By Chadd Cripe
ccripe@idahostatesman.com
© 2012 Idaho Statesman

MOBILE, Ala. — Here are some Boise State highlights from the Wednesday morning Senior Bowl practice by the North team, in full pads:

Kellen Moore: He didn’t throw to wide receivers nearly as much as Tuesday. His 1-on-1 session was with the running backs and tight ends. In 7-on-7, he was 2-for-3. The first pass was a smart check-down throw to Doug Martin, who made a big gain. On the incompletion, it appeared the receiver stopped when Moore expected him to keep running. Chemistry between quarterbacks and receivers is an obvious issue this week. In team, Moore was 2-for-3. His two completions came on rollouts, and the second one was a nicely timed out route about 15 yards downfield, the type of throw some question whether he can make. The incompletion was on a throw downfield. It sailed over the receiver’s head, which has been an issue for Moore all week on vertical routes. It seems like he’s expecting the receivers to be quicker out of their breaks than they are.

Doug Martin: Martin looks like one of the best players on the field at all times. In every drill, he shines. He made three catches in the 1-on-1 passing drills, including two against Shea McClellin. Two of the catches were down the sideline. He also broke a long run in the team session. “That’s exactly what I want to show these guys, my versatility as a back,” Martin said.

Shea McClellin: He’s playing inside linebacker this week, and he says that’s partly by his choice. The Vikings offered to let him play more end/outside linebacker, but he likes getting exposed to inside linebacker and having scouts see him play there. He’s working with former Bears star and San Franciscco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary, which helps. At the beginning of practice, Singletary coached McClellin through an agility drill. “You’re getting better today! You’re getting better today!” he told McClellin. “I had a lot of tape at D-end, I had a lot of tape at outside backer,” McClellin said. “I think it’s good for me to showcase my inside-backer skills.”

Billy Winn: He got his helmet knocked off on the first play of run-game practice, but he still got penetration. It’s a difficult position for me to evaluate but a couple of NFL Draft websites reported that they were impressed with Winn after an unimpressive showing Tuesday. As a reader noted below, here's what ESPN's Todd McShay tweeted about Winn today: "DT Billy Winn stood out on Wed. Best day yet and better than much of '11 tape I've seen.Quick hands.Owned Wis OG Zeitler on a couple 1on1's."

George Iloka: He never had a chance to make a play on the ball Wednesday, but he continues to stand out with his range and athleticism. Vikings defensive backs coach Joe Woods said he’s emphasizing some of the techniques that will help Iloka combat the challenges of his height (6-foot-3). “When you’re a tall guy, you have to learn leverage, balance. You have to learn how to bend, learn how to transition, learn how to open your hips,” Woods said. “When you’re a big body and you have length and you can cover grass, it’s a definite advantage for us.” Charles Davis of the NFL Network said Iloka’s combination of size and speed will make him valuable to defenses trying to combat mismatches created by quick slot receivers and big-bodied tight ends. “I know he played corner down the stretch (this past season),” Davis said. “He fits what I’m talking about if he can truly cover those guys.”

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The following are some notes that didn’t make today’s paper. Today’s stories are available here and here.

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Florida running back Chris Rainey, asked about the power of the South’s defensive line, forecast doom for the North.

“That’s a big line,” he said. “There are some great guys. I’m glad to be part of this. I just know it’s going to be a blowout this Saturday.”

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Boise State’s Kellen Moore and the North quarterbacks struggled with snaps Tuesday. And there’s an easy explanation — center attrition.

The North has lost two centers to injuries. That leaves Ohio State center Michael Brewster, a four-year starter, and Wisconsin’s Kevin Zeitler, an All-American guard, snapping the ball.

The North added Rishaw Johnson of California University in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night. The Ole Miss transfer is a guard.

“The bottom line is we’ve got to get them no matter what,” Moore said of the snaps. “We’ll continue to work through this.”

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Only two of the six Football Bowl Subdivision schools in the Northwest are represented at the Senior Bowl, but they have a combined eight players. The other three are from Washington — running back Chris Polk, defensive lineman Alameda Ta’amu and offensive lineman Senio Kelemete.

The only other Mountain West player is San Diego State quarterback Ryan Lindley, who was added when Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill withdrew with an injury. WAC participants include linebackers Bobby Wagner (Utah State) and James-Michael Johnson (Nevada) and running back Lennon Creer (Louisiana Tech).

The South team is loaded with Southeastern Conference players. The league contributed 22 prospects, and the rest of the roster features stars from talent-rich schools like Texas, Oklahoma State, Florida State and North Carolina.

Only two of the Heisman Top 10 are here — Moore (eighth) and Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson (ninth). The only other senior in the top 10 was Houston quarterback Case Keenum (seventh).

Among the consensus All-Americans at the game are kicker Randy Bullock (Texas A&M), wide receiver/return specialist Joe Adams (Arkansas) and defensive lineman Melvin Ingram (South Carolina), all of whom play for the South.