Mardy Gilyard once worked four jobs to stay in school after losing his scholarship.

The former Cincinnati star turned in an strong audition for a much more lucrative career in yesterday's Senior Bowl, racking up 103 yards receiving and catching a 32-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to help the North race to a 31-13 victory over the South at Mobile, Ala.

Gilyard lost his scholarship before the 2007 season because of poor grades. He got it back later.

"All my hard work just kind of came into one game," an exuberant Gilyard said. "I'm truly blessed. I worked my butt off and I played my butt off.

"This game sums up everything, because I've been through all the hard work, all the ups and all the downs, the peaks and the valleys."

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, meanwhile, had a shaky outing running the North's pro-style offense against a sturdy defense.

He fumbled twice and finished 8 of 12 passing for 50 yards in the showcase for senior NFL prospects. Tebow's longest completion was 11 yards and he netted 4 yards on four rushes.

"I think I'm definitely open to improving my fundamentals," Tebow said. "I think I definitely showed that by being here. If you just watched the way I played, you could see there is room for improvement and what I need to work on."

SKIING

VONN'S NOT PERFECT

Lindsey Vonn is no longer perfect in downhill races. Not to worry, she says. It might help her win an Olympic title.

Vonn, the world champion and two-time World Cup champ in the event, is now a mere 5-for-6 this season. She placed fifth yesterday after her ski hit a hole in a race at St. Moritz, Switzerland won by Germany's Maria Riesch in 1 minute, 41.31 seconds.

The American had actually won six straight, including the final downhill race of last season. Vonn's next test in the downhill is a big one — the Vancouver Games on Feb. 17.

"I do think it helps a little bit going into the Olympics that I haven't won all the World Cups," Vonn said. "Maybe that takes a little of the pressure off me."

USA'S LIGETY THIRD

Marcel Hirscher of Austria won a World Cup giant slalom yesterday at Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, while Ted Ligety finished third on a bumpy course the day after his victory in this same event.

Hirscher earned his second win of the season with a flawless second run on the Podkoren 3 course to finish in a combined time of 2 minutes, 31.30 seconds.

FIGURE SKATING

AMERICAN MAN WINS

World junior champion Adam Rippon of the United States surged from seventh to first place with a strong free skate yesterday to win the men's Four Continents figure skating title at Jeonju, South Korea.

Tatsuki Machida of Japan claimed the silver with a solid performance that lifted him from sixth place. Kevin Reynolds of Canada, the leader after the short program, dropped to third.

Two more Americans rounded out the top five, with Brandon Mroz finishing fourth and Ryan Bradley moving up from eighth overall.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

WALKER WINS DEBUT

Former NFL star Herschel Walker stopped Hungarian fighter Greg Nagy in the third round to win his mixed-martial arts debut last night at Sunrise, Fla.

Walker drove Nagy into the fence early in the third. After a flurry of punches, referee Troy Waugh called the fight.

"The experience was exciting," Walker said. "This is the hardest thing I've ever done."

Still trim and fit at 47, Walker, the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner while at Georgia, used his strength advantage to wear down Nagy (1-2). He appeared to be close to the win near the end of the second five-minute round, but Nagy, 26, managed to extend the bout.