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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Taufaasau holds down the middle for NMMI

New Mexico Military Institute got a huge win last weekend over Arizona Western and one of the top players on their underrated defense is DT Kurt Taufaasau (6-4, 280), a player just now starting to pop up on D-1 radars...

Taufaasau hails from American Samoa where he took up the game and wanted to continue his football career after he finished up with high school.


"I wanted to keep playing and (NMMI) offered me a full scholarship so I came," Taufaasau told JCFootball.com. "I really like the coaches here and the regimented lifestyle here. It really helps you focus on academics and football and they give you a lot of support for both things and that was big for me."

As a freshman, Taufaasau worked in the rotation with several other players, but this year he's holding down the nose tackle position alongside his buddy B.J. Sumter, notching 24 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles.

"B.J. and I try to cause problems inside for the offense," Taufaasau said. "We are always attacking and playing strong up front and that allows the rest of our defense to fly to the ball and make plays."

Taufaasau has been so good this year, that against Scottsdale on October 10th he was named the Defensive Player of the Week after totaling five tackles, three tackles-for-loss and two sacks.

"Getting sacks as a nose tackle isn't easy," Taufaasau said with a chuckle. "We had great coverage on the sacks that I got. I didn't collapse the pocket, but the quarterback sorta tried to move around and that's when I got him.

"I couldn't do anything without my teammates."

Recruiting is just starting to pick up for the talented interior defensive lineman and he said two schools have made it known they want to see more of what he has to offer.

"Wyoming and Oregon State both said they want film of me," Taufaasau said. "We just got that done and sent it off to them along with my transcripts so I'm just waiting to see what happens."

Taufaasau is on pace to graduate next May and he'll have three years to play two wherever he ends up.

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