Monday, January 25, 1999
By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Ricky Williams breaks loose to score his second
touchdown during the South's win over the North
in the Hula Bowl.
Ricky’s for real
The Heisman Trophy winner
By Paul Arnett
carries the South in the Hula Bowl
Star-BulletinWAILUKU -- What Ricky Williams did for the Hooters Hula Bowl during yesterday's driving rain storm can't be measured in only yards and carries.
''You owe Ricky one big thank you,'' American Football Coaches Association executive director Grant Teaff said to Bowl Games of Hawaii officials Marcia and Lenny Klompus. ''Today, he set the standard for all Heisman Trophy winners.''
Williams was named the South's Most Valuable Player by literally picking up his teammates and carrying them on his back. He rushed the football 22 times for 114 yards and two touchdowns to lead the South to a 34-14 victory over the North in the 53rd annual college all-star game.
An appreciative War Memorial Stadium crowd of 23,719 gave a standing ovation after the sTexas standout was named the MVP. He accepted the award, thanked the fans for coming out and promised he'd see them again at next year's Pro Bowl.
''You see, Ricky is something special that true football fans understand and appreciate,'' said Teaff, who made a name for himself as the head coach of the Baylor Bears. ''You don't win a Heisman unless your teammates want you to.
''That Texas team was mediocre at best before the start of this season. But they believed in Ricky and he believed in them. You saw what he did. He carried the football in every quarter. His South teammates saw what he did. He ran hard on every play. ESPN should send him a big thank-you card for showing the country what a true football player should be.''
By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
The North's Daniel Jones tumbles into the end
zone with a 22-yard touchdown catch despite the
defensive efforts of the South's Pierson Prioleau.
ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler already beat Teaff to the punch. He said after the game he can't remember the last time anybody carried the football 22 times -- only two shy of the Hula Bowl record set 30 years ago by Oregon State's Bill Enyart -- in an all-star game.''A player might come in and carry it six or seven times,'' Fowler said. ''But not 22. He showed a lot of people across the country what he's all about -- a great football player.''
Williams seemed to take it all in stride. One reason he came back for his senior season was to play in an event like this one. Granted, the North defenders tried to separate his mind from his body on several plays, but by the end, it was Williams doing the damage.
''They were trying to kill me in the first half,'' Williams said of the gang tackling employed by North defenders. ''But by the end of the game, it was their guys who were trying not to get hurt when tackling me.''
Williams wasn't the only star of the show. Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Bishop almost stole away Williams' trophy late in the game. With a gusty 40 mph wind at his back in the fourth quarter, Bishop came alive to toss two touchdown passes.
After Williams scored from 11 yards out to give the South the lead for good at 20-14, Bishop did his part in the 21-point fourth quarter by completing a 19-yard touchdown pass to Troy Smith of East Carolina and a 54-yard scoring strike to Wane McGarity of Texas.
''I started out the game in the first quarter going against the wind,'' Bishop said. ''You just couldn't throw against it, so it was great I got a chance in the fourth quarter with the wind to show people what I can do, and that's play quarterback at the professional level.''
The Kansas State star certainly did that. He completed 10 of 17 for 197 yards and two touchdowns. He was the most effective passer of the day.
''In a wind like this, you have to have a strong arm one minute and good touch the next,'' McGarity said. ''Michael showed that."
Tennessee place-kicker Jeff Hall added field goals of 37 and 42 yards for the South, which led at the half, 13-7. The North's touchdown came on a 22-yard pass from Missouri quarterback Corby Jones to receiver Daniel Jones of Utah, who made a nice, leaping grab on the play.
The North took a brief 14-13 advantage on an 8-yard touchdown throw from North MVP Kevin Daft of UC-Davis to receiver Eugene Baker of Kent State. But the third-quarter score wasn't enough to hold off the late run by the South.
''They took advantage of the wind in the fourth quarter,'' said Daft, who completed 8 of 17 passes for 116 yards and one score. ''Nobody scored against the wind. And they did a good job of keeping it out of our hands when we had the wind in the first quarter.''
Williams and Bishop had a lot to do with that. Although the South didn't score on its opening drive, the winning team did manage to keep it for 14 plays. Williams and Bishop combined to rush for 51 yards on six carries.
''It was fun to come out here and compete against the nation's best,'' Williams said. ''I had a great week here. This is everything I thought it would be.''
Hula Bowl
South 0 13 0 21--34 North 7 0 7 0--14First QuarterNorth--D.Jones 22 pass from C.Jones (Brown kick), 1:24.
Second Quarter
South--FG Hall 42, 12:31.
South--R.Williams 2 run (Hall kick), 9:07.
South--FG Hall 37, :12.Third Quarter
North--Baker 8 pass from Daft (Brown kick), :38.
Fourth Quarter
South--R.Williams 11 run (Hall kick), 11:05.
South--T.Smith 19 pass from Bishop (Hall kick), 6:54.
South--McGarity 54 pass from Bishop (Hall kick), 3:04.
A--23,719.Rushing--South: R.Williams 22-114, Eafon 10-43, Walendy 3-18, Martin 4-12, Manns 5-9, Bishop 6-5, Samuel 1-(minus 9). North: C.Williams 9-64, Edwards 4-27, Azumah 3-21, Daft 3-(minus 5), C.Jones 6-(minus 7), Ah Yat 3-(minus 12).
Passing--South: Bishop 10-17-0-197, Samuel 3-5-0-9. North: Daft 8-17-0-116, C.Jones 3-4-0-58, Ah Yat 0-4-1-0.
Receiving--South: T.Smith 3-68, Lucky 2-23, McDaniel 2-19, R.Williams 2-11, McGarity 1-54, Burley 1-26, Eafon 1-6, Manns 1-(minus 1). North: D.Jones 3-58, Baker 3-46, Azumah 1-22, Pacheco 1-9, Thomas 1-17, Morey 1-12, C.Williams 1-10.
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