MOBILE, Ala. — The Senior Bowl is like any other all-star game. It caters more to the fans than scouts, with coaches more concerned with divvying up playing time than actually winning the game.

That doesn’t mean that scouts weren’t watching the North’s 34-13 victory on Saturday. They want to see if the players who stood out all week during the practices can carry it over to the game itself.

There was brilliant running from the backs Saturday, showing off the depth of this year’s remarkable crop at that position. A number of small-school prospects at various positions proved they belonged with standout performances.

Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah, an Alabama native, was named the Senior Bowl MVP. He led the North in rushing with 73 yards on seven carries and in receiving with four catches for 40 yards, giving him a game-high 113 all-purpose yards.

“It was a fun game against some of the best players in college football with a lot of talent and guys you’ll see make a lot of money one day in the NFL,” Abdullah said. “It was surreal being back in Alabama for my last game. You couldn’t ask for a better story. I left Alabama for Nebraska and now I played my last college game here.”

Yale running back/fullback Tyler Varga rushed for 31 yards and two touchdowns on four carries and Minnesota running back David Cobb ran for 69 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries for the North.

Northern Iowa running back David Johnson scored on a 19-yard run for the South’s first touchdown. Johnson and Auburn running back Cameron Artis-Payne led South rushers with 10 carries for 43 yards each.

The North opened a 10-7 lead at halftime after a 10-yard touchdown pass from Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion to Notre Dame tight end Ben Koyack in the second quarter.

Louisiana-Monroe kicker Justin Manton converted a 24-yard field goal for the South to make it 10-10 in the third quarter before the North scored 17 straight points to take a 27-10 lead. After another Manton field goal, Varga closed out the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown run with 1:46 left.

Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty was 9 of 13 for 123 yards and one interception for the North. Colorado State quarterback Garrett Grayson was 8 of 15 for 118 yards for the South.

Iowa defensive tackle Carl Davis was named Practice Player of the Week.

Rob Rang (@robrang) contributed to this report. He is a senior analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, owned by The Sports Xchange and distributed in partnership with CBSSports.com.