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LOGAN — Though early, with the Aggies up by 3 points Saturday, Utah State hadn't scored a touchdown since its first possession of the first quarter. On their previous drive, the Aggies came up short and settled for a field goal after getting to the Nevada 4-yard line.
Not all was lost, but the Aggies' momentum was slipping away.
Enter defensive tackle Seni Tuiaki.
Midway through the second quarter, Nevada drove down the field in an attempt to take its first lead of the game. On what appeared to be a running back screen, Utah State's Anthony Switzer shot through the offensive line and hit Wolf Pack quarterback AJ Bianco as he threw, releasing an ill-thrown floater that was directed right at Tuiaki.
Tuiaki, a 6-foot-1, 280-pound sophomore from East High, secured the errant throw and took off toward the Aggies' end zone. After 63 yards, the defensive tackle was in the end zone, scoring what he said was his first-ever touchdown.
"I was actually thinking to run to McDonald's, that's how I ran so fast," Tuiaki said.
Tuiaki said he worked at McDonald's in the offseason and that he's great friends with the guy who owns most of the local Cache Valley restaurants. When asked if working there made him dislike the food, he quickly said no and said he grew up loving McDonald's.
His love for the fast food joint was evident; Tuiaki brought it up a handful of times after the game.
"(To get the ball in open field,) it's like opening up a McDonald's bag, like you see an opening and it's just, you've got to run. … All I knew I just had to run, run, run, run," Tuiaki said.
His touchdown swung the momentum back in the Aggies' favor, giving the home team a 10-point lead just seconds after Nevada was threatening to take the lead.
"Any time you get a big-man touchdown, any time you get a non-offensive touchdown, I think it's huge," Utah State head coach Blake Anderson said. "Your chances of winning go through the roof. … That came at a really good time."
BIG MAN TOUCHDOWN!
— USU Football (@USUFootball) November 11, 2023
⚡️ @Seni_2uiaki#AggiesAllTheWaypic.twitter.com/ztnyqFymUH
Tuiaki's touchdown, however, probably meant more to him than the swing of momentum in a game. Last year, he exited the season early after breaking his leg in the the team's fourth game against UNLV.
"I've been through a lot last year with a major injury … and just to see how God planned my life after that, it's just an amazing experience," Tuiaki said.
His rehabilitation process was long, but he has been able to play since the beginning of the 2023 season for the Aggies. Perhaps it was his previous injury, in addition to never before scoring in the sport he has played for years, that made the score feel a little more special.
"My celebration was actually to do the griddy, but at the same time it was just like, oh man, it's just too exciting," Tuiaki said. "So I just went, and I was just looking at the crowd. … (I) said a little prayer and then just looked up in the sky. I lost my little brother in June and so I know he was watching it, so it was definitely for him."
Between dealing with the grief of losing his brother and suffering a major injury, the game-changing touchdown left Tuiaki "lost for words."
