62nd Hula Bowl on January 12th

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Many of college football's top players will gather in Honolulu, Hawaii for the 62nd Hula Bowl on January 12th. The first Hula Bowl All-Star Classic was played on January 5, 1946, marking the beginning of a post-season bowl game that has spanned seven decades and launched the professional careers of countless football greats. Heisman winners Bo Jackson, Doug Flutie, Eddie George, Carson Palmer and Vinny Testaverde are among NFL stars that have participated in this annual showcase.


61st Hula Bowl Treats Fans to Wild Finish
In a game where timing can be everything, the 2007 Hula Bowl proved no different. With less than a week as teammates, and only 3 days of practice, the game came down to the final 44 seconds. In those last 44 ticks of the clock, the Aina (East) scored 15 points and took down the Kai (West), who had held the lead the entire game.

The Kai took a 10-3 lead into the locker rooms, boosted by a 16 yard touchdown catch in the first quarter by Nate Ilaoa of the University of Hawai’i. The Kai added three more points in the second quarter on a 23 yard field goal by Greg Johnson of Texas. The Aina was able to put points on the board just before the break with a 24 yard field goal by John Vaughn of Auburn, coming with 14 seconds left in the half.

The second half was a defensive struggle, with Chad Nkang, MVP of the Kai team, leading the way with nine tackles and one pass deflection. The Aina was able to sustain a late drive engineered by Clemson teammates Will Proctor, QB, and Reggie Merriweather, RB. Merriweather scored on a 1 yard run, making the score 10-9. The Aina then attempted a two-point conversion and Proctor, MVP of the Aina team, found Tennessee receiver Bret Smith in the corner of the endzone, giving the Aina their first lead of the game.

With Boise State QB Jared Zabransky at the helm, the Kai had another chance to win the game. However, the Fiesta Bowl MVP threw an interception to cornerback Ramzee Robinson of Alabama. Robinson scampered the 44 yards to the endzone to ice the game. This time, the Aina team kicked the extra point, and took the lead 18-10. The Kai began a drive with only 10 seconds left, and Zabransky’s last gasp deep pass was knocked away by Sergio Gilliam of Clemson.
Aina 18, Kai 10
Kai 7 3 0 0 10
Aina 0 3 0 15 18

Kai Ilaoa 16 pass from Zabransky (G.Johnson kick).
Kai FG G.Johnson (23).
Aina FG Vaughn (24).
Aina Merriweather 1 run (B.Smith pass from Proctor).
Aina R.Robinson 44 interception return (Vaughn kick).
Attd: 7,919

Kai Aina
First Downs 14 9
Rushes-yards 22-69 16-27
Passing 114 140
Comp-Att-Int 11-20-1 13-27-1
Return Yards 74 55
Punts-Avg. 3-30.7 5-46.0
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—Kai: Wright 5-25, Zabransky 2-20, Ratliff 3-19, Ilaoa 6-7, Brown 5-7, Stocco 1-(minus 9). Aina: Hairston 4-12, Merriweather 4-11, Whitlock 2-6, Castille 1-5, Proctor 1-4, Zwick 2-2, Ballard 2-(minus 13).

PASSING—Kai: Zabransky 6-11-1-63, Ratliff 3-5-0-39, Stocco 2-4-0-12. Aina: Proctor 9-15-0-107, Zwick 1-6-1-12, Ballard 3-6-0-21.

RECEIVING—Kai: Thompson 2-28, Ilaoa 2-23, McFoy 2-20, Steptoe 1-18, Figurs 1-12, Wright 1-1, Brown 2-(minus 8). Aina: Richardson 3-48, Castille 3-22, B.Smith 2-26, M.Johnson 1-17, Merriweather 1-11, Moss 1-6, Hairston 1-5, Hall 1-5.





Aina rolls past Kai in Hula Bowl
Honolulu, HI (Sports Network) - Marshall quarterback Bernard Morris threw for 172 yards and a touchdown to lead the Aina (East) to a 38-7 victory over the Kai (West) in the 62nd annual Hula Bowl at Aloha Stadium.

New Hampshire's Ricky Santos finished 10-of-16 for 169 yards, and Tulsa's Paul Smith had 47 yards passing and ran for a pair of touchdowns in the victory. The Aina defense, meanwhile, forced six turnovers that led to 28 points.
Smith put his squad on top, 14-0, by the close of the first quarter, converting rushing scores from one and six yards out, respectively.

A three-yard pass from Morris to Duquesne wideout Bruce Hocker with just eight seconds left in the first half made it 21-0.
The Aina tacked on a 38-yard field goal by Louisville's Art Carmody early in the third, before the Kai finally scratched the scoreboard on a 15-yard TD pass from Kevin O'Connell to California wide receiver Robert Jordan with 5:36 remaining.

Toledo's Jalen Parmelle and Navy's Reggie Campbell each had one-yard TD runs in the fourth quarter to seal the win for the Aina.
O'Connell, a San Diego State senior, went 11-for-21 for 132 yards and one TD for the Kai. Jordan ended with four catches for 84 yards.

Game Notes
The East squad racked up 527 yards of total offense... The West squad was held to just 240 yards of total offense, including 35 yards rushing...The Aina won for the sixth consecutive time, and the margin was the second-most in Hula Bowl history, trailing only the North's 50-6 rout of the South in 1968...There were just a few thousand fans in the 50,000 seat stadium.

Arizona State's Brent Miller and Brandon Rodd will play in today's Hula Bowl in Honolulu.

Rodd, an offensive lineman, is a native of Hawaii who started all 36 games of his ASU career. Miller is a tight end who finished his career with 43 catches for 525 yards and five touchdowns in 47 games.

Paul Smith, who will play in Saturday’s Hula Bowl, received an invitation late Friday night to take part in the Jan. 19 East-West Shrine Game, his agent Mark Slough said on Saturday.

It was be Smith’s second all-star outing in as many weeks. The East-West Shrine game will be played at 6 p.m. at the University of Houston.