Moenoa eating up opposition
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
At the current rate, University of Hawai'i football player Uriah Moenoa expects to reach his optimum weight by the year 2029.
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"I've been trying to lose weight for three years," said Moenoa, a third-year sophomore from Iolani School. "I've lost three pounds — one a year. Maybe it's the Samoan in me. I see food, and I can't control myself. I just have to eat."
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UH's football release this week lists the 6-foot-3 Moenoa at 327 pounds.
But that was his weight during training camp in August. "I lost 10 to 12 pounds during the summer camp, but I gained it all back again," he said.
He said he has not weighed himself since the first week of September. "To tell you the truth, I'm scared to get on the scale," he said.
Still, the girth has not diminished his worth. Moenoa is one of the Warriors' top offensive lineman, allowing one sack in 10 games this season.
During the last two seasons, he has started 22 of a possible 22 games at right tackle. If he remains healthy and productive, he is on track to break Kaulana Noa's team record for most consecutive starts (49).
Moenoa's development was apparent in last week's game against Rice. In the first half, he had difficulty containing rush end Brandon Green, the Western Athletic Conference's sack leader. Moenoa's play further eroded when he was assessed a personal foul.
"That threw me out of whack," he recalled. "I didn't focus. I didn't have any concentration. It showed in the way I played. I had a really bad first half. It was nothing physical. It was all mental."
But Moenoa was able to rebound in the second half, slowing Green and, in turn, helping the Warriors establish a running attack.
"It's all about mental toughness," he said.
In every meeting and practice, UH line coach Mike Cavanaugh implores each offensive lineman to "trust your technique." It is a reminder for a pass-blocker to go into his stance, "punch" — open-handed thrusts to a defender's chest — and then engage in the block until the whistle blows.
"Cav keeps saying, 'trust your technique,' and that's what I'm trying to do every play," Moenoa said.
A year ago, Moenoa said, he probably would have become flustered facing a pass-rusher such as Green. Now, after every bad play, "I try to bounce back right away," he said.
That determination draws praise from the coaches and the admiration of teammates. Even though Moenoa is the youngest of the starting linemen, he is respected by teammates, a fact acknowledged when he was selected as UH's lone representative at the NCAA Leadership Camp this summer.
Moenoa also has been willing to make sacrifices. Last spring, he auditioned at center.
"I want to help the team anywhere I can — whether it's at tackle or center or from the sideline," he said.
