BYU football: Oregon State lineman was a big Cougar fan

LAS VEGAS — Oregon State senior backup defensive tackle Sioeli Nau admits he grew up a "die-hard BYU fan."

Needless to say, the Spanish Fork High product can't wait to face his former favorite team Tuesday in the Las Vegas Bowl (6 p.m., ESPN), which will mark his final game as a Beaver.

Going up against the Cougars simply provides him even more motivation.

"I wanted to play at BYU, but it didn't work out that way," said Nau, whose family lives in Spanish Fork. "This is actually one of the games I was hoping to play while at Oregon State. I've been hoping to play BYU at some time and this is that time. I'm looking forward to it. This is one of the biggest games I've looked forward to. Losing to Oregon and not going to the Rose Bowl was very sad, but when I found out we were playing BYU, it made me excited."

While playing at Snow Junior College in 2006, Nau was hoping he could attract interest from the Cougars. His former Snow teammates, linebacker Coleby Clawson and Tevita Hola, moved on to BYU, but Nau said the Cougars didn't recruit him.

"I think I got a letter from them while I was at Snow College," he said. "But I didn't get an offer."

As a kid, Nau remembers watching a lot of BYU games and following Cougar stars like quarterback Steve Sarkisian and running backs Reno Mahe and Luke Staley.

Last month, when Washington visited Oregon State, Nau introduced himself to Sarkisian, who is the first-year coach of the Huskies. "He was surprised that someone from the Provo area would be up here playing," Nau said with a laugh.

OSU starting defensive tackle Stephen Paea also has ties to Provo. The junior played one year at Timpview High, garnering all-region honors, before playing at Snow College. This season, Paea has recorded a team-high three sacks.

BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall called Paea a "phenomenal" player.

"We knew about at least one of the two at Snow College," Mendenhall said of Paea and Nau. "At that time, based on our needs, that wasn't something we were pursuing."

BYU linebacker Coleby Clawson played with both Nau and Paea at Snow College.

"(Nau) was a sophomore while I was a freshman. He started for us down there," he said. "His sophomore year he was really good. I think he committed to Utah State then got a late offer from Oregon State."