The chilly, steady rains that plagued the early part of Senior Bowl week returned for Saturday’s game, and for the San Francisco 49ers-led South team, they were an apt metaphor in a 27-0 loss that sent much of the fans scurrying for warmth and a roof by the third quarter.

Notes from the game …

… All week, we watched the North team work on the reverse with a myriad of wideouts serving as the ballcarrier. Less than two minutes into Saturday’s game, it was Washington State’s Jason Hill who pulled it off, sprinting 35 yards up the left sideline to set up the North’s first touchdown. Click here to watch the play …

… Hill was one of the stars of the day, snaring a 7-yard touchdown pass from Troy Smith 8:17 into the third quarter to turn the game into a rout …

… The reverse met with much less success in the third quarter; Brandon Myles lost 12 yards after failing to secure the handoff; he would eventually fall on the errant football.

… Alabama State cornerback Michael Coe showed up on Thursday was beaten for and intercepted a Drew Stanton pass in the end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter, but was also left lunging after East Carolina’s Aundrae Allison when the receiver grabbed a touchdown reception that put the North up 17-0 …

… Adam Carriker was the Nebraska defensive lineman who had onlookers buzzing this week, but it was fellow Cornhusker Jay Moore who had a game-leading three sacks, two of which caused Chris Leak to fumble. The North team defense logged eight sacks — all by defensive linemen (three for Moore, two for Kenny Patterson, one each for Quinn Pitcock, Amobi Akoye and Brandon Mebane) …

…MVPs:
Game MVP: RB Tony Hunt, Penn State — 39 yards on eight carries and a touchdown; 13 yards on two receptions.
North Offensive MVP: QB Drew Stanton, Michigan State — 8-of-12 for 53 yards and a touchdown with an interception.
North Defensive MVP: DB Leon Hall, Michigan — Four tackles and a pass defensed.
South Offensive MVP: OL Ben Grubbs, Auburn.
South Defensive MVP: LB Patrick Willis, Mississippi — A game-leading 11 total tackles (seven solo) and a forced fumble.

And with that, a soggy au revoir from the home of the nation’s original Mardi Gras celebration.

Director of player personnel Jim Goodman has been coming to the Senior Bowl every year since he joined the Broncos in 1998. He watches all the practices and disseminates the games, but one area that pays close attention to is special teams.

“For some of these guys, it’s their first time playing on special teams in a while,” Goodman said.

The more you can do as a player, the better — and the greater your chances of contributing are. And Brian Leonard, one of the sparkplugs behind Rutgers’ recent football revival, has already figured this out, working at tailback, fullback and on special teams.

“I’m just thinking versatility,” Leonard said.

To that end, Leonard dropped 14 pounds from his playing weight last year, checking into Mobile at a fighting-trim 224 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame. Such a rapid decrease led to questions when NFL teams cornered him throughout the week.

“They always ask about my weight, why I dropped so much weight,” Leonard said. “It’s because I wanted to show how versatile I am.

I figured if I came in at 238, I’d play fullback and I’d be lead-blocking every play. But now (at 224 pounds) they gave me a chance at tailback.”

Leonard took on a secondary ball-carrying role as a senior, ceding primary duties to Ray Rice as the Scarlet Knights completed their finest season in decades. Leonard sacrificed his own statistics for the betterment of the team; his 717 yards from scrimmage last fall were the fewest of his career, as he’d notched at least 1,250 yards from scrimmage in the 2003, 2004 and 2005 campaigns. But when Rice rampaged through defenses for 1,794 rushing yards and Rutgers earned its highest-ever season-ending ranking (No. 12), Leonard’s move was justified. Now, he’s finding out that his year as primarily a blocking fullback could make him a finer NFL tailback.

“It’s made me a better tailback, because the power, strength and center of gravity you (develop) can be used to block people — and make powerful runs, too,” Leonard said. “Short-yardage, goal-line — you’ve got to get underneath the defender.”

And in what is sure to be music to the ears of NFL teams, Leonard has no preference which backfield slot he plays. The weight can go back on just as it came off.

“If a team wants me to play fullback in the NFL, I’ll bulk up to 238, 242 (pounds),” Leonard said. ” Wherever they need me, I’ll play.”

All that’s missing from the Senior Bowl is, well, the top members of the junior class, 40 of whom chose to declare for the NFL Draft this month.

A year ago, that group could have included Virginia Tech wide receiver David Clowney.

Wednesday morning, Clowney drew notice in his work for the North team with some acrobatic receptions in one-on-one work, catching “every ball that came my way,” he said after the practice. But had he decided differently when he investigated the early-entry possibilities a year earlier, he might already be in his first full NFL offseason.

The NFL offers such players a chance for feedback before they make their decision, consulting with a panel of scouts to determine where each player might be drafted were they to declare early eligibility. That word was promising for Clowney, but he still opted to stay as Tech broke in a new quarterback in Sean Glennon.

“They had me late second, early third (round),” Clowney recalled. “In the preseason, they had me (on the) borderline between the first and second rounds.

“I knew I had the speed and athletic ability to *turn pro early), but I wanted to be mentally ready. I was well-prepared for the draft, but I wanted to also get my degree.”

His choice underscores a curious dichotomy of the pre-draft process, particularly at the Senior Bowl, where 50 players work together as teammates for a week. While they go through the process of preparing for their final game in collegiate headgear, they bond as teammates, but foremost in many minds is the impression each can make as individuals upon the scouts and coaches that encircle the practice field.

From here, the process is strictly individual — 40-yard dashes, short shuttles, squats, bench presses and so on. Being a good teammate is part of the equation each team takes into account, but when Saturday’s game is complete, it becomes all about the individual until draft weekend arrives.

Clowney made his choice, and with his studies complete and the draft approaching, he has no regrets about his extra year. But after playing the dutiful role of the good teammate throughout his four years with the Hokies, now he — and the hundreds of other draft prospects — must show their wares as individuals before ensconcing themselves in a team environment once again after they learn their NFL destinations.

One of the standouts for the South team Tuesday afternoon was Florida State tailback Lorenzo Booker, who displayed some shiftiness and speed on a slew of open-field runs during the afternoon practice. Booker’s efforts Tuesday after an often-flummoxing college career might have been surprising to some, but not to college teammate Buster Davis.

“The thing about it is, he was never given the opportunity to be that feature guy,” Davis said. “But you saw when he was that feature guy in that UCLA game (the Emerald Bowl). What happened?”

What happened was stunning to many observers, as Booker — who had season totals of 552 and 525 yards in his junior and senior years, respectively — rampaged through the Bruins for 208 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.

“He looked like the best running back in the country and that’s what he is,” Davis said. “When he comes out for pro ball he’s going to be one of the best that comes out of this draft. He has that mindset. He wants to be the best. You saw that in the UCLA game. He’s going to be very special.

“As long as he gets that opportunity he’s always going to be a special player.”

Davis’ ebullient praise of his teammate aside, all here in Mobile are on the prowl to find the magic that will make them special. A few harnessed that during Wednesday’s practice:

DL Antonio Johnson, Mississippi State: During lineman drills, he faced off against Auburn’s Tim Duckworth and started inauspiciously, jumping before the snap. After he repositioned himself, he promptly schooled his former SEC rival, veering inside with a spin move that knocked Duckworth off balance and sent him flying away. The two lined up again seconds later, and Johnson got his right arm up to move past Duckworth, who responded by pushing him to the ground just after he’d worked his way around the outside.

LB Patrick Willis, Mississippi: Intercepted one pass and returned another that Miami safety Brandon Meriweather had procured; the former Hurricane pitched an alert Willis the football for a long return during seven-on-seven work.

WR Dwayne Bowe, LSU: Had the catch of the day with a leaping grab of a high toss near the sideline, Bowe got just enough of his fingers on the football in mid-air to tip it to himself as he landed with his right knee inbounds.

LB Rufus Alexander, Oklahoma: Seemed to be ubiquitous in nine-on-seven work from his outside linebacker slot, finding his way to the ballcarrier even when multiple offensive linemen blocked his path.

Good night from a chilly Mobile. Talk to you Wednesday.

A warm good afternoon to you from today’s between-practice pit stop, a Panera Bread with blessedly free wireless Internet access in western Mobile, about 15 minutes’ drive from Ladd-Peebles Stadium. We’re currently working on a story, some video and a photo gallery to be completed following the South team’s practice this afternoon and the early evening media session to follow.

For now, though, here’s a few notes on the doings from the North team session, which finished a couple of hours ago:

Purdue’s Anthony Spencer is listed as a defensive end and as a linebacker. He worked with the down linemen today and got the better of most of his one-on-one duels. In particular, he lined up at right defensive end opposite Penn State tackle Levi Brown and simply sprinted by him to the outside, barely giving the Nittany Lion a chance to react.

Tempers momentarily flared when everal offensive and defensive linemen, including Louisville’s Amobi Okoye, got into a little bit of a donnybrook at the morning practice shortly after a whistle was blown. West Virginia offensive lineman Dan Mozes also got into an ever-so-slight exchange of shoves with Ohio State defensive lineman David Patterson during the one-on-one work.

Texas Tech guard Manuel Ramriez held his own against Okoye and other defensive linemen; the 6-foot-4, 329-pounder showed good balance in his one-on-one duels and didn’t let a single defensive lineman blow by him in that portion of the practice session.

In the course of shooting video of the practice, I kept finding reasons to notice Brian Leonard, the former Rutgers back who is probably most noted for moving to fullback as a senior so Ray Rice could handle tailback duties during the Scarlet Knights’ magical run to a top-15 finish. Leonard worked at tailback Tuesday, but also showed his persistence as a blocker, particularly in a one-on-one drill where he wrestled Michigan linebacker David Harris to the ground after the defender sprinted into him.

That’s it for now … more later today.

Greetings from damp and chilly Mobile, Ala., where rain and a slight north breeze turned what might have been a pleasant 53-degree afternoon into a potentially illness-inducing experience that left players and observers shivering and sent me reaching for the Tylenol and zinc supplements upon my return to the hotel after a 90-minute practice session.

Such conditions, though, are a part of football, and perhaps no players possess a greater appreciation for a little meterological misery than linemen. And, to be certain, no players have to adapt more, since so much of their efforts are based around using footing to gain leverage.

That was the test Monday for the seventeen South team players that I watched in “The Pit,” the area of the practice field around which many coaches and scouts congregate to capture an up-close view of the linemen’s duels, foraging for nuances that television broadcasts and tape study cannot necessarily reveal.

On this day, persistence was rewarded, because even the finest footwork could still result in a slip-slide around the dampened grass. Thus, how well could a player maintain his leverage and balance — particularly when playing to stand his ground and not to drive forward, as the offensive linemen did throughout the drills?

The answer proved to be not well, as slippage proved to be the watchword of the day. But that proved to be revealing, particularly for linemen like N.C. State’s Tank Tyler and Clemson center Dustin Fry, who maintained their balance against each other.

Quite often, the 49ers coaches would pair the same two linemen against each other on back-to-back snaps, affording observers an opportunity to see how the vanquished would respond with a second opportunity. Some, like Fry, made the most of it; he responded after getting beaten by Tyler by holding his own against the 310-pound defensive tackle, even though Tyler managed to push him back a few yards in the process. The two grappled once again in another linemen session, and again, the same set of circumstances transpired; Tyler slammed into Fry, breaking into the backfield once, but getting held off on the second try.

So it went throughout the afternoon. One player beat another, and the vanquished foe bounced back, as happened with Texas right tackle Justin Blalock and Florida defensive lineman Ray McDonald.

There were times when the pattern broke as it did with Miami defensive end Kareem Brown who used the second chance to finish the task left undone in the first. N.C. State’s Leroy Harris slipped and held him out of the backfield on the first try, but couldn’t contain him on the second go-’round.

More from the first day of practice is in the notebook, which you can read by clicking here.

Later in the week, I’ll get into the details of our wacky journey here that didn’t finally end until 7 p.m. tonight when our bags with cameras, tapes, microphones, clothes and other necessary accoutrements finally arrived, some 35 hours after we made it to Denver International Airport for a Sunday morning flight.

For now, it’s time to sleep. Next practice is in eight hours, and the alarm clock bleats in five and a half. We’ll be there.