Courtesy of Utah State
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State’s Hale Motu’apuaka (Huh-lay Mow-too-uh-poo-uh-kuh) will be playing in the 78th Hula Bowl All-Star game on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 10 a.m. (MT) at FBS Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
Motu’apuaka will be the 13th Aggie to play in the Hula Bowl and first since Gerold Bright in 2019. Other Aggies to play in the all-star game include Donald Penn (2006), Ben Holbrook (2000), Walter Fiefia (1999), Brandon Dyson (1998), Scott Parrish (1976), Phil Olsen (1970), Bill Staley (1968), Ron Sbranti (1966), Jim McNaughton (1964), Lionel Aldridge (1963) and Merlin Olsen (1962).
Motu’apuaka, a 6-foot-1, 290-pound defensive tackle from Honolulu, Hawaii (Punahou HS) earned honorable mention all-Mountain West honors this past season as he has 32 tackles, which included 3.0 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss, to go along with four quarterback hurries. His 32 tackles are the most on the team by a defensive tackle and second most by a defensive lineman. Overall, he has posted at least two tackles in nine games this year.
For his career, Motu’apuaka ranks second all-time in school history with 58 career games played and tied for seventh all-time in career starts with 40. In all, he has 114 career tackles, which includes 10.5 sacks and 22.0 tackles for loss.
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