‘Papa Moa’ grew up during six-year career at Boise State. ‘One of the finest Broncos’
Some know him as the “Moa Constrictor” and, on Monday, Boise State football coach Bryan Harsin referred to sixth-year senior defensive tackle David Moa as “Papa Moa.”
Moa said those nicknames are cool, but the moniker he’s most proud of is “team captain” because it came from his teammates.
“I think every day these guys continue to remind me being a Bronco and playing on this turf is always an amazing experience even when it’s in practice,” Moa said. “Because the type of energy these guys bring, that’s really why I came back. The camaraderie, the brotherhood, from coaches to players. Every step of the way, this whole season, this whole year has been awesome because of them.”
Late last season, Moa wasn’t sure he was going to get a sixth season as a Bronco. An Achilles injury, which didn’t seem serious at first, ended up costing him what should have been his senior season. Boise State petitioned the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility, and it was granted in January.
Before he knew if his playing career would continue, Moa made himself a promise as he stood in the tunnel in Albertsons Stadium last November and listened as his classmates’ names were announced on senior night.
“When I knew I wasn’t going to get my name called, I knew that, no matter what was going to happen, whether they were going to let me get my sixth year or not, I knew I was going to bring it every day, whether it was in the training room, the weight room or in practice.”
Moa will be one of the seniors honored before Saturday’s home game against New Mexico (8:15 p.m., ESPN2), and during his weekly press conference on Monday, Harsin said the San Diego, California, native has fulfilled that promise.
“He’s a leader on this team. He was voted a captain on this team,” Harsin said. “He will do anything for this program that you ask him to do, and he will leave here when he’s done one of the finest Broncos that we’ve ever had. And one of the most impactful players, too.”
Moa and Harsin share a bond that goes beyond coach and captain. Moa’s freshman season in 2014 also happened to be Harsin’s first as the head coach at his alma mater. As Moa put it Tuesday, they’ve both been at Boise State for “most of this decade.”
“He’s such an awesome role model to me,” said Moa, who caught wind of Harsin’s comments about his legacy before he spoke to the media. “When I saw that, it just made me so proud.”
Harsin and Moa have been together through the highs of winning seasons and the lows of off-field incidents. On Monday, Harsin alluded to Moa’s 2017 arrest for disturbing the peace after allegedly shoving a man during an altercation outside of a nightclub.
“That’s part of growing up,” Harsin said. “You can write a whole story on that kid. You know what he’s been through, and I hope when it’s all said and done, he finishes the way he deserves to finish.”
In 2016, Moa posted career highs in tackles (30), tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (8.5), which, the following year, earned him a spot on preseason watch lists for the Bednarik Award, Outland Trophy and Bronco Nagurski Trophy.
With three regular-season games to play this fall, Moa is ninth on the team with 25 tackles, but eating up blockers on the interior of the defensive line doesn’t always equate to eye-popping stats. Teammates say Moa’s contributions go far beyond the box score.
“He’s a great leader and a great human being,” Boise State defensive end Chase Hatada said. “He’s a hard worker, and he’s one of those dudes you don’t mind going to battle with.”
Moa said that it hasn’t hit him yet that his time at Boise State is coming to an end, but he did say that he has no regrets.
“This journey that I took in 2014 when I signed to come play at Boise State University, I wouldn’t take anything back,” Moa said. “I’ve enjoyed everything. I’ve learned from my trials and tribulations and that’s what has got me to be the man and player I am right now.”
NEW MEXICO AT NO. 19 BOISE STATE
When: 8:15 p.m. Saturday
Where: Albertsons Stadium (36,367 turf), Boise
TV: ESPN2 (Mike Corey, Rene Ingoglia)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State is 8-1 overall, 5-0 Mountain West; New Mexico 2-7, 0-5
Series: Boise State leads 9-1 (last meeting: Boise State won 45-14 in 2018 in Albuquerque, New Mexico)
Vegas line: Boise State by 28
Weather: 54 degrees, mostly sunny, 6 mph wind
This story was originally published November 12, 2019 at 5:03 PM.
