The Taua brothers were on the clock.

On Lupine Street in Lompoc, Calif., “we’d always simulate a 2-minute drill when I was a kid,” recalled Toa Taua, the youngest brother, of street football. “We would drive down the whole street, just us, on air against no defense. It was just us out there.”

One brother would be the quarterback, two would be receivers, Toa was the running back. After each “touchdown,” they would turn around and go toward the opposite “end zone.”

“Sidewalks were out of bounds,” Toa said. “You get out of bounds to stop the ‘clock.’ That’s how we’d play. Just driving down the whole street, playing football. … That’s where it all came from. Before putting on the helmet and shoulder pads, it came from the house, the home, and building that love for the game.”

Pati Taua grew up to be a competitor in track and field. Ainuu Taua was a defensive lineman for UCLA. Vai Taua was a standout running back for Nevada and now a member of the Wolf Pack’s coaching staff. And Toa Taua is a fifth-year running back for the Wolf Pack.

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Toa Taua when Nevada plays Hawaii this Saturday at the Ching Complex. Taua was the offensive MVP of the 2018 Polynesian Bowl. After that, he became an annual nemesis to the Rainbow Warriors. In four meetings, Taua has rushed for 413 yards and four touchdowns. In games played against UH in Hawaii, he averages 128.5 yards, or 6.8 yards per carry.

Taua said it is “cool” to play in Hawaii, where several relatives live. It was 10 years ago, when he and his brothers learned that an “uncle” — Ekepati Niko, who lived in Hawaii — was actually their biological grandfather.

“My dad was adopted,” Taua said. “We didn’t know who my grandpa was until my father was in his 40s. I was about 12 years old, 13 years old, when I first met my grandfather. When we figured out who my grandfather was, that’s when we started going out to Hawaii more, making more trips, spending time with each other.”

Niko, who died in February, watched Taua play in the Polynesian Bowl and the 2018 UH-Nevada game. Because of the pandemic, no fans were allowed to attend the 2020 game between the teams at Aloha Stadium.

“Once (Niko) told us he was our grandfather, it all made sense,” Taua said. “This is where all the sports came from. Our athletic genes came from this big, massive guy. He played rugby (growing up) in Samoa.”

Taua said his family also shares an appreciation for food. Taua’s parents moved to Reno two years ago. His father Faletui owns a food truck, and prepares several meals each week for his sons and their families. “He’s got that chicken soaking right now,” Taua said.

Word has spread to the Pack about the dishes, which, of course, are accompanied by the staple. “All the guys on the team know there will be rice in that pot,” Taua said. “Real rice. We’ve got the measurement with the finger. We’re doing it right.”

It is the three Fs — food, football and family — that kept Taua from even considering a move after Jay Norvell resigned at Nevada last December to accept the head coaching job at Colorado State. Several Nevada players also transferred to CSU.

“My family is here,” Taua said. “Not just my (23-month-old) son, but the boys on the team, my brothers. They’re family. I came here in 2018, and a lot of them are still here riding strong. It makes me want to run for these guys. This program shows so much love not only to me, but my family. There’s not enough ‘thank you’ for me to say to this program and this community. I try to show it on the field and displaying it back to them.”