Failauga embraces new position

Junior Titus Failauga has transformed his body and changed positions this past year. After spending the past three years at defensive end for the Beavers, Failauga moved to outside linebacker, a position he feels comfortable playing.

"I love the position and I’m happy that I was moved, it helps me stay leaner," he laughed. "I don’t have to gain a whole bunch of weight, I get to be on the leaner side."

"Outside linebacker is a lot like playing defensive end from a standing stance, except for dropping back into coverage," he added. "Over the summer I had to work on my hips, back pedaling and running."

New defensive coordinator Kevin Clune has helped Failauga learn his new position, and although the defensive scheme is complicated, Clune has had a way of simplifying everything for the players.

"He is a good guy and he is very descriptive about what we are supposed to do with our job," Failauga said of Clune. "Every position has a specific role and each play we have a job to do. There is one right way to play it. Each player has become more confident because we know exactly what we are supposed to do."

After a 2-10 season, Failauga is excited for the future and wants to do whatever it takes to help the team win. That meant staying in Oregon all summer, including over the players break.

"I spent my time in Oregon on my break, exploring Oregon," he said. "I had a lot of fun and experienced a lot of places. It reminds me a lot of Hawaii. It is beautiful, green and the people love nature and take care of it."

He also sees that the team has a different mindset heading into this season, one of competition.

"We will need to put the best 11 on all sides of the ball. We need to compete to see who the best 11 are during fall camp," he said. "We are demanding that of each other. We need that in order to win the most amount of games.