Utah Utes football: Back injury hasn't slowed Koa Misi

By Dirk Facer, Deseret News

Published: Monday, Dec. 21 2009 12:00 a.m. MST

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It was Poinsettia Bowl team day for the Utes at SeaWorld San Diego Sunday. While players, coaches and their families took in the Shamu and dolphin shows, a handful of players had the chance to ham it up with Clyde the Sea Lion. Offensive tackle Zane Beedles, left, and running back Matt Asiata try to roar louder than Clyde. Clyde won in a landslide. The Poinsettia Bowl will be broadcast live Wednesday at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

Bob Couey, Seaworld San Diego

Summary

Defensive end Koa Misi left a mid-August practice at Ute Field laying flat on a golf cart. The senior suffered a back injury, the extent of which was unknown at the time.

SAN DIEGO — Defensive end Koa Misi left a mid-August practice at Ute Field laying flat on a golf cart. The senior suffered a back injury, the extent of which was unknown at the time.

"I thought the worst," he recalled.

Misi's friends and coaches, however, kept telling him everything would be fine.

Turns out they were right.

Although the injury kept him out of Utah's season opener against Utah State, Misi more than made up for it. He started the next 11 games and wound up leading all defensive linemen in the Mountain West Conference with 65 tackles — earning first-team all-league honors and an invitation to the Senior Bowl.

"It was a scary start to the season when he went down with that back injury. But he's 100 percent now and has had a very good year," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "It's kind of a quiet year in some respects because his statistics have not been as good as maybe he hoped. But that's because he draws a lot of attention."

Misi is often getting double-teamed, Whittingham noted, and opposing offenses know where he is and account for him.

"It takes away some of the statistics he may have put up. But he's a very important part of our defense," Whittingham explained as the Utes prepared for Wednesday's Poinsettia Bowl game against California. "He's a guy you can count on week in and week out. That's the big thing about him.

The coach added that Misi didn't have a bad game all season long.

The 6-foot-3, 263-punder from Santa Rosa, Calif., ranks among team and conference leaders in several categories — including tackles for loss (8), sacks (4.5), fumbles caused (0.27 per game) and forced fumbles (3).

"The thing that is always the keynote of a defense is if an offense has to identify where he is," said Utah defensive line coach John Pease. "I think people have to know where Koa is and they work to that. But he still makes plays."

And lots of them.

The two-time all-conference honoree has made 24.5 tackles for loss in his three-year career with the Utes.

"He's a tenacious kid. He's a hard worker and very gifted," Whittingham said. "He's a gifted athlete. He may be as gifted of a player as we've had around here for a while."

Misi, he continued, is a blend of size, speed and quickness.