good competition."

Williams, though, came on a little bit late in the first half, batting down a pass on the first play of the North's third possession, and flushing Cincinnati's Tony Pike out of the pocket.

"I guess we had all the pre-game butterflies or whatever you want to call it, but for the most part, we had to kind of warm up because we had a little rotation going," Williams said. "Coach (Kacy) Rodgers (Miami Dolphins defensive line coach and former Tennessee Vol) told us to make the most of our plays, so we calmed down and got into a nice little rhythm as a defensive line.

"I was just trying to play football, because it was an all-star game and I was trying to enjoy myself and show the guys that I could play football at the same time."

Scott threw a key block on Florida's Tim Tebow's pass for a first down during the South's second possession. His size proved to be especially beneficial later on, particularly on the South's touchdown drive with time running out in the first half.

Teaming up with Miami tight end Jimmy Graham, Scott successfully picked up Cal's Tyson Alualu on several pass rush attempts, and looked strong pass blocking on Zac Robinson's 19-yard touchdown pass to Alabama's Colin Peek.

"It was something that we had practiced on all week, so when you're doing it in practice you can be successful in the game," said Scott. "I'll be seeing a lot of linebackers (rushing). This is just a little start for a big future of mine, hopefully for years to come."

Cox Snaps: While Williams and Scott were battling in the trenches, another Tennessee player, Morgan Cox, was the South squad's long snapper.

On all three punt attempts by East Carolina's Matt Dodge, Cox snapped the ball cleanly. He also had excellent snaps on both field goals by Alabama's Leigh Tiffin, and added a solo tackle.

Arthur Mack is a freelance contributor.