Punter Gets Plenty Of Kicks Playing In Hula Bowl Emergency Booter Becomes The Star As South Produces 26-13 Triumph

Andy Russ came to the Hula Bowl as a punter. Four field goals later he may have earned himself a shot as an NFL kicker.

The Mississippi State punter, pressed into kicking duties for the All-Star game, booted four field goals and was named most valuable player in the South’s 26-13 victory Sunday at Aloha Stadium.

“I’d like to get a shot at least,” Russ said after kicking field goals of 42, 47, 28 and 31 yards. “It’s great to be able to come out here and kick four field goals. I was hoping to make one or two in this game, but to make all four is unbelievable.

“I didn’t have a great punting game. Now that they saw I can kick, maybe I can make it as a punter and kicker.”

USC quarterback Brad Otton and Fresno State’s Jim Arellanes passed for touchdowns as the South took a 20-0 halftime lead. The South’s defense overpowered an undermanned North offensive line missing three players and sacked North quarterback Steve Sarkisian of Brigham Young four times.

The North played with just five offensive linemen, as three players from the unit had to be scratched, including first-team All-America Chris Naeole of Colorado.

“It affected us. We had five offensive lineman that played the whole ballgame. We only had four defensive backs,” North coach Lou Holtz said. “It affected us in the kicking game. They punted the ball and it rolled and we didn’t field it and then they got good yardage on their punt return game, and that had a lot to do with field position.”

The North also was missing Colorado quarterback Koy Detmer, leaving Holtz without a needed offensive weapon.

“(Injuries) may have allowed our defense to dominate up front, and that possibly could have been the difference,” South coach Bobby Bowden said. “I thought our whole defense played real solid.”

Heisman Trophy winner Danny Weurffel of Florida, bothered by a sore right shoulder, played just the opening series for the South. He fumbled a snap and then made a bad pitch that was fumbled out of bounds.

On the South’s second drive, Otton led a 13-play drive that led to a 42-yard field goal by Russ and a 3-0 South lead.

Otton then found a wide open Freddie Jones in the middle of the field, and the North Carolina tight end rumbled into the end zone, giving the South a 10-0 lead.

Sarkisian rallied the North to two late scores.

Archie Amerson from Division I-AA Northern Arizona burst through the middle untouched for a 38-yard touchdown for the North’s first score with 12:39 to play. Sarkisian then hit Stanford’s Brian Manning for a 17-yard TD with 4 minutes left, and was driving toward the goal when time ran out.

Allen transfers from Idaho

Idaho reserve wide receiver Jerome Allen has transferred to Portland State for his senior year of football eligibility.

Allen played sparingly last season, returning six kickoffs for 127 yards and