Charleston, S.C. -- A tornado couldn’t stop a vortex of spectators from attending the Medal of Honor Bowl, at the Johnson Hagood Memorial Stadium, in Charleston, S.C., Jan. 11.
The bowl was host to the American team, coached by Coach Ralph Friedgen, former University of Maryland Head Coach, and the National team, coached by Chan Gailey, former head coach for the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills.
The American team got on the board on its first drive when Solomon Patton, wide receiver for the University of Florida Gators, took the ball for 33 yards on a reverse play. Danny O’Brien, quarterback for the Catawba College Indians, then ran the ball on the final play into the end zone giving his team a 6-0, lead.
The National team responded at the start of the second quarter when Corey Robinson, quarterback for the Troy University Trojans, completed two passes bringing the team 28 yards down the field. That set up Drew Basil, kicker for the Ohio State University Buckeyes, to make a 40-yard field goal making the score 6-3.
The National team fumbled a punt at midfield which Marcus Whitfield, linebacker for the University of Maryland Terrapins, recovered. The Americans took advantage, using a 26-yard pass from Joe Clancy, quarterback for the Merrimack College Warriors, to Patton to set up a 19-yard touchdown run by Dee J. Adams, tailback for the Portland State Vikings, to make it 13-3 after a field goal with eight minutes left in the second quarter.
A 16-yard run by Colin Lockett, wide receiver for the San Diego State University Aztecs, and a 15-yard pass from Clancy to Patton helped the team drive 51 yards toward the end zone. This set up Adams to make the final touchdown of the game bringing the score to 20-3 two minutes into the fourth quarter.
Patton is credited with 98 yards that set up all three American team touchdowns for a 20-3 victory against the National team. Patton caught three passes for 50 yards, had a rush for 33 and returned a kickoff for 15 more to earn the American Most Valuable Player honors. Deron Furr, safety for the University of Memphis Tigers, earned the MVP honors for the National team for making six tackles, including a shared sack, and two pass deflections.
The Medal of Honor Bowl is a premier all-star game featuring the nation’s top draft-eligible college football players as projected for the NFL draft. The game honors Medal of Honor recipients, some of whom attended and were recognized before the game, and the game’s beneficiaries, the Medal of Honor Museum Foundation and the Wounded Warrior Project.