Takitaki Nets 19 Tackles In Final Game With BYU

BOISE, Idaho – In a press conference before the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, BYU linebacker Sione Takitaki stated how much he wanted to finish his season off strong.

With a monstrous performance that included 19 tackles, the fourth best tackling performance in program history, Takitaki certainly did his part in the Cougars’ 49-18 win over Western Michigan.

The Cougar linebacker also had one sack.

BYU dominates the #FamousIdahoPotatoBowl, 49-18 over Western Michigan. pic.twitter.com/oOYPvx0PhQ

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) December 22, 2018

Takitaki Happy To Go Bowling

After missing out on a bowl game in 2017, Takitaki was happy that his team was able to go to one this season and that they were able to come away with a dominating win.

“It sucked to not go to a bowl game last year, so I’m grateful to go to a bowl game, especially with these great coaches and great men and I’m excited that we won,” said Takitaki after the game.

A Career Day In A Career Year

Takitaki came into the game already as the team’s leader in tackles with 99 combined takedowns. His 19 tackles in the bowl game was both a season and a career high. His previous career game came earlier in 2018 when he had 14 combined tackles against UMass.

Don’t sleep on @STakitaki!!

Sione has 19 tackles on the day, 1 away from tying the @IDPotatoBowl record and tied for 4th in BYU single game history#BYUFOOTBALL #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/X3HRdh9SHt

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) December 22, 2018

After trailing 10-7 at halftime, the Cougars rolled to the big victory thanks in large part to a spectacular third quarter. The offense did their part, behind a perfect performance by quarterback Zach Wilson while Takitaki and the defense held Western Michigan without a second half score until the game was virtually out of reach.

Now that Takitaki has completed his time in Cougar blue, he will play in a couple of senior showcase games before entering the NFL Draft.