Matt Asiata

Matt Asiata

No. 44 Minnesota Vikings
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1987-07-24) July 24, 1987
Place of birth:	Garden Grove, CA
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	219 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school:	West Valley (UT) Hunter
College:	Utah
Undrafted:	2011
Career history
Omaha Nighthawks (2011) Minnesota Vikings (2011–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2015
Rushing yards: 857 Rushing average: 3.6 Rushing touchdowns: 12 Receptions: 69 Receiving yards: 459 Receiving touchdowns: 1 Player stats at NFL.com

Matt Asiata (born July 24, 1987) is an American football running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft,^[1] He played college football at Utah. Asiata is tied with a number of other players for the Vikings team record of most rushing touchdowns in a single game at three. He has also achieved this feat three times.

High school career

Asiata is a graduate of Hunter High School in West Valley, Utah and was a standout running back for the Wolverines.

In his first year of high school, Asiata and the Wolverines won Hunter High's first UHSAA Class 5A football championship ever in 2003 over Skyline. He was also a member the state champion basketball team that same year.

College career

Asiata went on to become an all-conference player at the University of Utah.^[2] Asiata finished his career with the Utes with 1,748 total rushing yards and 24 touchdowns.

Asiata broke his leg during his very first game, against Oregon State, after gaining only 16 rushing yards.

In 2008, Asiata was Utah's leading rusher, averaging 4.8 yards per rush and finishing with 12 touchdowns. The Utes went undefeated that year, going 13-0, and went on to face Alabama 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 losses each. At the end of the season, Utah was the only remaining undefeated team in the country and was ranked #2 on the AP Final Poll.

Statistics

Source:^[3]

Professional career

2011 NFL Combine

Minnesota Vikings

Asiata with the Vikings in 2015.

Asiata signed with the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was released from the Vikings during final cuts but was then placed on the practice squad. On September 7, 2011, Asiata was released from the practice squad. He was re-signed on January 5, 2012. At the start of the 2012 season, Asiata earned a roster spot by making the team and was the third running back on the Minnesota Vikings, beating out other running backs Jordan Todman and Lex Hilliard.

In December 2012, Asiata and the Vikings won their final game of the regular season against Green Bay to put them into the Wild Card of the playoffs instead of the Chicago Bears.

On December 15, 2013, Matt Asiata rushed for his first touchdown as a Viking, filling in for the injured running backs Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart. He finished the game with three touchdowns, tying the record for the most rushing touchdowns by a Viking. He later tied this record on September 28, 2014 against the Atlanta Falcons. He tied this again on November 2, 2014 against the Redskins. For the 2014 season, Asiata finished with 570 yards on 164 carries (averaging 3.5 yards a carry) with a career-high 9 touchdowns. He also caught 44 passes for 312 yards and a touchdown.

Personal life

Asiata is of Samoan descent.^[5][6] He is a Mormon.He has 1 son and 2 daughters.

References

External links

• Nighthawks Bio
• Vikings Bio