Fui's present and future

Going into the season, one of the big concerns was the loss of fullback Manase Tonga. Things didn’t look much better when Fui Vakapuna, who was projected to replace Tonga, was hampered with a hamstring injury early in fall camp. Then he was held out for the season-opener against Northern Iowa because he spent the week of the game catching up on academic work.

But a month into the season, Vakapuna is healthy and he has been outstanding, though you wouldn’t necessarily know that looking at his stats. He’s carried the ball 16 times for 77 yards (an average of 4.8 yards per carry — the same as Harvey Unga) and a touchdown. What makes Vakapuna so valuable is his blocking. Cougar players, as well as coach Bronco Mendenhall, have praised him for the way he’s protected quarterback Max Hall and blocked for Unga. Vakapuna is proving that he is a selfless, team-first player. All he cares about, he says, is winning.

Meanwhile, NFL scouts who are hanging around practice these days are impressed with Vakapuna. It appears he has a future in the NFL as a fullback.