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ECU contingent in on Hula Bowl victory
From wire and staff reports
HONOLULU — Central Florida's Brandon Marshall had another successful trip to
paradise.
The brawny wide receiver caught five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown to
lead the East to a 10-7 victory over the West in the 60th edition of the
Hula Bowl on Saturday.
Marshall was playing in his second bowl game in Hawaii in less than a month.
Marshall had 11 catches for 210 yards and three touchdowns
to win co-MVP honors in the Hawaii Bowl on
Dec. 24.
East Carolina was represented
on the field and the sideline in the East's
win. Linebacker Chris Moore and offensive lineman Guy Whimper joined coach
Skip Holtz on the squad.
Holtz, an offensive sage,
assisted Auburn's Tommy Tuberville, the squad's head coach.
Memphis quarterback/receiver
Maurice Avery also played for the East, while Southern Methodist punter Ryan
Mentzel and Rice linebacker John Syptak suited up for the West.
Although Marshall received the
most MVP votes by the media in the Hula Bowl, the coaches trumped the
selection and chose their own MVPs.
Illinois State defensive end
Brent Hawkins, whose sack of Missouri quarterback Brad Smith forced a fumble
in the fourth quarter, was the MVP for the East. Smith was the MVP for the
West.
"What's up with the MVP?"
Marshall asked his coaches with a smile during the award presentations.
Despite missing out on the
award, Marshall was plenty impressive enough for Holtz, who said the
6-foot-6, 230-pound Marshall impressed him all week and improved his stock
heading up to the NFL draft.
"He has a big body and is very
physical. He's very hard to press and he's so tall, he can go up and get a
jump ball," Holtz said.
Marshall hopes to return to
Hawaii in the future, as a Pro Bowl selection in the NFL.
"I love coming here and if
that's what it's going to take to get me back, then I'm going to have to
work hard to come back," he said.
In front of a few thousand
fans, the game became a defensive showdown after each team scored on their
opening drives. Both teams struggled to move the ball, with receivers
dropping passes, quarterbacks scrambling backward and running backs unable
to break free.
The East held the West to 136
total yards, including just 53 yards passing. The West averaged 2.4 yards
per play.
Iowa State safety Steve Paris
intercepted a long pass thrown by Texas State's Barrick Nealy, setting up
the East's go-ahead touchdown in the second quarter.
A quick 10-yard TD pass from
Linfield's Brett Elliott to Marshall gave the East a 10-7 lead and capped a
five-play, 76-yard drive.
Marshall also made a nice move
after the score, dancing hula in the corner of the end zone.
His only mistake in the game
was an offensive pass-interference penalty that negated a 42-yard gain in
the third quarter with the East on its own 2.
Miami of Ohio quarterback Josh
Betts was 7-of-15 for 106 yards for the East. Georgia Tech's P.J. Daniels
led all rushers with 54 yards on 12 carries.
Smith, who started at
quarterback for the West, scored on a 16-yard run to give the West a 7-0
lead. Smith broke left but quickly ran into traffic. He reversed, got a
couple of blocks from his receivers and dashed into the end zone.
Smith went 4-of-12 for 58
yards and Nealy was 1-of-9 for minus-5 yards.
"I wish I could have made more
plays but we had to take what was there," said Smith, who rushed eight times
for minus-4 yards. "I'm a winner and anytime I lose, I hate it. I just want
to win more than anything."
Notre Dame's D.J. Fitzpatrick
kicked a 36-yard field goal to cut the West's advantage to 7-3.
The West failed to take
advantage of two East turnovers late in the game.
The West took possession on
the East's 21 on an interception and 22-yard return by Iowa's Jovon Johnson.
On third-and-long, Smith scrambled and lost 15 yards, taking the West out of
field-goal range.
A few plays later, the West
regained possession on its own 45 on an interception by Missouri's Marcus
King. But Smith, pressing to make a play, was hit by Hawkins and fumbled the
ball.
Hawkins hopes his MVP honor
got the attention of NFL scouts.
"It was something that I
thought was attainable and I went out and did my job today," he said.
©2006 The Associated
Press. All rights rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bonesville.net contributed to
this report.
02/23/2007 10:42:54 AM |
