2023 Tunnel to Towers Foundation Hula Bowl
77th Hula Bowl
Team Kai Team Aina
16 13
Head coach: 
Brian Billick		 Head coach: 
Mike Smith
1234 Total
Team Kai 0376 16
Team Aina 0760 13
DateJanuary 14, 2023
Season2022
StadiumFBC Mortgage Stadium
LocationOrlando, Florida
MVPOffense: Holton Ahlers (QB, East Carolina)[1]
Defense: Jordan Ferguson (DE, Middle Tennessee)[2]
RefereeAmanda Sauer
Attendance8,314
United States TV coverage
NetworkCBS Sports Network
AnnouncersJamie Seh (play-by-play), Brian Baldinger (color), Nick Lowery (sideline), Smacker Miles (sideline)[3]
Hula Bowl
 < 2022  2024 > 

The 2023 Hula Bowl was a postseason college football all-star game played on January 14, 2023, with kickoff at 12:00 noon EST, at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Florida.[4] It was the first all-star contest of the 2022–23 bowl games and, while not restricted to FBS players, one of the final games of the 2022 FBS football season. Television coverage was provided by CBS Sports Network.[4] This was the second playing of the Hula Bowl outside of Hawaii, due to Aloha Stadium near Honolulu being closed for renovations.[5] The game rostered players into Aina and Kai teams, the words for land and sea in the Hawaiian language. Through sponsorship from the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the game was officially named the 2023 Tunnel to Towers Foundation Hula Bowl.[6]

Players

The Bounce House in February 2020

Selected players are listed below. Full roster are available online (link); note that a number may be shared by an offensive and defensive player.

Two players from Japan participated in the game: Kento Ogushi (CB, Waseda University) and Mikito Itokawa (WR, Kwansei Gakuin University).[7]

Team Aina

Coach: Mike Smith

No. Player Position HT/WT College Notes
17 Tim DeMorat QB 6'3/224 Fordham
16 Chase Brice QB 6'2/235 Appalachian State
11 Adrian Martinez QB 6'2/219 Kansas State
5 Isaiah Bowser RB 6'0/222 UCF
3 Khalan Laborn RB 5'9/198 Marshall
7 Charles McClelland RB 5'11/188 Cincinnati

Team Kai

Coach: Brian Billick

No. Player Position HT/WT College Notes
10 Holton Ahlers QB 6'3/237 East Carolina
12 Sean Clifford QB 6'2/217 Penn State
10 Tanner Morgan QB 6'0/200 Minnesota
34 Christopher Brooks RB 6'0/232 BYU
2 Elijah Dotson RB 5'9/199 Northern Colorado (FCS)
21 Toa Taua RB 5'8/208 Nevada
6 Calvin Tyler RB 5'7/211 Utah State

Game summary

Team Kai wore white uniforms and Team Aina wore dark uniforms.[3] The game was played using National Football League (NFL) rules; however, punt returns were not allowed.[8] In place of kickoffs, teams automatically started possessions at their own 25-yard line.[3]

The game was officiated by an all-female crew, assigned by the NFL "from their development pool of college officials."[9] Referee Amanda Sauer had previously served as the center judge in the 2022 Fenway Bowl.[10]

2023 Hula Bowl
Period 1 2 34Total
Kai 0 3 7616
Aina 0 7 6013

at FBC Mortgage Stadium • Orlando, Florida

  • Date: Saturday, January 14, 2023
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Sunny• Temperature: 48 °F (9 °C) • Wind 15 mph (24 km/h) northwest
  • Game attendance: 8,314
  • Referee: Amanda Sauer
  • TV: CBS Sports Network
  • Report 1 Report 2
Game information
First quarter
  • No scoring
Second quarter
  • Kai (5:03) – Chris Dunn 30-yard field goal;[11] Kai 3–0
  • Aina (0:46) – Ryan Miller 8-yard touchdown reception from Adrian Martinez; Jack Podlesny kick good; Aina 7–3
Third quarter
  • Kai (0:20) – Michael Ezeike 20-yard touchdown reception from Holton Ahlers; Tanner Brown kick good; Kai 10–7
  • Aina (0:00) – Trea Shropshire 75-yard touchdown reception from Tim DeMorat; Chris Dunn kick failed (wide left); Aina 13–10
Fourth quarter
  • Kai (7:00) – Jack Podlesny 26-yard field goal; Tied 13–13
  • Kai (1:55) – Tanner Brown 27-yard field goal; Kai 16–13

Note: bowl organizers had the three placekickers (Dunn, Podlesny, and Brown) rotate through opportunities to kick during the game, regardless of team affiliations.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ @ToledoFB (January 14, 2023). "@CoachScott_UT helped coach offensive MVP Holton Ahlers" (Tweet). Retrieved January 23, 2023 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ @PeterAriz (January 15, 2023). "Congrats @JoFerg__ on a great week of practice and heck of a Defensive MVP performance in yesterday's @Hula_Bowl!" (Tweet). Retrieved January 23, 2023 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ a b c CBS Sports broadcast of the game
  4. ^ a b "Game Day 2022". hulabowl.com. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  5. ^ Jankowski, Jon (August 9, 2021). "Hula Bowl to be played at UCF for one year". clickorlando.com. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  6. ^ "Tunnel to Towers Foundation to Serve as Title Sponsor of Hula Bowl 2023". globenewswire.com (Press release). November 16, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  7. ^ Gamarra, Max (January 14, 2023). "Team Kai beats Team Aina 16-13 in 2023 Hula Bowl". nicholsonstudentmedia.com. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  8. ^ Jimenez, James H. (January 15, 2023). "2023 Hula Bowl Post-Game Stats and Analysis". hustlebelt.com. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  9. ^ Gallant, Colin (January 14, 2023). "Hula Bowl makes college football history with first all-female officiating crew". clutchpoints.com. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  10. ^ Austro, Ben (January 14, 2023). "Hula Bowl will have an all-female officiating crew". footballzebras.com. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  11. ^ @therealBeede (January 14, 2023). "We've got points at the Hula Bowl! NC State kicker Chris Dunn made a 30-yard field goal for Team Kai. 2Q 5:03: Kai 3, Aina 0" (Tweet). Retrieved January 23, 2023 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Nick Lowery in-game interview with Jack Podlesny

External links

2022–23 NCAA football bowl game season
Categories