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The East crushed the West 25-0 in the 100th East-West Shrine Bowl, which took place Thursday in AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.
The bowl annually highlights some of college football’s pro prospects en route to the NFL draft. In recent years, NFL stars such as San Francisco 49ers running back Brock Purdy, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers and Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco have participated in the contest.
This year, Arizona running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt led the East with 97 rushing yards and two scores on just 11 carries.
On defense, East showed no mercy. South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back O’Donnell Fortune took a 65-yard interception to the house for six. That helped the East take a 22-0 halftime lead.
The defensive dominance continued in the second half, with the highlight being a one-handed interception from Ole Miss defensive lineman JJ Pegues.
Colorado safety Shilo Sanders also impressed for East, making plays in the secondary and helping his team pitch a shutout. He played quite well in coverage and served an integral role in the defense’s dominance.
He and Croskey-Merritt got much recognition from fans during this big win.
Stealth Bomb!! @sbthap
SWAC Alum Jacory Croskey-Merritt is balling!!#shrinebowl
Nicole Hutchison @nhutchisontv
RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt (Arizona)
So far i like him. 13:29 left in the 2Q and he already has 6 caries for 61 yards averaging 10.2 and 1 TD. H’es got speed (easily the fastest on the field when he’s on) & dangerous in space.
-Hadn’t played much in 2024, but in the one game he…
Z 🇿🇦🇹🇭 @calfkickzach
Jacory Croskey Merritt is electric. In a stacked RB class he will be serverlet undervalued because of eligibility issues this year. Still cracks my top 20 at RB. Wish Arizona was able to have this guy this season. #ShrineBowl #EastWest
Melanie Friedlander @Girlsurgeon
Jacory Croskey-Merritt is a true 3 down back. He is one of my favorite @ShrineBowl players this year.
Justin LaSalata @justinlasalata
RB Croskey-Merritt making a strong case for game MVP.
Dude is balling tonight. #ShrineBowl #NFLDraft
Mike Zimmelman @MZimmel
Nice job by Shilo Sanders cutting that route to tip Cam Miller’s pass. #EastWestShrineBowl
College football showcases will continue Saturday with the Senior Bowl from Mobile, Alabama.
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