East-West Shrine Game 2015 final score: Za’Darius Smith shines in 19-3 East win

It was slow-going in the first half, as kicker Marvin Kloss put up a 39-yard field goal in the first quarter, and then field goals of 30, 47 and 19 yards the rest of the way. The second half wound up only marginally more exciting than that, as both offenses struggled. The East team was already well ahead when they managed a touchdown with under a minute to go in the game.

Both the East and West defenses played well, to their credit, but it seemed like a lot of the issues on the offensive side of the ball were more due to a lack of execution than being hindered by the defense. At the very least, scouts got a good look at both kickers (Kloss, Niklas Sade) and both punters (Spencer Roth, Darragh O'Neill).

Coming into the game, there was one player in particular worth watching: Kentucky defensive end Za'Darius Smith. He wound up having a great game, though he didn't come away with monster stats. Smith looked fast off the snap, provided consistent pressure and sprung his teammates for multiple sacks. Anthony Chickillo of Miami is one of those players who benefited from Smith's strong play, turning in a solid game defensively.

Quarterback play was pretty lacking throughout the game, which made it hard to gauge other offensive players, like the wide receivers. Anthony Boone, Taylor Kelly, Dylan Thompson and Taylor Heinicke were among the quarterbacks who played, and none of them did their receivers any favors. All of the quarterbacks who played in this game stand a chance of not getting drafted.

Most will now be looking forward to the Senior Bowl, which is right around the corner, following this game and the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, which was also played on Saturday. The Senior Bowl will take place on Sat., Jan. 24.