Vai Taua
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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Vai Taua (born Vailala Lima Taua on October 11, 1988 in Fountain Valley, Calif.) plays running back for the University of Nevada Wolfpack in the NCAA college football tournament. Built with a 5-foot-10, 220-pound frame, Taua emerged this season to become Nevada's go-to-guy for ground production. Taua has strung up consecutive strong performances that have made some fans forget about last season's leading rusher, Luke Lippincott. He has given Lippincott a run for his money while both were competing for the starting job entering this season and with the opportunity that was brought about by his fellow RB's misfortune, Taua has made the most out of the chance by breaking out in just his sophomore season.
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[edit] Personal Life
Vai is the son of Faletui and Taua Taua. He has five younger siblings. Vai lists his high school football team's win over rival Lompoc High during his senior season in 2006 as his most exciting sports moment. Vai's father always wanted him to play the linebacker spot and he takes that attitude with him when he's asked to pass block.
[edit] High School
Taua studied high school at Cabrillo High in his hometown of Lompac, California where he was a four-year letterman in football and a two-year letterman in track. On the gridiron, Taua played on both offense and defense (linebacker, nose guard, and defensive end) under head coach Don Cross. During his senior year in 2005, Taua bagged the Los Padres League MVP after leading the Conquistadors to a league championship and a berth in the California Interscholastic Federation semis with his league-best 2,335 all purpose yards that include 1,709 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns (three short of the county record) on 260 carries. He also averaged 6.6 yards per catch and was second in the league in scoring, accounting for 180 total points or 45.6% of his team's points on the season. His performance also got him an All-CIF and an all-conference selection.
[edit] College
[edit] 2006
Despite his performance at Cabrillo High, Taua wasn't the most recruited prospect in his state but still managed to receive a scholarship offer from Nevada after being recruited by receivers coach Scott Baumgartner. His transition from high school to collegiate football however took some rough turns early in his freshman year at Nevada. In his first day on the Wolf Pack practice field in 2006, he was gassed after spending just about two minutes running through the ropes and the bags. He was eventually redshirted as a freshman.
[edit] 2007
As a redshirt freshman playing behind the WAC's leading rusher Luke Lippincott, Taua managed to see action in eight games, missing some games because he decided to temporarily quit the team and also because of a knee injury later in the season. His collegiate debut took place at Nebraska where he rushed thrice for 24 yards in the 42-point setback. He had a season high 9 carries for 71 yards in the 52-17 win over Nicholls State then scored his first career touchdown midway through the season on an 11-yard run in a 37-21 win over Idaho, where he also caught his first career pass for a 3-yard gain. His last touches of the season came at New Mexico State where he had three attempts but only gained two yards in the 40-38 victory. He finished the season with 19 carries for 112 yards and a TD.
[edit] 2008
The knee injury he suffered late in 2007 required offseason, arthroscopic surgery. After the operation, Taua ballooned to 240 pounds during the summer camp. After getting back into shape, he competed for the starting job with Lippincott during the fall but ended up with a back-up position behind Lippincott and even junior Brandon Fragger.
Taua however surprised many when he came up with a breakout game in the season-opener against Grambling State, rushing for a game-high 103 yards on 12 carries with two touchdowns on 1- and 4-yard runs in the 49-13 win. The following week against No.12 Texas Tech, he registered 11 carries for 63 yards in the 19-35 defeat. That game turned out to be the last for Lippincott because of a season-ending knee injury. In the next game against No.6 Missouri, Taua made his first career start but was limited to a season-low 47 rushing yards on 15 carries in the 17-69 loss. At UNLV, he redeemed himself by providing a solid support to Colin Kaepernick after rushing for 123 yards on 19 carries with a 4-yard touchdown run with 11:37 to play that extended Nevada's lead to 42-27. At Idaho, he had his second multi-touchdown game of the season with a 3-yard TD run in the first quarter, a 1-yard scoring run in the second, and a 3-yard score in the fourth before finishing the 49-14 win with 21 carries for 90 yards. In a 45-48 loss to New Mexico State, Taua rushed for 188 yards and scored a career-best four touchdowns (2 rushing, 2 receiving) including a 14-yard scoring catch to tie the score at 38 with 51 seconds left in the third quarter. He also had 49 yards receiving to establish a career-best 237 all-purpose yards. In the homecoming game against Utah State, he contributed 122 rush yards and a TD on 17 carries with a season high 66 receiving yards on four receptions in the 44-17 victory. At Hawai'i, Taua had his third straight 100-yard game after rushing for 160 yards and a TD on 16 carries for a season high average of 10.0 yards per carry in the 31-38 loss.
At Fresno State, Taua received his first career WAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades after rushing for a career-high 263 yards and a 25-yard touchdown on 28 carries in Nevada’s 41-28 win. His output stood as the fifth most by any FBS running back in the nation during the season and was the sixth best in school history. That production also propelled him to the 1,000-yard mark, becoming the first WAC running back to accomplish the feat. More impressively, he accomplished all that despite twisting his knee during the game. He continued his impressive performance with yet another 100-yard game in a 41-17 win over San Jose State, rushing for 125 yards and a 57-yard touchdown run on 18 carries.
[edit] Career Stats
| Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
| Year | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD |
| 2007 | 19 | 112 | 5.9 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2008 | ||||||||||
[edit] Achievements
[edit] 2008
- Phil Steele Midseason All-WAC First Team
- WAC Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Fresno State)
