Shine time at the Shrine!

Three Canadians took to the field in San Francisco Saturday afternoon, taking part in College Football's East/West Shrine game, a mixture of exhibition football and talent pool combine. And while they didn't rack up much in the way of points, they did make a contribution to the highly competitive talent pool of US college football.

Nick Kaczur from Brantford, Ontario plays his college ball in the States and was representing the University of Toledo at Saturday's affair. Kaczur an offensive tackled held his own in the muddy bog that became the field saturated by rains the last two weeks or so. Kaczur is expected to be drafted in the first few rounds of the upcoming NFL draft, so his performance today certainly didn't do any damage to that potential scenario.

Nick Johanson of the UBC Thunderbirds represented the Western half of Canadian college ball, the defensive lineman found the talent pool rather impressive and got a full aerobic workout chasing the running game during his stint on the field. While he got a look see by the NFL scouts it's expected he'll begin is pro career somewhere in a CFL city.

But the most heralded of Canucks invading the US field on Saturday was McMaster Marauder's Jesse Lumsden, who dominated Canadian college ball this year. Lumsden accounted well for himself on the US field today, leading the East in rushing, picking up 41 yards on five carries. Lumsden was not put into the game until the third quarter, but once in the line up certainly made the best of his "show time", one run in particular highlighted his power running status as he blasted through the line and galloped for 21 yards.

He more than likely opened a few eyes in the scouting world and probably has increased his draft potential in the upcoming NFL draft. Lumsden has made no secret of his hope to at least get a shot at an NFL training camp, and he may get his wish. ESPN seemed to have a lot of his stats and background on hand for the broadcast, a sure sign that there is some interest in his name below the 49th.

Well worth the trip to the city by the bay!