Updated at 5:28 p.m., Saturday, January 12, 2008
Marshall QB, defense lift Aina to victory in Hula Bowl
By JAYMES SONG
AP Sports Writer
New Hampshire's Ricky Santos was 10-of-16 for 169 yards, and Tulsa's Paul Smith had 47 yards passing and ran for two short TDs for the Aina (East), which racked up 527 yards of total offense.
Aina's defense also stepped up, setting the tone in the lopsided all-star game. Aina held Kai (West) to 240 yards, including just 35 yards rushing, and forced six turnovers that led to 28 points.
Toledo's Jalen Parmele and Navy's Reggie Campbell each had a 1-yard TD runs in the fourth quarter for Aina. Parmele was the game's leading rusher with 46 yards.
The Aina took control early, forcing three turnovers and recording three sacks in the first half, including two by Cincinnati's Angelo Craig.
Fellow Bearcat Haruki Nakamura intercepted a long pass attempt by Washington State's Alex Brink that led to Morris' 3-yard TD pass to Bruce Hocker that made it 21-0 just before halftime.
Nakamura earlier recovered a fumble by Marcus Thomas near midfield. Six plays later, Smith scored on a 1-yard plunge.
Smith also scored on a 6-yard run to put Aina up 14-0 seconds after Tennessee's J.T. Mapu, who starred at nearby Kahuku High School, stripped Stanford's T.C. Ostrander.
Ostrander had a game he wishes the NFL scouts would soon forget. He was 3-of-8 for 52 yards and intercepted twice.
San Diego State's Kevin O'Connell was one of the only bright spots for the Kai. He was 11-of-21 for 147 yards. California's Robert Jordan had four catches for 84 yards.
The Kai avoided a shutout when O'Connell connected with Jordan on a 15-yard TD pass play on fourth-and-long to cut the Aina's lead to 24-7 late in the third quarter.
O'Connell found the Hawaii connection on the 12-play, 79-yard scoring drive. He completed passes of 17 and 10 yards to Jason Rivers and a 15-yarder to C.J. Hawthorne.
Arthur Carmody's 38-yard field goal gave the Aina a 24-0 lead to start the second half. He missed a 32-yarder earlier in the game.
The Aina was coached by Illinois' Ron Zook and Boston College's Jeff Zagodzinski. The Kai was led by UNLV's Mike Sanford and Oregon State's Mike Riley.
Once the jewel of college all-star games, with alumni including Dan Marino, Tony Dorsett, Mike Ditka and Fran Trakenton, the Hula Bowl this year appeared to be in trouble.
There were only a couple thousand fans in 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium. Some players complained about overcrowded hotel rooms. In the press box, there was no statistics crew, let alone a bowl representative.
It also was the first time in years the game was not televised by ESPN.
