#35

Toa Taua

Senior running back for Nevada. 2022: 911 rushing yards, 11 rushing TD, 41 catches.

RB · Nevada · Sr. · #35

5′9″ · 218 lb · Lompoc, CA

CFB Index 60 · #68 of 317 RBsHigh confidenceAll-ConferenceNevada 2022 alumnus

Recruiting

3★

ATH recruit

No. 761 nationally · Signed with Nevada

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 running back for Nevada. 2022: 911 rushing yards, 11 rushing TD, 41 catches.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Nevada in 2018.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Five seasons at Nevada, 3,990 rushing yards — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

201813 games

Signed with Nevada3-star out of Lompoc

20207 games

All-Mountain Westsecond

202212 games

All-Mountain Westhonorable_mention

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#761 national

CFB

College

Nevada

2018–2022

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

4 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST

All-Mountain West mention (2022)

Coaching lineage · 2018–2022

3 coaches

2018–2020

Jay Norvell

Nevada

2021

Vai Taua

Nevada

era →

2022

Ken Wilson

Nevada

era →

Played under 3 different head coaches: Jay Norvell, Vai Taua, and Ken Wilson. Multi-era developmental context.

2022 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2018Nevada8-5HC: Jay Norvell · Balanced

2019Nevada7-6HC: Jay Norvell · Balanced

2020Nevada7-2HC: Jay Norvell · Pass-leaning, fast tempo

2021Nevada8-5HC: Vai Taua · Pass-heavy

2022Nevada2-10HC: Ken Wilson · Balanced

Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

60Quality starter #68 of 317?

High confidence12 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: receptions (98th percentile). Strength: rec yards (95th percentile). Concern: success rate (17th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

TD rate#211 / 398 · 47th pct

4.3%

EPA / carry#237 / 398 · 41st pct

0.11

Explosive rate#250 / 398 · 37th pct

5.8%

Yards / carry#277 / 398 · 31st pct

4.7

Success rate#329 / 398 · 17th pct

38.5%

Box-score rates (7)

Receptions#8 / 338 · 98th pct

Rec yards#16 / 338 · 95th pct

295

Carries#26 / 346 · 93rd pct

217

Rush TDs#27 / 346 · 91st pct

Rush yards#55 / 346 · 84th pct

911

Long run#200 / 346 · 41st pct

Yards / carry#266 / 346 · 21st pct

4.2

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / carry

32nd → 41st percentile

Success rate

30th → 17th percentile

Explosive rate

33rd → 37th percentile

Yards / carry

46th → 31st percentile

TD rate

35th → 47th percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2022 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Home6g	76.0	4.2	0.8
Road6g	75.8	4.7	1.0

First half vs Second half

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Weeks 1-77g	64.7	4.2	1.0
Weeks 8+5g	91.6	4.8	0.8

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Jeff Choate

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2022

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

60 · #68 of 317 RBs

Three-star recruit. Now #68 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2022	Nevada	217	911	4.2	11	--
2021	Nevada	150	732	4.9	6	--
2020	Nevada	114	675	5.9	4	--
2019	Nevada	194	800	4.1	6	--
2018	Nevada	178	872	4.9	6	--
Career		853	3,990	4.7	33	--

Season	Team
2022	Nevada	41	295	7.2	1	--
2021	Nevada	39	296	7.6	1	--
2020	Nevada	31	214	6.9	1	--
2019	Nevada	30	185	6.2	0	--
2018	Nevada	22	202	9.2	1	--
Career		163	1,192	7.3	4	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2022

W 38–14

vs Texas State

36 rush yds (18 car) · 2 TD

Dominant 24-point win at home against Texas State.

With M. Freem — 40 AVG · 2 IN 20 · 52 LONG · J. Bell — 6 rec · 60 yds

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 9 · San José State · 3&15 · Q2 · EPA +4.07Toa Taua run for 23 yds for a TD, (Matthew Killam KICK)
Week 1 · Texas State · 4&3 · Q4 · EPA -3.99T.Taua rushed to TXST 5 for 2 yards. Tackled by J.Revels; B.Holloway at TXST 5.
Week 4 · Air Force · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +3.19Toa Taua run for 40 yds for a TD, (Matthew Killam KICK)
Week 11 · Boise State · 4&1 · Q3 · EPA +3.06Toa Taua run for 15 yds to the BoiSt 40 for a 1ST down
Week 6 · Colorado State · 2&16 · Q2 · EPA +3.04Nate Cox pass complete to Toa Taua for 5 yds to the Nevad 34 for a 1ST down COLORADO ST Penalty, Personal Foul (Drew Kulick) to the Nevad 49 for a 1ST down
Week 12 · Fresno State · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +3.03Toa Taua run for 37 yds to the FrsSt 44 for a 1ST down
Week 2 · Incarnate Word · 2&7 · Q3 · EPA +2.95Nate Cox pass complete to Toa Taua for 26 yds for a TD, (Brandon Talton KICK)
Week 9 · San José State · 4&1 · Q1 · EPA +2.79Toa Taua run for 1 yd for a TD, (Matthew Killam KICK)
Week 6 · Colorado State · 3&4 · Q2 · EPA +2.70Toa Taua 4 Yd Run (Matthew Killam Kick)
Week 2 · Incarnate Word · 2&6 · Q1 · EPA +2.58Toa Taua run for 11 yds for a TD, (Brandon Talton KICK)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2022 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 23-12@ New Mexico State	19	109	5.7	0	24
Wk 1	W 38-14vs Texas State	18	36	2.0	2	15
Wk 2	L 41-55vs Incarnate Word	24	101	4.2	1	14
Wk 3	L 0-27@ Iowa	17	31	1.8	0	6
Wk 4	L 20-48@ Air Force	7	73	10.4	2	40
Wk 6	L 14-17vs Colorado State	23	80	3.5	2	15
Wk 7	L 16-31@ Hawai'i	12	23	1.9	0	12
Wk 8	L 7-23vs San Diego State	12	43	3.6	0	27
Wk 9	L 28-35@ San José State	23	75	3.3	3	23	3 rushing TDs
Wk 11	L 3-41vs Boise State	16	103	6.4	0	24
Wk 12	L 14-41vs Fresno State	17	93	5.5	0	37
Wk 13	L 22-27@ UNLV	29	144	5.0	1	25	Season-high 144 yds
Total		217	911	4.4	11	40

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Toa Taua

201813 games

20207 games

202212 games

2022 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference

Career stats

Signature game

Signature plays

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Balanced Back

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