From 2008-11, the North team only had one victory in the Senior Bowl. It came in 2010 when Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz was in charge of the North squad. On Saturday, another NFC North head coach, Minnesota's Leslie Frazier, led the North to victory in the 2012 edition of the game. Thanks in part to a touchdown by Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins, the North prevailed over the South by a score of 23-13.
In the first half, the theme of this game was field goals. Each team had a pair of them in each of the first two quarters, and the only thing separating the teams was an eight-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Marvin Jones.
In the second half, the North extended its lead to 20-6 on a 41-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to Gerell Robinson. Cousins' touchdown was a good way for him to bounce back after closing out the first half with an interception in the end zone. He finished with 115 yards on 5-of-11 passing on the day.
Although the South did cut the lead to one possession with a touchdown pass from one-time Michigan State quarterback Nick Foles (he transferred to Arizona after the 2007 season), the North added another field goal and went on to win by 10 points.
In addition to Cousins, Michigan State also had tight end Brian Linthicum and safety Trenton Robinson in the game. Linthicum had one catch for nine yards, and Robinson had two tackles, as well as a fumble recovery early in the game.
Defensive tackle Mike Martin, Michigan's lone player in the 2012 Senior Bowl, finished with three tackles on the day.