ASSOCIATED PRESS
UH linebacker Chris Brown intercepted a pass for the Kai team yesterday and was named the Hula Bowl's defensive player of the game. The Aina won 27-24.
WAILUKU >> Larry Coker is an offensive kind of guy, a guy who likes his teams to put up big numbers with big plays. Aina wins rousing Hula Bowl
By Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.comLittle did the Aina coach know that he'd get 24 second-half points, including 17 in the last 4:34, to rally past the Kai 27-24 in the 57th Hula Bowl at War Memorial Stadium.
The Aina recovered two onside kicks in the last six minutes to spark the comeback. The second came after Joe Igber (Cal, Iolani) scored on a 1-yard run to tie it at 24 with 49.6 seconds to go. Three plays later, Dan Nystrom (Minnesota) kicked the game-winning field goal with 4.2 on the clock to delight what was left of the announced crowd of 18,332.
"It was pretty amazing, after being down 21," said Nystrom, who made 20 of 21 field-goal attempts for the Golden Gophers this season. "We came out after halftime, scratching and fighting for all we could. We have a great team and it was fitting we came away with a great win for the Aina.
"We didn't even practice onside kicks this week. That's pretty amazing."
For the first 30 minutes, it was the Kai team coming up with the amazing plays. There was a sense all week that they were the underdogs, said Hawaii linebacker Chris Brown.
"But in the first half we played like we were the champs," said Brown, named the defensive player of the game. "We were getting them in the first half. But they came out, re-did their offensive scheme and were able to come back."
The Aina quarterbacks started getting their passes off quicker to counteract the quick Kai pass rush. And they also started having fun, said Aina signal-caller Jason Johnson (Arizona).
"The Kai was playing so well defensively, shutting everything down, " said Johnson, who engineered the game-tying drive. "We started getting rid of the ball quicker. All of a sudden guys started making plays out of nowhere.
"We have to give credit to our offensive line and to our wide receivers, who made some great catches."
Two catches appeared to be good for touchdowns, one by Kassim Osgood (San Diego State) and the other by Justin Colbert (Hawaii). Osgood was ruled out of bounds, although replays showed he had both feet inbounds after a 23-yard reception, and Colbert appeared to reach inside the pylon for a score after a 10-yard grab.
"We started laughing in the huddle," Johnson said. "Every time we came back, we'd give each other a high-five and say, 'Let's get it again.' Finally, we got it."
The call came for Igber, who was playing in front of his father for the first time in a collegiate game. Joe Igber Sr. returned from a trip to his native Nigeria on Friday.
"It was all luck, I just happened to be in the game at the time," said Igber Jr. "We had a three-man rotation in the backfield. Any one of the guys would have scored.
"I thought we were going into overtime. I wanted to go for two. Then we got the field goal. The win just adds to the whole experience."
Igber's score pulled the Aina to 24-23. Coker decided to go for the tie, with Todd Sievers (Miami) hitting the PAT. With 43 seconds left, Nystrom's onside kick was recovered by Ivan Taylor (Louisiana-Lafayette) on the Kai 32.
Three plays later, Nystrom had a chip shot from the 34. "It was important for me to be confident," he said. "I knew I'd make it."
The victory somewhat negated the outstanding performance by Kai receiver David "Circus" Kircus (Division II Grand Valley State). He caught first-quarter touchdown passes of 7 and 39 yards.
"Even though I hate losing, it was a great honor to be here," said Kircus, named offensive player of the game and the Kai MVP. "For me, to play in a Division I game, to showcase my talent, showed that Division II is for real."
Kircus finished with 113 yards on six catches.
Kai quarterback Neil Rose (Harvard, University High) threw for 99 yards, making 8 of 11 attempts with one interception. The former Pac-Five quarterback found BYU's Gabriel Reid from 21 yards out to help the Kai to a 21-0 lead with 12:26 left before halftime.
The Kai took advantage of an interception and a fumble, both by Heisman runner-up Brad Banks, to jump to a 14-0 lead with 2:40 left in first quarter. The first turnover came when Brown intercepted Banks; seven plays later, Texas Tech quarterback Kliff Kingsbury hit Kircus from 7 yards out and the Kai took a 7-0 lead.
Banks got his team to the 47 on a catch by Osgood. But the Iowa quarterback lost the ball after being hit and Rice's Brandon Green recovered on the 19.
It took the Kai 19 seconds to strike. Harvard receiver Carl Morris, on an end-around, passed to Kircus for his second score and a 14-0 lead with 2:28 remaining in the first.
The Aina got on the board with a 24-yard field goal by Nystrom with 2:26 to go in the half. The Kai got a 32-yard field goal by Josh Brown with 5:50 left in the third.
The end of the quarter saw a Hawaii-to-Hawaii connection when Warrior punter Mat McBriar boomed one 70 yards to his UH teammate Justin Colbert. Colbert chased it into the end zone, where he was tackled for a touchback. McBriar's punt was 2 yards shy of the Hula Bowl record set by Chester Marcol of Hillsdale in 1972.
The Aina dominated the fourth quarter. Johnson hit Charles Pauley (San Jose State) with 6:27 to go. After Sievers' PAT made it 24-10, the Aina went for its first onside kick that started a 17-point scoring spree.
Osgood, with 117 yards on six catches, was the Aina MVP.
Notes: The pregame ceremonies included a moment of silence to honor the seven astronauts killed in yesterday's explosion of the shuttle Columbia and a flyover by four helicopters, one of which broke off over the stadium in a missing-man formation. ... The Baldwin High Junior ROTC presented the colors, with Vince Sauers singing the national anthem. Amy Hanaialii Gilliom sang Hawaii Pono'i. ... The coin toss participants included six Heisman Trophy winners -- Ty Detmer, George Rogers, Howard Cassady, Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier and Johnny Lattmer. ... Halftime performer Lee Greenwood dedicated his "God Bless the USA" rendition to the shuttle crew. ... De La Salle coach Bob Ladoucer was awarded the Hula Bowl/Heisman High School Coach of the Year. Spike Dykes was named the Grant Teaff College Coach of the Year.
