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PROVO — Travis Tuiloma looked like an NFL prospect.
As a junior, the 6-foot-2, 300-pound nose tackle who grew up in Topeka, Kansas, tallied 25 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a blocked field goal after being named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list.
Just as important was the way Tuiloma held multiple blockers, allowing BYU’s linebacking corps time and space to make the big plays.
But his senior year didn’t start out like he wanted. Tuiloma missed the first three games of the season with a Lisfranc injury that kept him out of spring football, and he returned for a limited 20 plays just two weeks ago against West Virginia.
Sticking to that return has been difficult, though.
“It’s been tough, but I just know that there’s a process that I have to go through,” said Tuiloma, who sometimes spends as much time in BYU’s athletic training room as the practice field. “I’m going to follow it. The trainers and the coaches know what is best for me, football-wise, so I trust it and go with it.”
His coaches hope to have him back soon. But they also know that Tuiloma has pro potential, and won’t risk further setbacks in a similar injury to the one that cost quarterback Taysom Hill all but one half of the first game in his first senior season.
In his absence, the Cougars (2-3) have had to rely on younger interior linemen like junior college transfer Handsome Tanielu and sophomores Tevita Mo’Unga and Moses Kaumatule, with defensive tackle Logan Taele providing key leadership in coach Steve Kaufusi’s group.
“I love the way these guys are playing,” Tuiloma said. “Everybody isn’t the most experienced, except maybe Logan. But he’s shown everyone else the way since the season has started.
“Everybody has stepped up and there is so much more we can do.”
Last Friday, Tuiloma registered his first tackle of the season in the Cougars’ 55-53 win over Toledo. He plans on playing the same 20-25 plays Saturday when BYU kicks off at 1:30 p.m. MDT at Michigan State — but having him back in any capacity is a boon for his teammates.
The foot injury isn’t the only thing challenging Tuiloma. An unknown virus took away his voice during fall camp, and doctors have been puzzled by a sudden lack of pipes from one of the biggest players on BYU’s defensive side.
“Even though he’s not in there all the time, he’s talking to everybody,” defensive end Corbin Kaufusi said of Tuiloma. “Even the soft-spoken that he is with his voice gone, it’s amazing to see how he stays involved with everyone.”
BYU’s pass rush and ability to hold the line of scrimmage on defense has been vital for new defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki’s move to a 4-3 defense that prides itself on creating havoc and turnovers.
“The defense only works if we dominate at the line of scrimmage, and you can only dominate the line of scrimmage with the technique we are teaching,” head coach Kalani Sitake said. “Effort and hard work gets you places, but that’s already a given; the techniques and fundamentals at the line of scrimmage have to be physical.”
The havoc created up front spreads into the defensive backfield, too.
“It messes up the timing,” said cornerback Dayan Lake, who had his first career interception against Toledo (3-1). “If our D-line gets pressure, we press and it gives us an opportunity to get a pick or make a big play. All that pressure forces the quarterback to get the ball out quick.”
Tuiloma’s injury and recovery typically lasts a full year — think of Hill’s missed season after half of the game against Nebraska in 2015.
That he’s even available in any capacity is a credit to Tuiloma’s hard work and perseverance — and trusting the medical staff at BYU.
“At this point, it’s just nagging soreness,” he said. “They told me it’s to be expected, so I’ve got to do my best to take care of it in the training room.
“It’s definitely nice that I am able to get back to where I used to be,” he added, “and knowing that makes me feel excited for future games and being able to play more and more until I get back to full speed.”
