HOUSTON – Tommy Togiai didn’t stop believing he was going to ultimately score a touchdown.
The Texans’ strongman defensive tackle just didn’t know when it was going to happen.
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An epic and fun to watch scoop-and-score would unfold in the final seconds of a 38-30 regular-season finale victory over the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Togiai hit paydirt finally after a botched fullback play unraveled earlier in the game Sunday at NRG Stadium.
“I think just trusting my faith in God,” Togiai said. “If I wasn’t, He wouldn’t have blessed me with these abilities. My mindset every day, my routine, I keep going, just trusting in him and believing in myself and my teammates. He works in mysterious ways.”
Earlier in the game Sunday, his golden opportunity to score his first NFL touchdown went awry when quarterback and former Ohio State teammate C.J. Stroud was supposed to hand the football off to him.
Lined up at fullback in the red zone for a play designed as a nod of respect for all of his diligence during a breakthrough season on defense that earned him a one-year, $3.3 million contract extension for next year, Togiai never got the football. Stroud realized it was crowded at the line of scrimmage for a smooth hand-off, so he kept it himself for a touchdown.
“We got a touchdown in the end,” Togiai said. “It could have been to me, but it happened how it happened. C.J. got in the end zone and that’s all that matters.”
That wasn’t the end of his chances to score his first touchdown since playing high school football in Idaho as the Gatorade Player of the Year.
Down 32-30 with five seconds left in the game and out of timeouts, the Colts were in desperation mode. Colts rookie quarterback Riley Leonard hit wide receiver Josh Downs and the Colts began a series of laterals on a play the Texans call “rugby” that went back to Leonard from Michael Pittman Jr.
An attempted lateral from Leonard to rookie tight end Tyler Warren was unsuccessful and the football bounced away from him as well as Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o, going right to an alert Togiai.
Then, Togiai, who bench pressed 500 pounds and squats 700 pounds as one of the Texans’ strongest players, took off for a 17-yard fumble return for a touchdown. He showed some impressive speed and agility and a nose for the end zone, eluding a tackler for a diving score.
“I was just kind of tracking the ball and the ball just popped right to me, took it, and I was like, ‘I got to go score, I got to go score right here,” Togiai said. “Only once in a lifetime do you get an opportunity like that, so I was like, ‘I got to get in the end zone.’”
Togiai celebrated with Texans coach DeMeco Ryans after the touchdown. It was a cool moment as Ryans even did Togiai’s traditional Samoan celebration forming his big right arm into an S.
“To close it out the way he did, getting in the end zone, that’s why you saw our entire sideline running down celebrating with Tommy,” Ryans said. “He’s a coach’s dream, he’s always in the right place, always doing what you ask him to do. And very cool way for him to have that clutch moment and end the game with a touchdown.”
This has been a breakthrough season for Togiai, a former blue-chip recruit for the Buckeyes who played for the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings before joining the Texans last season on their practice squad.
He has recorded a career-high 59 tackles with 1 1/2 sacks and six tackles for losses as he has earned a starting job after Tim Settle Jr. suffered a season-ending foot injury.
“Man, Tommy, you talk about a guy that’s consistent, a guy that loves ball,” Anderson said. “He comes in, he don’t say much, and he just works, man. And he’s been big for us this year, and I can’t wait to keep seeing what he does for us.”
Stroud took the blame for the botched potential touchdown for Togiai when he though he might get his foot stomped on by Colts defensive tackle Grover Stewart as he retreated too far to safely hand it off.
“I went back to my human nature and I skipped out and I missed him,” Stroud said. “I felt so bad. I went over there and did five push-ups for him. But I’m good, though. We finished, he got his touchdown, nobody can be mad at me anymore.”
“I’m just happy for my guy. I love Tommy. That’s one of my Buckeye brothers. I’ve known Tommy since I was 18 years old. He’s a great player, but also a great human. I’m just happy to see him really prevail in this league and have great seasons back-to-back.”
The Texans have now won nine consecutive games, an NFL-leading streak. They finished the regular season 12-5 and earned the fifth seed in the AFC playoff bracket after an 0-3 start to the season.
Now, they’ll travel to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night next week in an AFC wild-card playoff game.
“We’re never going to back down,” Togiai said. “We’re always going to keep fighting to the very end. And that’s why I’m here today.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com