Cline shines in Hula Bowl Trip

The Hula Bowl in Honolulu, Hawai’i, first played in 1947, returned for the first time in 12 years and South Dakota senior Kameron Cline helped pave the way for a 23-7 Team Kai win back on Jan. 26.

Cline is a three-year starter for the Coyotes who totaled 36 tackles including four sacks this past season. He received the official invitation in an early January phone call from Rich Miano, who played in the 1985 Hula Bowl before completing an 11-year NFL career. Shortly thereafter, Cline, a San Diego native, made his first flight across the Pacific to the island of Oahu.

“The game was on Sunday, but we arrived on Tuesday,” said Cline. “There was a shuttle waiting to take us to the hotel. I remember thinking how beautiful everything seemed. The mountains looked different, like a movie almost.”

“We practiced early each day and then typically had the rest of the day to explore.”

Those explorations took Cline to Pearl Harbor, Waikiki Beach and the Polynesian Cultural Center. He attended a play, learned the ceremonial Haka dance, and worked a camp for high school kids.

“Everything was a fantastic experience,” said Cline. “It was all new and things I hadn’t done before.”

On the field, Cline worked with a coach he had followed as a kid – Rex Ryan, a legendary defensive coach who spent more than two decades in the NFL. Mike Smith, who served as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2008-14 before becoming the defensive coordinator for Tampa Bay, coached Team Aina.

“(Coach Ryan) was with us when we had team meetings, and the defensive linemen sat in front, so it was crazy sitting there right in front of Rex Ryan when I’ve been watching him on TV for so long,” said Cline. “It was pretty cool. He’s a funny guy.”

The highlight of the game for Cline, outside of whopping up on the red team, was a play when Ryan had pulled him over individually and told him to watch for a screen. Ryan nailed the call and Cline nailed the assignment. He stuck to the running back trying to sneak out of the backfield. With the play busted, the quarterback was tackled, fumbled and the result was a turnover.

“We had a really good defense,” said Cline. “We shut them down. We had one defensive touchdown and almost a second. We got after them the whole day.”

Cline practiced at both defensive end and tackle, but he played tackle for much of the game, which was just fine by him. He rotated every two series with LSU’s Breiden Fehoko, a Hawai’i native who had just won a national championship with the Tigers.

Cline spoke with representatives from several NFL teams during the trip and has received calls from others upon return. His pro day is set for March 27. Until then, he continues to work towards his degree while working with head strength and conditioning coach Clete McLeod.

“Finishing my degree is a priority and I’m right there,” said Cline. “In terms of what’s next for football, I’m just believing in myself at all times and good things will happen.”