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At 6-foot-3 and 323 pounds, Isaac Asiata rarely sneaks up on anyone.

But the senior lineman managed to pull off the ambush as well as he could've hoped with misdirection: As Angel, his wife and high school sweetheart, opened a box with a dog collar inside, he came from behind cradling a pit bull puppy in his massive hands. Around its neck was a pink ribbon.

It's the latest surprise in a year full of the best kind for Asiata. He said he was "blown away" last week when he was named the offensive line winner of the Morris Trophy, an award given to the top linemen in the Pac-12 and voted on by opposing players. He was also invited to the Senior Bowl, reflecting a season in which he helped pave the way for a rushing attack that averaged over 210 yards on the ground per game.

"2016 is probably one of the greatest years of my life: I got married. I won an award I wanted my whole life," he said. "Things couldn't be going better for me. I'm grateful for a lot of things."

And the Utes, in turn, are grateful for him.

Ask around: Asiata's name comes up. One of the first to celebrate with a teammate. One of the most passionate players for the Utes. A stalwart who started 42 of his 44 career games, playing almost every position on the offensive line.

On Utah's episode of "The Drive," Asiata was the one leading the locker room's pregame chant — "Give me two beats and a 'Hell yeah!' " — with his trademark black face paint bleeding down into the thick scruff of his beard. But he isn't just bluster: He's one of the strongest in the weight room, one of the most assignment-sound, one of the leaders with his play as well as his words.

"If you were struggling in a gasser, he's the kind of guy who would pick you up," senior kicker Andy Phillips said. "I've been close to passing out a bunch of times. He'll throw an arm around you, and get you going."

That applies in many situations: Phillips said Asiata was always one of the first to congratulate him on an extra point. When running back Joe Williams came back after a brief retirement, Asiata was among the first to embrace him whole-heartedly. He can be found leading gatherings of the team's Polynesian players, encouraging them to remember their roots.

As he said on "The Drive": "Family is family, and that means something around here."

Asiata's own family consists of three brothers and two sisters, raised by his mother, Leitu Tui, in Spanish Fork, where he became a standout team captain in high school.

Following his church mission to Tulsa, Okla., Asiata said he struggled at times with maturity. Offensive line coach Jim Harding helped stabilize his career on the field, giving him direction and a set home after he had spent his first year playing a few different places.

Off-field direction took a little more time to find: Asiata strayed from his faith. Earlier this year, he asked Phillips for help going back to an LDS Church temple for the first time in a long time.

"It's amazing to be there for him for the years and years to get where he wants to be," Phillips said. "It was an honor to just share spiritual moments with him."

One of Phillips' pieces of life advice was to "find an awesome wife." Asiata did it by marrying Angel, who he said he had carried on an "on-again, off-again" relationship with as he learned to grow up.

"Timing is everything — she still loves me, I think," he said. "She keeps me grounded, keeps me focused."

Before he turns 24 on Dec. 29, with a year ahead that could include the NFL, Asiata is looking to close out the current calendar on a high note, with a win over Indiana in the Foster Farms Bowl.

In his first trip back to the weight room after Utah's loss to Colorado, he said he was working out "pissed off." He wanted to come back and finish his career in a worthy fashion.

"I've matured a lot, I was humbled a lot," he said. "I learned to not worry about the glitz and glamour of being a DI athlete. I just learned to go to work."

Twitter: @kylegoon —

Utah vs. Indiana

P Foster Farms Bowl

at Santa Clara, Calif.

Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. MST

TV • Ch. 13