Nevada’s Rowe plays crucial role as West topples East

HOUSTON – Nevada quarterback Jeff Rowe put a bowl loss behind him with two second-quarter scoring drives.

Rowe threw two touchdown passes Saturday night – one a 79-yarder – to help the West beat the East 21-3 in the 82nd East-West Shrine Game.

“I was just really relaxed,” said Rowe, the game’s offensive Most Valuable Player. “It being an All-Star game, I was just here to have fun and the offense was simple.”

Rowe, who completed nearly 65 percent of his passes to become one of the top quarterbacks in the Western Athletic Conference, wrapped up his career at Nevada three weeks ago with a loss to Miami in the MPC Computers Bowl.

“This is a good way to cap off my senior year after losing that bowl,” said Rowe, who completed 4 of 9 passes for 115 yards.

With the West ahead 14-3 late in the first half, Rowe found Fresno State’s Paul Williams running down the right sideline as defensive back Kenny Scott of Georgia Tech fell about midfield. Williams hauled in the pass at about the East 40 and sprinted into the end zone. It was the second-longest TD pass in Shrine history.