GOES FROM THIRD-STRING TO ALL-WACOne of two sophomores on all-WAC first team
...........................and Lompoc’s Athlete of the Year for 2008
Taua, the third-string sophomore running back at the University of Nevada who seized upon an opportunity to play and went on to lead the Western Athletic Conference in rushing, has been voted Lompoc Locker Room’s top honor.
Taua did not become a starter until the third game of the season when the WAC rushing leader of 2007 Luke Lippincott went down injured. Taua jumped into the breach with gusto and went on to total 1420 yards in 12 games for an average of 118 per game. He scored 14 touchdowns. His average per carry was 6.7 yards, his longest was 79.
He also pulled in 29 passes for 226 yards and two TD, one reception going for 54. All from a red-shirt sophomore who was so discouraged the year prior that he thought about quitting.
His teammates voted him Outstanding Offensive Player of the Year. The WAC voted him all-league first team.
Lompoc Locker Room’s Blue Ribbon Panel voted him Lompoc Athlete of the Year, but just barely.
Taua inched past Kansas City Royals pitcher Danny Duffy by just two points 89-87. Duffy was the award-winner in 2007.
Lydell Sargeant, the Penn State cornerback, Masson Blow the Lompoc High wrestler and track man, and Boo Jackson, the Ohio quarterback rounded out the top five.
Preparing for the Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl in Boise on December 30 Taua was unable to appear on today’s Lompoc Locker Room, the TV Show, but his 2008 was the stuff of storybooks.
He began the season buried behind Lippincott.
In the opener vs. Grambling Taua did not start but got 12 carries and rushed for 103 yards. It was the first 100-yard game of his career. He reeled off a 62-yard run which was his longest in college.
Against Texas Tech did not start again but Lippincott was injured and declared out for the season. “With Luke out, Vai and Fragger are going to have to step up,” announced coach Chris Ault. “They are going to have to play well.” Brandon Fragger backed up Lippincott in 2007 but soon he too was injured.
Against Missouri Taua got the start and carried for 47 yards on 15 carries but the Wolfpack was blown out. Against UNLV he started again and run for 123 yards. Ault was beginning to see something good.
Against Idaho Taua totaled 90 yards but for the first time he was Nevada’s leading rusher. For the next five weeks he would dominate.
Against New Mexico State he rambled for his career high of 188 yards and two touchdowns. He caught a pass for a third. Opposite Utah State he gained 122, at Hawai’i he posted 160. At Fresno State he exploded for 263 yards, the sixth-best performance in Nevada’s record books. He was named WAC Player of the Week for that performance. Then against San Jose State he piled up 125 more.
Over those five games Taua went over the 100-yard mark every outing and totaled a whopping 858 yards.
Taua, the third-string sophomore running back at the University of Nevada who seized upon an opportunity to play and went on to lead the Western Athletic Conference in rushing, has been voted Lompoc Locker Room’s top honor.
Taua did not become a starter until the third game of the season when the WAC rushing leader of 2007 Luke Lippincott went down injured. Taua jumped into the breach with gusto and went on to total 1420 yards in 12 games for an average of 118 per game. He scored 14 touchdowns. His average per carry was 6.7 yards, his longest was 79.
He also pulled in 29 passes for 226 yards and two TD, one reception going for 54. All from a red-shirt sophomore who was so discouraged the year prior that he thought about quitting.
His teammates voted him Outstanding Offensive Player of the Year. The WAC voted him all-league first team.
Lompoc Locker Room’s Blue Ribbon Panel voted him Lompoc Athlete of the Year, but just barely.
Taua inched past Kansas City Royals pitcher Danny Duffy by just two points 89-87. Duffy was the award-winner in 2007.
Lydell Sargeant, the Penn State cornerback, Masson Blow the Lompoc High wrestler and track man, and Boo Jackson, the Ohio quarterback rounded out the top five.
Preparing for the Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl in Boise on December 30 Taua was unable to appear on today’s Lompoc Locker Room, the TV Show, but his 2008 was the stuff of storybooks.
He began the season buried behind Lippincott.
In the opener vs. Grambling Taua did not start but got 12 carries and rushed for 103 yards. It was the first 100-yard game of his career. He reeled off a 62-yard run which was his longest in college.
Against Texas Tech did not start again but Lippincott was injured and declared out for the season. “With Luke out, Vai and Fragger are going to have to step up,” announced coach Chris Ault. “They are going to have to play well.” Brandon Fragger backed up Lippincott in 2007 but soon he too was injured.
Against Missouri Taua got the start and carried for 47 yards on 15 carries but the Wolfpack was blown out. Against UNLV he started again and run for 123 yards. Ault was beginning to see something good.
Against Idaho Taua totaled 90 yards but for the first time he was Nevada’s leading rusher. For the next five weeks he would dominate.
Against New Mexico State he rambled for his career high of 188 yards and two touchdowns. He caught a pass for a third. Opposite Utah State he gained 122, at Hawai’i he posted 160. At Fresno State he exploded for 263 yards, the sixth-best performance in Nevada’s record books. He was named WAC Player of the Week for that performance. Then against San Jose State he piled up 125 more.
Over those five games Taua went over the 100-yard mark every outing and totaled a whopping 858 yards.
"What a guy," grinned his high school coach Don Cross with whom he is pictured above. The Humanitarian Bowl is scheduled for a 1:30 game time.
The Lompoc Locker Room Top Ten are as follows:
1-Vai Taua 89 (two first place votes)
2-Danny Duffy 87 (four first place votes)
3-Lydell Sargeant 77 (two first place votes)
4-Masson Blow 53 (two first place votes)
5-Boo Jackson 40
6T-Ryan Church 37
6T-Michael Coe 37
8-Frank Piemme 27
9T-Robert Nooney 26 (one first place vote)
9T-Jurgen Schmidt 26
The Lompoc Locker Room Top Ten are as follows:
1-Vai Taua 89 (two first place votes)
2-Danny Duffy 87 (four first place votes)
3-Lydell Sargeant 77 (two first place votes)
4-Masson Blow 53 (two first place votes)
5-Boo Jackson 40
6T-Ryan Church 37
6T-Michael Coe 37
8-Frank Piemme 27
9T-Robert Nooney 26 (one first place vote)
9T-Jurgen Schmidt 26
Twenty-one athletes were nominated. The panel consisted of 12 writers, broadcasters, sports administrators, game officials and fans. The twelfth first-place vote went to track man Duane Solomon who finished 12th in the voting.
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