Gio Gaxiola — Reporter
St. Francis high school senior running back Viliami Teu has committed to San Jose State. He will be staying home in the Bay Area.
This past season, Teu lit up the stats sheet. He was named the Western Catholic Athletic League player of the year. He had 270 carries for 2,211 yards and 27 touchdowns. Teu led the Lancers to an 11-1 record, with a perfect 7-0 record in conference play. His best game came on Nov. 6th when he ran all over Serra’s defense, posting a stat line of 45 rushes for 344 yards and two touchdowns.
The Lancers are the No. 2 ranked team in the Central Coast Section and the 15th overall team in California. Teu has been a huge reason for the Lancers’ success this season.
What makes Teu a deadly running back is his speed. He has the capability to turn any run into a touchdown. He has the vision to see the linebackers and dissect the defense. Undersized for a running back, but Teu has all the potential in the world.
This comes as good news to the SJSU football program. Last season, the Spartans could not get the running game going. The team ranked ninth in the Mountain West with a combined 1,446 yards, the 12 rushing touchdowns were 10th in the conference. Both are good for the bottom of the barrel.
SJSU needs help at the running back position, as they will be losing their starter in senior running back Tyler Nevens. This past season, Nevens had 167 carries for 756 yards and seven touchdowns. It was a decent, but not a great final season. The team also has junior running back Kairee Robinson, who had 43 rushes for 225 yards and one touchdown.
Teu will bring his skills to an SJSU backfield that is in desperate need of firepower.