Matt Asiata
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Matthew Retinai Asiata (born July 24, 1987) is a former
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
. He attended
Hunter High School Hunter High School is a public high school located at 4200 South 5600 West, West Valley City, Utah, United States. It was opened in 1990 with its first graduating class graduating in 1991. During the first school year (1990–1991), the enrollme ...
and played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
. Asiata was signed by the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
as an
undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
. Asiata is tied with a number of other Vikings players for the franchise record of most rushing touchdowns in a single game at three. He achieved this feat three times; once in 2013 and twice during the 2014 season when he started nine games after
Adrian Peterson Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the ...
was suspended.


Early years

Born in
Garden Grove, California Garden Grove is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, located just southwest of Disneyland (located in Anaheim, CA). The population was 171,949 at the 2020 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, ...
to Samoan parents, Asiata graduated from
Hunter High School Hunter High School is a public high school located at 4200 South 5600 West, West Valley City, Utah, United States. It was opened in 1990 with its first graduating class graduating in 1991. During the first school year (1990–1991), the enrollme ...
in
West Valley City, Utah West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and a suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 140,230 at the 2020 census, making it the second-largest city in Utah. The city incorporated in 1980 from a large, quic ...
, where he was a standout running back for the Wolverines. In his freshman year of high school in 2003, Asiata and the Wolverines won Hunter High's first UHSAA Class 5A football championship ever over
Skyline A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land. City skyline ...
. He was also a member the state champion basketball team that same year.


College career


Snow College

After failing to qualify out of high school, Asiata spent two seasons at
Snow College Snow College is a public community college in Ephraim, Utah. It offers certificates and associate degrees in a number of areas, along with bachelor's degrees in music and software engineering and a four-year nursing program. Snow College is par ...
in
Ephraim, Utah Ephraim is a city in Sanpete County, Utah, Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 5,611 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the largest city in Sanpete County. It is the location of Snow College and is located ...
, where he played as a running back. In his first year, he rushed for 781 yards on 144 carries (5.4 ypc) and scored five touchdowns. In 2006, his sophomore year, Asiata set a new school record for single-season rushing yards with 1,494 despite missing one game with a hamstring injury. In a four-game stretch, he rushed for 459 yards (114.8 yards a game) on 61 carries (7.5 ypc) and scored six touchdowns.


University of Utah

Listed at 6'0" and 232 lbs, Asiata was given a three-star rating and was considered the 79th best running back in the nation according to
Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
. On December 11, 2006, Asiata committed to the
University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
. He also had a scholarship offer from
UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...
. Asiata attended the
University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
from 2007 to 2010, where he went on to become an All-Conference pick at running back. Asiata finished his career with the Utes ranked third all-time at Utah with 24 career rushing
touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...
. He scored 26 total career touchdowns (rushing and receiving) to tie for third all-time. His 1,748 career rushing yards make him the school's fourteenth-leading rusher. During his college career, he had three 100-yard games, with a high game of 156 yards in 200. In 2009, he received an NCAA medical extension to his playing clock, allowing him a sixth year in 2010.


2008 season

After breaking his leg in the very first game of the 2007 season at
Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
, Asiata returned in 2008 and played in all 13 games with one start. He led the Utes in carries with 146, rushing with a career-high 707 yards (4.8 ypc and 54.4 ypg) and touchdowns with 12, which tied for second-best in the Mountain West Conference. He also had 13 receptions for 111 yards and one touchdown and completed 2-of-3 passes out of the "Asiata Formation," with both completions going for touchdowns. His biggest outcome of the season came in Week 4 against the
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
when he had 19 carries for 116 yards. Other big games included 85 yards against New Mexico on November 1 and 83 against San Diego State on November 15. The Utes went undefeated, going 13–0, and went on to face
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
in the 2009 Sugar Bowl. The Utes won the game and created controversy over the fact that the Utes were not in the BCS Championship Bowl that was played between two teams with 1 loss each. At the end of the season, Utah was the only remaining undefeated team in the country and was ranked #2 on the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
(AP) Final Poll.


2009 season

In his sophomore season, Asiata played and started in four games before breaking his leg during the game against
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
. Prior to the injury, he was averaging a league-leading 101.3 yards per game and his four rushing touchdowns also led the league at the time. He finished with 74 carries for 330 yards (4.5 ypc) for an average of 82.5 yards per game and also had nine receptions for 88 yards. In the season opener game, he carried the ball 36 times for a career-high 156 yards against in-state rival
Utah State Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...
. His 36 carries tied the fourth-best single-game total in school history. The following week, he had 94 yards on 20 carries against
San Jose State San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
.


2010 season

In his junior season, Asiata played in all 13 games, starting seven of them at running back. He rushed 155 times for 695 yards (4.5 yards per carry). His average of 53.5 yards per game ranked ninth in the Mountain West Conference, while his nine total touchdowns (eight rushing and one receiving) tied for ninth. In Week 6, he had Utah's only 100-yard rushing game of the season with a 109-yard performance against
Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
. On October 30, he totaled 95 yards against
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
on 26 carries. In Week 12, he scored the game-winning touchdown against
BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
on a 3-yard run. He was fourth on the team with 32 receptions for 195 yards and one touchdown.


Statistics

Source:


Professional career


Minnesota Vikings


2011 season

On July 27, 2011, Asiata signed with the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
as an undrafted free agent after the
lockout Lockout may refer to: * Lockout (industry), a type of work stoppage **Dublin Lockout, a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers 1913 - 1914 * Lockout (sports), lockout in sports leagues **MLB lockout, lock ...
ended and spent training camp and preseason with the team. He was released by the team during the final cuts but was then placed on the
practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
on September 5, but two days later he got cut. After no NFL teams claimed his services, he spent a couple of weeks with UFL's
Omaha Nighthawks The Omaha Nighthawks were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which played in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. During their first season, the Nighthawks played their home gam ...
on a tryout.


2012 season

After spending 2011 out of football, James Saxon (the running backs assistant) convinced head coach Leslie Frazier to give Asiata another shot in the offseason of 2012. On January 5, 2012, Asiata was re-signed by the team. At the start of the 2012 season, Asiata earned a roster spot due to his special team's abilities and was named the third running back on the Vikings depth chart, beating out other running backs
Jordan Todman Jordan Todman (born February 24, 1990) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Connecticut. Todman has also played for the Minne ...
and
Lex Hilliard Lex Douglas Hilliard (born July 30, 1984) is a former American football running back and fullback. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Montana. Hilliard was one of the la ...
. Asiata saw action mostly as a special teamer in all 16 regular-season games. In the season opener against the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
on September 9, he caught his first career pass and returned a pair of kickoffs. On December 30, Asiata and the Vikings won their final game of the regular season against the 11-4
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
to put them into the Wild Card Round of the playoffs instead of the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
.


2013 season

In his second season with the team, Asiata played an integral part on special teams and stepped in at running back late in the season due to injuries. On December 15, Asiata filled in for both injured running backs
Adrian Peterson Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the ...
and
Toby Gerhart Tobin Bo Gunnar Gerhart (born March 28, 1987) is a former American football running back. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football for Stanford University, and was a unanimous ...
and managed three rushing touchdowns of one, one, and five yards in a 48–30 win over the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
, despite gaining just 51 yards on 30 carries. His three touchdowns tied the record for the most rushing touchdowns by a Viking in a single game and made him the first NFL player since Vikings' quarterback
Daunte Culpepper Daunte Rachard Culpepper (born January 28, 1977) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at UCF and was selected ...
to rush for three touchdowns in his first career start. The following week, he ran for a career-high 115 rushing yards on 14 carries in the season finale against the 7-8
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. Asiata, while playing in 11 games and starting a game, finished the year with 44 carries for 166 yards (3.8 avg) and three touchdowns on the ground, while also hauling in five passes for 13 yards and returning two kickoffs for 28 yards.


2014 season

After
Adrian Peterson Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the ...
was suspended for the remainder of the 2014 season following Week 1, Asiata filled in for him, playing 11 games and starting 9 of those, a career-high. Asiata shared the backfield with rookie
Jerick McKinnon Jerick Deshun McKinnon (born May 3, 1992), nicknamed Jet, is an American football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Southern and was drafted by the Minnesota Vik ...
, but he still set career-highs and led the team in rushing attempts with 164, rushing yards with 570, and rushing touchdowns with 9, which tied for the third-best mark in the league. In Week 4, Asiata tied his own hat-trick record with three touchdowns against the weak
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
' defense. Asiata again ran for three touchdowns during the 29–26 win over the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
on November 2, becoming the first player in NFL history to reach nine career rushing touchdowns on the strength of three separate three-touchdown performances, per
Elias Sports Bureau The Elias Sports Bureau is a privately held company providing historical and current statistical information for the major professional sports leagues operating in the United States and Canada. Elias is the official statistician for Major League Ba ...
. In Week 17, he rushed for a season-high 91 yards on 19 carries in the season finale win against the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
. For the 2014 season, Asiata finished with 570 yards on 164 carries (averaging 3.5 yards a carry) with a career-high 9 touchdowns, and also caught 44 passes for 312 yards and a touchdown.


2015 season

In 2015, Asiata played in all 16 games for the second time in his career, and also played in his second career playoff game. With Peterson's return, Asiata came back to special teams, corralling a career-high six special teams tackles. For the most part of the season, he entered the field only on third-down situations due to his superior blocking and receiving skills, and had 29 carries for 112 yards (3.9 avg) and caught 19 passes for 132 yards (6.9 avg) in the regular season.


2016 season

On March 16, Asiata re-signed with the Vikings. After Adrian Peterson was lost for a majority of the season due to a torn meniscus in Week 2 against the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, Asiata earned the start for the game at Carolina in Week 3, but carried the ball just six times for 15 yards, and caught his lone target for four yards.


Detroit Lions

On May 30, 2017, Asiata signed with the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. On September 1, 2017, he was released by the Lions.


Salt Lake Stallions

In 2018, Asiata signed with the
Salt Lake Stallions The Salt Lake Stallions were a professional American football franchise based in Salt Lake City, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which began play in February 2019. The Stallions were the northernmost team i ...
of the
Alliance of American Football The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan are ...
for the 2019 season.; Asiata's totals were 7 rushes for 10 yards and a touchdown. He was placed on
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
on March 12, 2019. The league ceased operations in April 2019.


Statistics


Personal life

Asiata is of Samoan descent.Matt Asiata playing through pain after father's death
/ref> He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints he is married to his high school sweetheart and has three sons and two daughters. He has a brother, Shawn, who also played as a running back for the Utes, and a cousin, Isaac Asiata, who played as an offensive lineman for the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
and
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
. After the Vikings released him in 2011, he went back home to Utah and got a job driving a forklift in a big warehouse. He also appears in the HBO series Game of Thrones as an extra in the 4th season. In 2020 Asiata returned to football by way of coaching his oldest son Ephraim Asiata at
Herriman High School Herriman High School (HHS) is a public high school in Herriman, Utah, United States. It is a part of the Jordan School District and serves students from the cities of Herriman, South Jordan, and Riverton. The school is a two-level facility, sit ...
then joining Ephraim when transfer to his parents' alma mater in 2021. Matt's son Ephraim was shot on January 13 2022 and spent nearly a month in the hospital receiving multiple surgeries.


References


External links


Omaha Nighthawks bioMinnesota Vikings bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asiata, Matt 1987 births Living people American football running backs American sportspeople of Samoan descent Detroit Lions players Latter Day Saints from California Latter Day Saints from Utah Minnesota Vikings players Omaha Nighthawks players People from West Valley City, Utah Players of American football from Salt Lake City Salt Lake Stallions players Utah Utes football players Snow Badgers football players