LAS VEGAS — Oregon State senior backup defensive tackle Sioeli Nau admits he grew up a "die-hard BYU fan."
Needless to say, the Spanish Fork High product can't wait to face his former favorite team Tuesday in the Las Vegas Bowl (6 p.m., ESPN), which will mark his final game as a Beaver.
Going up against the Cougars simply provides him even more motivation.
"I wanted to play at BYU, but it didn't work out that way," said Nau, whose family lives in Spanish Fork. "This is actually one of the games I was hoping to play while at Oregon State. I've been hoping to play BYU at some time and this is that time. I'm looking forward to it. This is one of the biggest games I've looked forward to. Losing to Oregon and not going to the Rose Bowl was very sad, but when I found out we were playing BYU, it made me excited."
While playing at Snow Junior College in 2006, Nau was hoping he could attract interest from the Cougars. His former Snow teammates, linebacker Coleby Clawson and Tevita Hola, moved on to BYU, but Nau said the Cougars didn't recruit him.
"I think I got a letter from them while I was at Snow College," he said. "But I didn't get an offer."
As a kid, Nau remembers watching a lot of BYU games and following Cougar stars like quarterback Steve Sarkisian and running backs Reno Mahe and Luke Staley.
Last month, when Washington visited Oregon State, Nau introduced himself to Sarkisian, who is the first-year coach of the Huskies. "He was surprised that someone from the Provo area would be up here playing," Nau said with a laugh.
OSU starting defensive tackle Stephen Paea also has ties to Provo. The junior played one year at Timpview High, garnering all-region honors, before playing at Snow College. This season, Paea has recorded a team-high three sacks.
BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall called Paea a "phenomenal" player.
"We knew about at least one of the two at Snow College," Mendenhall said of Paea and Nau. "At that time, based on our needs, that wasn't something we were pursuing."
BYU linebacker Coleby Clawson played with both Nau and Paea at Snow College.
"(Nau) was a sophomore while I was a freshman. He started for us down there," he said. "His sophomore year he was really good. I think he committed to Utah State then got a late offer from Oregon State."
Of Paea, Clawson said, "We were next-door neighbors when I played down there (at Snow). What I remember about him is, he's probably one of the strongest players I've ever seen play the game, period. And he's one of the most athletic for how big he is (6-foot-1, 285). I remember my sophomore year, when he was a freshman, he tested out stronger than anybody else on the team. He weighed almost 300 pounds and ran a 4.9 (in the 40-yard dash). He's a really athletic, strong player and he's gotten better since he's been at Oregon State."
Clawson is looking forward to seeing his old teammates in Las Vegas. "It will be fun to have a little reunion and see how he's doing," he said. "We were all close teammates and really good friends."
Another Beaver that the Cougars recruited was junior linebacker Walker Vave from Kahuku High in Laie, Hawaii. He is a friend of a few Cougar players, including BYU wide receiver Spencer Hafoka.
Vave and Hafoka were teammates at Kahuku. "We're really excited to play against each other," Vave said.
"The last time we were on the field together was 2003. We're really close, our families are really close," Hafoka said. "We grew up in the same community, we attended the same football camps and we played together in high school. This game is something I'm excited about. We're looking forward to it."
Hafoka and Vave have been keeping in touch even more in recent weeks.
"We talk just about every other day," Hafoka said. "We'll call, text each other. The trash-talking started as soon as we found out we were playing each other. It should be really fun."
Maaco Bowl Las Vegas
No. 15 BYU (10-2) vs. No. 16 Oregon State (8-4)
Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Sam Boyd Stadium
TV: ESPN
Radio: 1160 AM, 102.7 FM
e-mail: jeffc@desnews.com