NFLPA Collegiate Bowl 2016 final score: National team kicks 6 field goals to win, 18-17

The 2016 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl didn’t have the prettiest football, but it was a good chance for a handful of fringe NFL Draft prospects to get their names out there. The National team didn’t score a single touchdown, but six field goals was enough to finish the comeback and get the 18-17 win over the American team.

The American team got on the board first, with Utah quarterback Travis Wilson leading his offense on a long 12-play drive that ultimately ended in a field goal. TCU star Trevone Boykin got the start for the National team but threw an interception to San Jose State’s Jimmy Pruitt on his first drive. American cashed in on the turnover with a bruising 4-yard touchdown run by Jacobi Green, who hails from FCS school William & Mary.

National got into American territory thanks to some nice runs by Bowling Green’s Travis Greene and South Carolina’s Brandon Wilds. Boykin added a couple of scrambles himself, but the drive stalled out in the red zone and National had to settle for a field goal.

National’s next drive was kept alive when head coach Mike Martz elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 from midfield, and Wilds turned it into an 18-yard gain on a pitch to the outside. They couldn’t find the end zone again, but Missouri kicker Andrew Baggett had a chance to show off his leg, nailing a 50-yard field goal and cutting American’s lead to 10-6.

Boykin was replaced by Northwestern State’s Steven Rivers, who led his team on an efficient drive that included a well-executed 23-yard pass to Washington’s Jaydon Mickens. Mickens got himself open on a crossing route to pick up another first down, showing some good open-field burst. He later finished the job with a 12-yard touchdown catch, extending American’s lead to seven points.

National could only manage another field goal at the end of the second quarter, but Ohio Northern’s Devon Price made the play of the day, securing a catch between his knees.

American went into halftime leading, 17-9. Baggett tried to get his fourth field goal of the day with a 54-yard attempt, but the kick fell short. Duke wide receiver Max McCaffery made an impressive play for American, grabbing a tipped pass that was nearly intercepted. However, two plays later Liberty quarterback Josh Woodrum fumbled the snap and tried to pick up the ball instead of falling on it, leading to a recovery for National.

With Southern Utah quarterback Ammon Olsen in the game, National marched down the field on another methodical drive. But once again, the offense couldn’t do anything in the red zone, leading to a fourth field goal for Baggett. National continued to make a comeback by a thousand paper cuts, getting a fifth field goal from Baggett to cut the deficit to two points.

Things went from bad to worse for American when Woodrum was stripped-sacked on a scramble, giving the ball right back to National. This led to -- you guessed it -- another field goal by Baggett, giving National its first lead of the game. Poor quarterback play continued to plague the American team, which was forced to punt on its next drive.

American got one of its final chances to take the lead back, getting the ball near midfield with under four minutes to go. But they failed to convert a fourth down, effectively sealing the game for the National team.

Boykin was the biggest name in this game, making his first on-field appearance since getting suspended for TCU’s bowl game following an arrest. He didn’t make much of an impact, playing on just the first drive and finishing with 1-of-3 passing for 6 yards and an interception.

Olsen was National’s leading passer with 71 yards on 7-of-13 passing. Rivers led the way for American with 96 yards and a touchdown on 11-of-17 passing.