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 Feature
The 2008 Hula Bowl
by Sam Monson
22/1/2008
Well it’s the end of the College Football season, but before we hit the NFL Off-season, we have the small matter of the College All-Star games, and naturally, the Diner is all over that! First on the list is the 2008 Hula Bowl, the lesser known All-Star game. In this game we have three types of players: Guys playing their last game of football, guys on the bubble, trying to impress somebody and earn themselves a shot at the next level, and guys who are going to get a shot in the NFL, and are just looking to move up the draft board.
The Game
The Hula Bowl is designed to let everybody take a look at the players trying to audition themselves for the NFL, and so it has certain special rules in place. Blitzing is not allowed, nor is specialist Defensive packages, or rushing kicks. Its vanilla Defense against Offense, designed to let talent evaluators see man against man, and take the scheme out of the evaluation process.
The Game itself was never really close, with the East team, known as Aina, defeating the West, known as Kai, by 38-7.
The game was never in doubt, thanks to a multitude of fumbles by the Kai team, which gave Aina the ball in good positions on several drives early in the game. Aina scored 28 points off Kai turnovers, and it dominated all aspects of the game, with the Aina Defense recording 7 sacks, and its QBs passing for 338 yards. Aina outgained Kai on Offense by 527 yards to 240. Starting Aina QB Paul Smith (pictured right) set the tone early, scoring 2 TDs on the ground and allowing Aina to jump out to a lead they never looked likely to give up. While the game was never a question, let’s take a look at the players that everybody was there to see.
Little Brother Syndrome
Two of the NFL’s stars had little brothers playing in this game, Larry Fitzgerald’s younger brother Marcus was playing WR for the East, and Ray Lewis’ little brother, Keon Lattimore was playing RB for the East. In truth, neither really distinguished themselves in action. Keon Lattimore converted a short 4th down attempt after being stuffed behind the line, with a great second effort. Unfortunately, he quickly rectifies that by making a mess of the next short yardage carry he gets, tripping himself up over a prone lineman. Lattimore found himself wide open in the end zone later in the game, but was just overthrown by Santos in the 3rd. Ray’s little brother was largely anonymous during the game. Marcus Fitzgerald hauled in a nice deep pass from Marshall Teammate Bernard Morris, and had another nice short catch to pick up a first down. He did the most with the chances he was given. In the battle of the star siblings, Marcus edges it.
Players who stood out Good and Bad
o Jordon Dizon, CB from Colorado hits like a train to blow up a screen play early in the 1st
o Kevin O’Connell, San Diego St QB has an NFL calibre arm, hitting CJ Hawthorne in stride in a deep crossing pattern. He’s also very mobile as evidenced when he took off for a couple of first downs. Accuracy seems spotty at times, throwing several short balls, and he stares down his targets. Came back in during the 3rd quarter after a dodgy first stint. Looks much better upon his return, getting in a much better rhythm, hitting Robert Jordan and Jason Rivers on back to back passes, and leading the West to their only TD with another pass to Jordan.
 o Paul Smith (pictured right) from Tulsa had himself 2 early rushing TDs, but never really looked like an NFL QB. Has the arm strength, with the ability to put some zip on the ball, but can’t get it to where it’s supposed to be reliably enough. Smith came back into the game at the start of the 4th quarter, but didn’t really do any better.
o Great edge rush by Angelo Craig to force a fumble, his 2nd of the game. Beat his OT around the outside and went straight for the ball. Makes another nice play in the first half collecting his second sack of the game. Listed at 230lbs though, he has to find himself a position in the NFL, and it’s not gonna be DE.
o Justin McKinnie from K State blankets Jason Rivers on a deep ball to the outside. Great coverage and a play on the ball in the air against a big WR. Makes another great play tipping a deep ball leading to a pick.
o Bernard Morris entered the game at the end of the 1st Quarter and impressed from the outset, showing a crisp, accurate arm. He’s also an athlete with the ball in his hands, and did more than any other QB on the day to help himself. The litmus test: the deep out. Got the ball there with accuracy and a bit of zip, but the corner had a nice break on the ball, he’s definitely capable of making that throw in the NFL. May be able to rush in the NCAA, but at the next level he’s going to need to rely more on escaping pressure and moving when necessary, rather than tucking it and running. Has some pocket presence.
o Pinnix from Minnesota looked like a handy player, catching and running well.
o Nice catch and run for a 1st down by Bruce Hocker. Shows great concentration with another catch down in the redzone, being led into a hit. Gets himself a nice TD grab on the same drive. Contested again, he’s showing people he can be a reliable possession guy.
o John Rabold showed ability to fight through a block to blow up a running play
o Jason Shirley at 6’5 and 330lbs has the ability to be dominant, but runs hot and cold.
o Morris finds his Marshall teammate deep, hitting Marcus Fitzgerald on a nice seam route.
o Paul Raymond, WR from Brown makes a nice catch in the hole and then scrambles his way for some nice YAC
o Josh Morgan, WR from Virginia Tech, lets a deep TD catch go straight through his hands, not what you want to see in a WR. Partially redeems himself by making a catch after a tipped ball, showing some nice concentration. Gets another positive step later making a nice catch on an in-route and taking it for some extra YAC.
o Jabari Arthur, WR from Akron hauls in a deep pass down the sideline, laying out to get it. Great catch showing real skills. Makes another nice catch in traffic later in the game. Did as well as any WR over the course of the game.
o Andre Callender, RB from Boston College, made some nice runs on the day, getting the most out of the opportunities he had.
o Ricky Santos at QB may not have the height to ever get a shot at the NFL, but he did show some ability, and the accuracy to thread some needles, as well as a certain intangible leadership quality. He looks like a born QB, but will the NFL look past his size?
o Brian Johnston, DE from small school Gardner-Webb makes a couple of nice plays off the edge, getting himself a couple of sacks. At 6’5, 280, and allegedly running a 4.6 second 40, he has NFL measurables.
o CJ Hawthorne, WR/RB from Hawaii makes a great play, going up to get a high pass safely in his hands.
o Nice run play by Jalen Parmele, RB from Toledo, turning nothing into a 20 yard gain with some nifty footwork and a nice burst.
o Myron Newberry, DB from Hawaii made some nice plays in coverage, both deep, and jumping a slant route for a pick in the end zone
o Alex Brink, QB from Washington St, throws a perfect deep post to Robert Jordan, great hook-up between the two Pac-10 players.
o Darrell Strong, TE from Pitt has prototype size, and he’s physical at the point of attack, but he showed great hands and polished route running during the game.
o Scott Derry of Texas played well at LB, hitting well, and showing some good intelligence on the field.
o Reggie Campbell of Navy made some nifty runs, and got himself on the score sheet in the process. Probably too small to get to the NFL, but he did himself proud in the game.
Top 5 Performers in the Game
1. Bernard Morris QB Marshall
– Morris looked like an NFL QB in this game, showing an arm, some athleticism, some pocket presence, and the ability to make good decisions. He was the player of the game without question.
2. Angelo Craig DE Cincinnati
– Craig showed speed around the edge and recorded 2 forced fumbles, 2 sacks, and a tackle for loss, all in the first half. He has some ability, but needs to find a position in the NFL.
3. Jabari Arthur WR Akron
– Arthur showed good hands, and made some nice plays, and impressed as much as any WR did over the game, he’ll have earned himself a look at the next level.
4. Darrell Strong TE Pittsburgh
– Strong was great at the point of attack, showing serious strength blocking, but also displayed a great set of hands, and looks like a WR when he’s in his routes.
5. Ricky Santos QB New Hampshire
– Santos threw a pick that wasn’t his fault as much as the WR’s, but it seemed to galvanise him, and he showed some real poise and leadership in the game, drawing fair comparisons to Doug Flutie. At 6’2 and 215lbs, his size won’t preclude him from success in the NFL, and his performance in the Hula Bowl should earn him some looks.
Players to keep an eye on
1. Bernard Morris QB Marshall
– Showed all the NFL tools scouts look for, could be a nice sleeper pick for a team needing a QB
2. Jason Rivers WR Hawaii
– Rivers is the most NFL-shaped WR from Hawaii’s explosive Run n Shoot Offense, and he’s well versed in route running and YAC.
3. Darrell Strong TE Pitt
– Strong showed strength in blocking and the pass game, he’s got a great skill set for a TE at the next level.
4. Danny Woodhead RB Chadron St
– Woodhead is the all-time, all-division NCAA career yardage leader, from a Div 2 college, and he looked like a nifty player in the limited action he got in the Hula Bowl. He’s never going to be anybody’s feature back in the NFL, but he looks like has the skills to contribute.
5. Bruce Hocker WR Duquesne
– Hocker grabbed himself a TD in the game, and showed great body control with all of his catches. He showed he can be a reliable target, and win contested balls.
6. Ernie Wheelwright WR Minnesota
– Was barely seen during the game, but the big rangy WR seems to have the best tools of any of the WRs at the Hula Bowl. If he can translate that into play on the field he might have a chance.
7. Brian Johnston DE Gardner-Webb
– If his measurable are accurate, come Combine time Mr Johnston could make himself a good deal of money.
8. Amir Pinnix RB Minnesota
– Pinnix looked like the complete package at RB during the game, doing well with his chances running and catching. Comes from a nice pedigree of NFL backs, with Minnesota producing Marion Barber, Maroney, and the Steelers’ Gary Russell in recent years.
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