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Senior night an emotional Coliseum finale for USC RB Vavae Malepeai

Redshirt senior running back Vavae Malepeai got just two words into his response before the emotions overcame him Saturday night.

USC interim head coach Donte Williams, sitting next to Malepeai in the Trojans' postgame press conference, pulled the running back in close to him and whispered something in his ear for the next 12 seconds while Malepeai gathered himself.

The question was about the sixth-year senior's final season at USC, going through a diminished role for much of it but now getting a chance to finish strong these last couple weeks.

He rushed 20 times for a season-high 99 yards in USC's 35-31 loss to No. 13-ranked BYU in his final game in the Coliseum, scoring a touchdown -- his fourth in the last two games and sixth of the season.

"It means everything,' Malepeai said, finishing the initial sentence he had tried to start earlier. "Like I said, no one gets the credit without everyone doing their job on the offense. You know, it's humbling, but it was a great experience to test where I was as a human being. I learned a lot from Keaontay and everybody in the room to just be ready. It's a team effort. Everything we do, it's not just for individual success -- it's team success. I took pride in starring in whatever role I was asked to do for the team. And I loved it -- every moment of it."

Malepeai led the Trojans in rushing each of the last two seasons, with 503 yards and 6 TDs in 2019 and 238 yards and 3 TDs in the shortened 2020 season.

He opted to use the extra year of eligibility afforded to him due to that pandemic-impacted season and opened this fall in a 1A/1B timeshare with Texas transfer Keaontay Ingram.

But eventually Ingram (911 rushing yards, 5.8 yards per carry, 5 TDs in 10 games) asserted himself as a true lead back, so during a five-game stretch in the middle of this season Malepeai averaged just 5.6 carries and 15.8 rushing yards a game.

Ingram sustained an unspecified upper body injury during the Trojans' loss to UCLA last week after rushing for 96 yards in another productive performance.

Malepeai also got 10 carries in that game, and several goal line opportunities, while contributing 49 yards and 3 TDs.

And on senior night, with Ingram still sidelined, the team captain got to close his career in the Coliseum as one of the focal points of USC's offense one more time.

He was key to the Trojans second-half comeback, as his 2-yard TD on fourth-and-2 early in the third quarter cut the BYU lead to 28-20 at the time, and he started the Trojans' next drive with a 35-yard run that would ultimately set up a field goal to make it 28-23.

"He's a team-first guy and he'll do whatever the team needs. It was definitely emotional to see him run like that. We just fell short on his senior day. I wish we could have got the win, but he played his heart out like he always does," USC center Brett Neilon said. "He's a grinder and a team-first guy, never complains. He's been an awesome teammate."

There is still one game left for Malepeai as the Trojans visit Cal next weekend to make up their earlier postponed game.

That means a chance to potentially reach a major milestone as he enters the week with 1,898 career rushing yards and 23 touchdowns (plus 286 yards and 1 TD receiving). Ingram's status is uncertain, but if Malepeai gets another full workload he could chase that 2,000-yard rushing mark in his final game.

"I'm going to soak up this last week with each and every one of them, coaches included. I mean, it's a game. Gotta have fun playing this game, and regardless of what the outcome was every game, I can honestly say every game I went out, played my heart out just like everybody else did, and we had fun playing this game," he said.

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