Washington State defensive lineman Hercules Mata’afa was a thorn in the side of Arizona running back J.J. Taylor for most of Saturday’s first quarter.
On one play, he blew up the UA running back behind the line of scrimmage. The next play, he stopped the diminutive Taylor again.
Mata’afa, a junior, is considered one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the nation. At 6 feet 2 inches and 255 pounds, he’s relatively small for his position. Most weigh 300 pounds, or close to it.
That doesn’t seem to matter much — coming into Saturday’s game, Mata’afa led Washington State with 6.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles-for-loss and was among the nation’s leaders in quarterback pressures.
Oregon coach Willie Taggart has called Mata’afa a “war daddy.”
Mata’afa — who was recruited to Washington State by former UA defensive lineman Joe Salave’a, who’s now at Oregon — was a high school wrestler, which may explain some of his football skills.
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In three years at his Lahaina, Hawaii, high school, Mata’afa lost just two matches — both came in the state championship final to a wrestler who eventually starred at Iowa State.
One thing is for certain — Mata’afa and the 5-6, 180-pound Taylor would never have been in the same weight class.
