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Posted on 01/10/2004 11:00:00 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
Paul powers way to three TDs in victory
KINGSVILLE - Tyler Paul came to Texas from Emporia (Kan.) State with the same aspirations and hopes as the other 80 players in Friday night's fourth annual Whataburger Cactus Bowl.
He just wound up standing out a little more than his counterparts at Javelina Stadium.
Paul scored three touchdowns, including the game-winning reception from Midwestern State's Philip Boggs on the West's first play in overtime after an East field goal, to give the West a 30-27 victory, snapping its three-game losing streak in the NCAA Division II all-star game.
"You never really know in a game like this. There's so many quality players in a game like this. They're the best in Division II," said Paul, named the game's offensive MVP. "Luckily, I made some plays when I had the opportunity."
Paul got his chance in a wild second half that followed a defensive-dominated first two quarters.
The East had tied the game at 24 with 3:17 remaining in regulation on the third touchdown pass of the game by Harlon Hill Trophy winner Will Hall. The North Alabama quarterback, who set a Cactus Bowl record with 192 passing yards and the three TD strikes, hit Glenn Martinez with a 17-yard scoring pass following a recovery of a punt that grazed the leg of the West's Brandon Pinkerhughes.
The East settled for a 37-yard field goal from Eric Houle on its possession in overtime, setting the stage for Paul, who was wide open for the second time in the game down the left side.
"We'd been scheming that play the whole time. It was a bootleg play with a throwback," Paul said. "I saw nobody was there and it was, 'Uh-oh, I better not drop this one.'"
He didn't, setting off a wild celebration in the South end zone in front of 6,500 and a regional cable television audience.
"We held them to three points, and I knew the offense was going to score because they'd been working hard all week," said Texas A&M-Kingsville cornerback Eddie Moten, whose interception helped set up a third-quarter West field goal. "But I didn't think it was going to be like that on the first play."
The nation's eighth-leading rusher in Division II, Paul's 49-yard TD reception from Boggs in the third quarter set a Cactus Bowl record. It eclipsed the previous mark of 41 Brian Eyerman and Carmelo Ocasio combined for last year.
"To tell the truth, I just wanted to go out there and do the best I could," Paul said. "The expectations were high, and fortunately we won."
All four A&M-Kingsville players - Moten, cornerback Jason Lee and center Kevin Palmer for the West and offensive guard James Parham for the East - started the game. Lee had six tackles, second for the West, and broke up four passes. In addition to the pick, Moten had two tackles.
With a game-best 10 tackles and two sacks, the West's Eric McDowell (Missouri Western) earned the game's defensive MVP honor. Tusculum's Alan Dunn won the Jim Langer Award as the game's top offensive lineman.
Following a listless first half in which the West held a 7-0 lead on Paul's first TD run, a 2-yarder, with 2:13 before halftime, the East scored 10 unanswered points in a span of 1:46 early in the third quarter. The East put together a 61-yard drive to open the half, scoring on Houle's 33-yard field goal. After Michael Grant's interception of Boggs and 35-yard return to the West 2, Hall found Nathaniel Doddridge for the 2-yard score, and Houle's point-after kick gave the East a 10-7 lead.
But the West came right back with an 86-yard drive. The big play was the final one. Boggs spotted Paul in the left flat wide open and Paul sped into the end zone.
That turned the momentum for the West, especially after Jordan Babineaux's 50-yard return of the ensuing kickoff was wiped away because of an illegal block penalty at the East 10. Five plays later, Moten picked off Erreick Stewart at the East 21 and returned it to the 10. California Davis' Dustin Apocotos later kicked a 24-yard field goal for a 17-10 lead.
St. Cloud (Minn.) State quarterback Keith Heckendorf, one of the three Harlon Hill finalists, boosted the West lead to 24-10 on an 8-yard TD run with 13:25 to play.
The East didn't crater, however, moving 73 yards on 12 plays, scoring on Hall's 5-yard pass to Ruvell Martin following a weaving scramble.
East0010143 - 27
West0710 76 - 30
Second Quarter
W - Paul 2 run (Apocotos kick), 2:13
Third Quarter
E - FG Houle 33, 11:27
E - Doddridge 2 pass from Hall (Houle kick), 9:41
W - Paul 49 pass from Boggs (Apocotos kick), 6:21
W - FG Apocotos 24, 2:45
Fourth Quarter
W - Heckendorf 8 run (Apocotos kick), 13:25
E - R. Martin 5 pass from Hall (Houle kick), 7:54
E - Martinez 21 pass from Hall (Houle kick), 3:17
Overtime
E - FG Houle 37
W - Paul 25 pass from Boggs
EastWest
First downs1612
Rushes-yards38-5837-116
Yards passing197142
Passes13-36-27-21-2
Punts-avg7-39.07-37.4
Return yards9892
Fumbles-lost3-12-1
Penalties6-347-46
Time of possession33:3226:28
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING - East, Florence 5-1, Hall 14-6, Duppond 12-33, M. Brown 4-4, Stewart 3-14. West, Kammrad 7-21, Freeman 7-24, Boggs 7-37, Crenshaw 1-(minus-4), Paul 7-24, Heckendorf 2-8, Malone 6-6.
PASSING - East, Hall 12-25-1-192, Stewart 1-11-1-5. West, Freeman 3-5-0-43, Boggs 3-8-1-94, Heckendorf 0-7-1-0, Roberts 1-1-0-5.
RECEIVING - East, Trusty 1-2, M. Brown 1-19, R. Martin 5-98, Plant 2-18, Doddridge 1-2, Manning 1-20, Martinez 2-38, West, Malone 1-6, Crenshaw 1-32, Krause 2-15, Paul 3-89.
MISSED FIELD GOALS - East, Houle 46 (right upright).
A - 6,500.
Contact George Vondracek at 886-3731 or vondracekg@caller.com
It was on FOXSW.
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