Team USA RB Jakhari Gore (left) runs the ball against The World team during Saturday's game. (Gary A. Vasquez / NFL.com)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — It was a slow start for Team USA in Saturday’s game against The World at Lockhart Stadium. And for a while there, you were thinking to yourself, “Wait a minute. The World team has a chance?”

Finally, though, with 32 seconds left in the first half, a 50-yard connection between QB Mark Myers and WR Josh Reese got the Americans down to the 1-yard line for a spark they badly needed. The big play led to Ethan Grant’s 1-yard touchdown run, giving Team USA a 7-0 lead going into halftime.

I have to admit that I was thinking how bad it would look for Team USA to lose against The World in something so distinctly American as football. Thank goodness that didn’t happen, though, as Team USA won 17-0.

“This is our sport, America’s sport,” said Penn State-bound LB and player of the game Mike Hull. “We couldn’t let America down today.”

“I thought we did real good, but we could’ve been a lot better,” RB Jakhari Gore said. “As long as we came out with the ‘W’ is what matters.”

Jakhari is the cousin of 49ers Pro Bowl RB Frank Gore. Jakhari Gore is a Miami native, but he’s heading to LSU next year and admitted that he was going there because his cousin set the bar so high at the University of Miami.

Who can blame him? That’s a lot of pressure to live up to.

– Simon Samano

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