2023 Hula Bowl

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]

2023 Tunnel to Towers Foundation Hula Bowl
77th Hula Bowl
Team Kai Team Aina 16 13 Head coach:  Brian Billick Head coach:  Mike Smith
1 2 3 4 Total Team Kai 0 3 7 6 16 Team Aina 0 7 6 0 13
Date	January 14, 2023
Season	2022
Stadium	FBC Mortgage Stadium
Location	Orlando, Florida
MVP	Offense: Holton Ahlers (QB, East Carolina)[1] Defense: Jordan Ferguson (DE, Middle Tennessee)[2]
Referee	Amanda Sauer
Attendance	8,314
United States TV coverage
Network	CBS Sports Network
Announcers	Jamie Seh (play-by-play), Brian Baldinger (color), Nick Lowery (sideline), Smacker Miles (sideline)[3]
Hula Bowl  < 2022  2024 >

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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Kai	0	3	7	6	16
Aina	0	7	6	0	13

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

• 2023 NFL draft