This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

He wrote down the goal in 2013, when he was a freshman just joining Utah's travel squad.

He wrote it down again in 2014. In 2015. Before this season.

The goal? Win the Morris Trophy on offensive line. On Tuesday, he was able to finally cross it off his lists, which he's kept for his entire career.

"To be able to finally win it — it's kind of surreal when one of your huge goals in life and in your career gets checked off," he said. "I'm glad that I got to do that today."

The award was announced on Tuesday afternoon. What makes it distinct is the voting body: Winners are chosen by their conference opponents. Pac-12 defensive linemen vote for offensive linemen, and visa versa.

Asiata was the offensive winner, and Solomon Thomas from Stanford was the defensive winner. Two Utes have won before: Star Lotulelei (2012) and Nate Orchard (2014).

As the third winner in school history, Asiata said it meant all the more.

"It's one thing to get voted by the coaches, it's one thing to get voted by the press, other people like that," he said. "But to be voted on by the guys you went against, to earn their respect, that's huge for me. To me that means more than an all-conference deal."

Asiata is the most experienced lineman on Utah's squad, having started 42 of his 44 career games. He led the team this year with 13 cuts, and played the second-most snaps of anyone on the team. He was a second-team all-Pac-12 selection at guard.

He credited offensive line coach Jim Harding, who has coached the position the last three seasons, for making his career what it was at Utah: "I'm successful because he put in the time and he cares about me."

Utah's line as a whole was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award for the nation's best unit. The team finished fourth in sacks allowed (1.83 per game) and fourth in rushing offense (210.5 ypg).

Kyle Whittingham called the distinction "awesome" for his senior.

"He's been in our program for a long time," he said. "Hard work and perseverance has paid off for him."

kgoon@sltrib.com
Twitter: @kylegoon