BYU football: Manumaleuna is looking to make new memories

PROVO — BYU's Eathyn Manumaleuna started every game at nose tackle as a true freshman.

But that was three years ago.

After a solid first season as a Cougar, Manumaleuna left for an LDS mission to Oklahoma City, Okla. He returned home in February, but Saturday marked his first official practice since coming back to BYU.

"The first day was pretty hard. I'm not quite in shape as I thought I would be," said the 6-foot-2, 280-pound sophomore. "I've got a long ways to go. In two years, I've forgotten a lot of the defense. It's like I'm a freshman all over again."

Manumaleuna certainly wasn't forgotten during his two-year absence from the program.

His final play as a freshman will live on forever in BYU football lore. He blocked UCLA's potential game-winning, 28-yard field goal with three seconds remaining in the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl, preserving a dramatic 17-16 Cougar victory.

A local artist, George Durrant, captured the memorable moment in a painting that hangs in BYU's Student Athlete Building.

"That's pretty cool," Manumaluena said.

What does Manumaleuna remember about that block?

"I just remember that with three seconds left, I saw the UCLA sideline going crazy, thinking they were going to win," he said. "They had a pretty good kicker (Kai Forbath). Honestly, I thought we were going to lose. It was the last play so I knew we had to give it all we had. I really didn't watch the kicker kick the ball. I didn't see the ball. I just jumped. It was lucky timing, I guess. The kicker kicked the ball pretty low. I barely tipped it. It felt good."

Manumaleuna was surprised that so many people brought up that play to him during his mission. "Because of where I served, I didn't think anyone would know about it," he said. "There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think about it at least once."

And, yes, Manumaleuna was serving in Oklahoma when BYU upset the Oklahoma Sooners in the season-opener a year ago. He said he followed the mission rules and didn't watch the game.