Coming into the season, you don't want to get injured, especially as a senior. I don't wish an injury upon anybody. Going through it and sitting out was hard. Watching the San Diego State game, and then the Wyoming game made me appreciate it more and to come back more hungry and give back to this defense. – David Moala
LOGAN — When the final seconds of Utah State's 52-26 rout of Boise State on Oct. 16 ran off the clock, it set off a huge celebration at Maverik Stadium.
Students and fans poured onto Merlin Olsen Field, engulfing the victorious Aggies, who had finally managed to knock off the then-No. 21-ranked Broncos after years of frustration.
And while there was a huge smile on the face of David Moala, the senior nose guard kept himself on the fringes of the mob scene. Now wearing a USU sweatsuit rather than his No. 51 jersey, Moala clearly had a bit of sadness buried behind his smile as he gingerly walked around on the turf, carefully accepted hugs from sympathetic teammates and friends.
Although he played a pivotal role in arguably the best half of football in school history — as the Aggies forced seven turnovers on its way to a 45-10 lead — Moala went down with an injury to his right knee with 4:29 left in the second quarter and didn't return to action the rest of the night.
"When the injury happened, I thought it was an ACL injury and I was just praying it wasn't," Moala recalled.
Those prayers were answered when the diagnosis turned out to be a sprained knee rather than a torn ligament. Moala was able to return after missing two games following the victory over Boise State. But without the 6-foot-2, 300-pounder anchoring the defensive line, the Aggies surrendered 336 rushing yards in a 48-14 loss at San Diego State, and 270 yards on the ground in a win over Wyoming.
"Coming into the season, you don't want to get injured, especially as a senior," Moala said. "I don't wish an injury upon anybody. Going through it and sitting out was hard. Watching the San Diego State game, and then the Wyoming game made me appreciate it more and to come back more hungry and give back to this defense."
Moala was able to return in time for USU's game at New Mexico on Nov. 7, and while the Aggies lost, 14-13, the Lobos' managed just 132 rushing yards, far below their season average.
"David is a really smart player," senior linebacker LT Filiaga said of Moala after that game. "He knows when to hold blocks for us linebackers, and he knows when to take on an offensive lineman one-on-one. He knows how to choose his battles, and when he does, he makes it happen in the backfield.
"I'm very grateful for him, and I'm really excited that he's back with us."
Amazingly enough, considering the impact he's had on USU defense this year, heading into the season, Moala was slated for a backup role with the Aggies.
After redshirting at Arizona State in 2011, Moala ended up playing his first two seasons at Cerritos Junior College in Norwalk, California, before signing on with Utah State. Although he saw action in 10 games in 2014, Moala recorded just eight tackles — or as many as he had in this year's game at Utah.
After the graduation of starting nose guard Elvis Kamana-Matagi, USU's starting nose guard was slated to be senior Travis Seefeldt, who played extremely well in 2014, totaling 35 tackles, including six tackles-for-loss and two sacks.
But everything changed on June 26 when Seefeldt was injured in a horrific car accident in northwestern Cache County. Seefeldt and three of his teammates survived the crash, but his injuries were bad enough that he was unable to play this year and may or may not return in 2016.
"I should have been in that car with Travis and them," Moala said of his teammates' unofficial outing to Newton Reservoir. "I should have been in that car, but I decided to go down to California to see my lady and my parents."
A native of the Inglewood area in Southern California, Moala and his girlfriend, Saane Fonokalafi, welcomed a baby boy (Seiloni) into the world mid-September. There's every reason to believe that Seiloni will end up playing football, considering his genes.
Moala's cousin is former Highland High standout and current Detroit Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, and his brother, Fili, starred at USC and was selected in the second round of the NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts in 2009. Older brothers Sifa (UNLV) and Tolu (Oklahoma State) also played Division I football.
Now, David Moala is making a name for himself, thanks to recording 37 tackles, including nine for a loss and three sacks.
"He takes up two offensive linemen," Wells says. "He plays his gap, he's twitchy and he can beat one-on-one blocks. He's played excellent this season."
But Moala, who will play the final home game of his career Saturday when the Aggies host Brigham Young, might end up being best remembered for, of all things, two blocked extra points.
The first came in USU's season-opening win over Southern Utah, which the Aggies won 12-9. After SUU scored its lone touchdown in the first quarter, Moala got a hand on the subsequent PAT attempt and the ball was snared by linebacker Torrey Green for two points — a three-point swing in a three-point game.
The second came last Saturday in USU's 31-27 win over Nevada. At the time, the extra point seemed like it would just be icing on the cake for the Wolf Pack as they tacked on a quick touchdown early in the third quarter. But because Moala got a piece of the football, Nevada's lead at the time stood at 27-7 rather than 28-7.
"We take pride here at Utah State in blocking PATs or field goals. Every point matters to us," Moala said. "It was just the snap count. Going into a game, I'm always looking at the snap count. And after he snapped it, I got a little push thanks to Ricky (Ali'ifua) and I got my hands up as high as I could and blocked it. Luckily I have long arms."
The Aggies ended up mounting a huge comeback after that, eventually pulling ahead 28-27 when linebacker Kyler Fackrell recovered a fumble in the end zone with 6:55 to go and Jake Thompson banged through his PAT attempt. Thompson later added a 42-yard field goal with 35 seconds left, leaving the Aggies up 31-27.
Thanks to Moala's block, that four-point lead clearly changed the complexion of the game as the Wolf Pack were forced to go for a touchdown down the stretch rather than simply trying to get in position to kick a game-tying field goal. The USU defense ended up holding firm on Nevada's final possession, helping the Aggies become bowl eligible for a fifth straight season.
But before a bowl game, there's BYU and Senior Day.
"It's big for me because I want to leave a mark here," Moala said of Utah State's opportunity to beat the Cougars in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 41 years. "Not only is it BYU, but I want to leave a legacy here, and I want to be remembered here, too. We've had so many great defenders that have played at Utah State, and I just want to be a part of that culture."