MOBILE, Ala. – University of Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2012 Senior Bowl, Saturday after totaling 129 all-purpose yards inside Ladd Peebles Stadium.
“A win caps off the week," Pead said. "You want to go in and practice hard, interview well and meet fans, but going away with a loss – as a competitor – I wouldn’t like that. We’re all out here competing and for the North side to come in and get a win caps off everything. I got everything I wanted out of this week. I got good work done at practice and I got a win for this game."
It was a record-setting day for the reigning BIG EAST Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Pead surpassed J.D. Hill of Arizona State as the Senior Bowl’s all-time leader in punt return yardage with 98 on the day. The previous record of 73 had stood since 1971. He also added 31 rushing yards.
Pead adds to his list of accolades which include: 2011 BIG EAST Conference Offensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-BIG EAST running back and 2011 AutoZone Liberty Bowl MVP. He led the conference with 1,259 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.
Defensive tackle Derek Wolfe also played in the game for the North squad.
Wolfe was the BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-BIG EAST selection at defensive tackle. He was also named to five All-America teams. He led the BIG EAST and ranked fifth in the NCAA FBS, averaging 1.65 tackles for a loss per game. He was third in the league averaging nearly a sack per contest. He finished with 21.5 tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks.
With Pead and Wolfe’s participation in the game, 33 former Bearcats have played in the annual showcase for the NFL.
Former wideout/returner Mardy Gilyard was the Offensive Player of the Game in 2010 and former UC signal caller Jack Lee was the MVP of the 1960 Senior Bowl.
