The Cougars’ defense on the football field has been dominant all season long, holding their opponents to an average of just 16 points per game. Junior strong safety Taliuaki Suliafu has been a major part of the Cougars success on defense, leading them both on and off the field.

Head coach Victor Santa Cruz expressed that Suliafu’s leadership and respect on the team is due to how much he has matured in the past few years.

“Off the field, I’ve seen a guy who’s gone from a squirrely high school senior, to now a mature young man. He’s got more to grow, but for going into his redshirt junior year, as a head football coach I’m very proud of the man that he’s becoming,” Santa Cruz said.

Suliafu has had quite an impact this year, racking up 18 solo tackles, six tackles for loss, three and a half sacks and two interceptions on the season.

“He has that leadership instinct and he has the big-play ability. He’s a guy who feels responsible for everyone and understands that he wants to be the tip of the spear and give his teammates the very best effort that he can give,” Santa Cruz said.

In the Cougars’ first game against GNAC rival Humboldt State this season, Suliafu sealed the victory for APU by recording a pick-six late in the fourth quarter. On Sep. 24, Suliafu was named National Player of the Week by D2Football.com for his performance against Simon Fraser. However, Suliafu gives all the credit to his defensive teammates.

“Defensively, the reason why I’m making big plays is because everybody on defense is doing their job. The 10 other guys on defense are what’s making me better every day,” Suliafu said. “It’s a team effort – when I make a big play, we all make a big play. That’s how I see our defense.”

Interestingly, Suliafu’s often laid-back and humble personality off the field doesn’t match his desire to lead on the field. Both coaches and teammates believe that when Suliafu lets down his hair and puts his helmet and shoulder pads on, he becomes a different person.

“That hair that he has – it’s as if he lights it on fire, and he runs with an amazing passion. He was born to do this,” Santa Cruz said. “We see a young man who his teammates’ respect, and he loves his teammates. He’s one of those guys who can really carry a team when it comes to energy. Now he’s making big plays and he’s not backing away from the moment. His instincts, great technique and great discipline have come along side, and now you see more of a complete player.”

Cougars’ defensive lineman Billy Tanuvasa describes himself as one of Suliafu’s best friends. He also admits that Suliafu becomes a different person when he’s on the football field.

“You would never expect to see that guy you see in the classroom play the way he does on the field. When he snaps on the helmet, he’s a different guy and he has a fire inside of him, which a lot of us could really use and a lot of us look to emulate,” Tanuvasa said.

Just like Santa Cruz, Tanuvasa has seen the growth in maturity and leadership from his teammate, and he expects for those traits to continue growing.

“The biggest growth I’ve seen in him is his willingness to accept his role as a leader and really accept that fact that guys look up to him,” Tanuvasa said. “I think he’s really embraced that, and I’ve seen him get on guys when he needs to and I’ve seen him own up to things when he needs to. So I’d say that he’s grown as a character, as a leader and he continues to grow as a football player.”

Suliafu started playing football in high school and has family who influenced him and taught him about the game. Although he was small and people doubted his abilities to play, he became passionate about proving them wrong.

“All my cousins were playing football. I was a skinny kid back then, and I was told that I was going to get hurt playing football and that I should just stick to baseball or basketball, but I wanted to prove them wrong. That’s how I started playing football,” Suliafu said. “Now people are looking up to me, so I feel very proud of that so far.”

His motivations since then have shifted to represent his teammates, the university and God. However, he still plays passionately, knowing that there is more to prove on the field.

“We’re trying to prove that Azusa Pacific is a powerhouse football team in the nation. Since we are a D-2 school that came from the NAIA, people probably thought that this small Christian school can’t compete with them. That’s one motivation right there,” Suliafu said. “Another motivation is simply playing for God. Our saying is “God First,” and that’s a big factor right there.”

Once again, the Cougars will be looking to prove themselves to the nation as the season goes on. The team suffered their first loss of the season 27-23 on Oct. 8 to Colorado School of Mines. The defense still held their own against the high-powered Orediggers offense, which averaged 42 points per game this season.

The Cougars, now sitting at 5-1, will look to rebound at home on Oct. 15 in a rematch against Humboldt State. This will be APU’s 500th football game in school history.

APU is now ranked 19 in the AFCA Division II Top-25 coaches poll, dropping nine spots from last week. APU is still in first place in the GNAC standings, remaining undefeated in conference play.