South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Ex-UCF QB Milton, Team AINA fall short
Ilinois quarterback Brandon Peters completed 7-of-12 passes for 101 yards and 1 touchdown but his performance wasn’t enough as Team AINA fell short, 21-20, to Team KAI in the Hula Bowl at UCF’s Bounce House Stadium on Saturday.
Former UCF and Florida State quarterback McKenzie Milton led Team AINA onto the field first as both teams rotated quarterbacks.
Milton played the first quarter and threw for 32 yards on 5-of-9 passing. He later came in the fourth quarter as Team AINA trailed by 1 with seven minutes remaining.
A fan favorite of the afternoon collegefootballall-stargame,Milton led Team AINA downfield as the clock ticked but threw an interception at 1:34 of the fourth quarter to Virginia safety Joey Blount.
The turnover clinched the win for Team KAI.
“I wish the outcome was different,” Milton said. “It’s hard to get in a rhythm when you’re playing series by series, but it was a lot of fun.”
Established in 1946, the Hula Bowl is traditionally played at the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, but due to construction the game was moved to UCF’s on-campus football stadium.
There have been discussions about moving the game to UCF on a regular basis, a Hula Bowl official told the Orlando Sentinel.
Four players, two for each squad, were named the Most Valuable Players for the bowl game. For Team KAI, Toledo running back Bryan Koback, who carried the ball 8 times for 130 yards a touchdown, was named Offensive Player of the Game while San Diego State cornerback Tayler Hawkins was Defensive Player of the Game.
For Team AINA, Washington State receiver Travell Harris, who caught a 72-yard touchdown in the third quarter, got Offensive Player of the Game, while Wake Forrest linebacker Luke Masterson earned Defensive Player of the Game honors.
Hawkins returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown with 5:48 left in the third quarter to give Team KAI a 21-10 lead.
On the next drive, Peters connected with Harris on a deep throw to pull Team AINA to 21-17 with less than four minutes remaining in the quarter.
Wake Forest kicker Nick Sciba made a 26-yard field goal at 7:57 of the fourth quarter, making the score 21-20. Earlier in the game, Sciba also nailed a 52-yard field goal for Team AINA.
Players from all over the country competed in the Hula Bowl for an opportunity to practice and play in front of over 100 scouts from the NFL and the Canadian Football League, among other professional organizations.
Milton believes his tape from practice was “pretty good” while showcasing his skillset throughout the week to scouts.
“I thought I could have had a better showing today, but it’s challenging not being out there every series. But I felt like I did a good job, got better and I’m going to keep progressing come Pro Day.”