HOUSTON — Marlon Lucky made the most of his rare moments in the spotlight in the East-West Shrine Game.

The Nebraska running back rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and the East defense stopped the West three times inside the 10-yard line to secure a 24-19 win yesterday in the annual showcase for college all-stars hoping to make an impression on NFL scouts.

Lucky was only the Cornhuskers' second-leading rusher this season, splitting carries with Roy Helu Jr. and Quentin Castille. By season's end, Lucky was third on the depth chart and needed a good performance yesterday to help his chances of playing in the pros.

"It was a big one for me," said Lucky, voted the game's Offensive MVP. "I didn't have a strong year and to just come out and play my game and show what I can do, I seized the opportunity. Now it's back to training."

Javarris Williams and Tyrell Sutton had touchdown runs for the East. Tom Brandstater and Stephen McGee threw touchdown passes for the West.

Brandstater threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Mike Thomas with 8:11 left in the third quarter to cut the East lead to 17-13. Early in the drive, Brandstater converted a third down with a 28-yard pass to tight end Bear Pascoe, his Fresno State teammate.

The East was aided by a pass interference penalty on its next series and backup quarterback Brian Hoyer threw a 20-yard pass to Penn State's Deon Butler to set up first-and-goal. Sutton, who played at Northwestern, finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.

McGee, who missed most of his last season at Texas A&M with a sprained shoulder, threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Jarett Dillard with 14:07 left in the game. Dillard finished his career at nearby Rice with an NCAA record 60 touchdown receptions. He dropped a pass from McGee on the 2-point conversion try.

Central Washington quarterback Mike Reilly replaced McGee for the West's final drive and moved his team inside the 10. Under a heavy pass rush on fourth down, Reilly's last-ditch pass to Marko Mitchell sailed out of bounds with 1:55 left.

"It was a great stand for us," said East linebacker Mike Tauliili, the Defensive MVP after recording a game-high 13 tackles. "It was a great atmosphere playing with the best of the best."

The East won for the first time since 2005 and set the tone with an early goal-line stand.

Gartrell Johnson, Colorado State's leading rusher the past three seasons, broke a 39-yard run on the West's first possession, and a 12-yard pass from Brandstater to Thomas set up first-and-goal.

But West fullback Jorvorskie Lane, who set a Texas A&M record with 49 career rushing touchdowns, was stopped three times inside the 5-yard line and the East took over at its own 1.

Hoyer replaced East starter Chase Daniel late in the first quarter. He eluded West defensive end Michael Bennett and threw a 27-yard pass to Butler before Lucky scored on a 7-yard run.

Lucky was third on the East's depth chart coming into this game, behind Sutton and Williams.

"I've been on the back burner for a while," Lucky said. "I needed it bad. My season wasn't very good, so I had to come out and perform."

NOTES

Florida: Florida quarterback Tim Tebow walked onto the basketball court yesterday with his right (non-throwing) arm in a sling. "Don't worry about this," Tebow told the crowd. "I'll be fine." Tebow had surgery Monday, one day after he announced he was staying at Florida for his senior season, and was expected to be ready for spring practice in April. He had a bone spur removed in hopes of reducing chronic inflammation.

Tennessee: Head coach Lane Kiffin filled out his coaching staff yesterday, hiring former St. Louis Rams offensive line coach Jim Chaney as his offensive coordinator. Kiffin, hired as coach Dec. 1, also announced that former Auburn assistant Eddie Gran will work as special teams coordinator/running backs coach, while former Southern Mississippi assistant Frank Wilson will work with the wide receivers. Chaney will also coach the offensive line.