Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 | 9:34 a.m.
UNLV senior fullback Andrew Faga calls it a privilege to be able to play football this season with younger brother Faauo, a freshman linebacker.
"I never had the opportunity in high school to play with him because he was only in the eighth grade," Andrew said. "This is my last year here and I'm glad I can share it with him."
But if you think such brotherly love spills over onto the football field, think again.
"I'm kind of looking forward to coming here and being able to hit my brother," said Faauo, a 6-foot-4, 250-pounder who is vying for playing time on special teams and as a backup inside linebacker. "That's the best thing. You know, getting a chance to hit a guy who used to pick on you when you were little, fighting over the remote control and stuff. But now we're about the same size, so it doesn't happen anymore."
The two brothers, who grew up playing eight-man football for their father, Sope, at Indian Springs High School about 40 minutes north of Las Vegas, find themselves smacking into each other quite a bit each day in practice. Besides the usual run and pass-blocking drills that find Andrew having to block his brother, the two are also on opposite sides on kickoff return drills.
"Andrew is a blocker in the wedge and I'm a wedge-buster," Faauo said.
"I feel bad because they put him up against me sometimes," Andrew, a hard-hitting 6-foot, 250-pounder said. "As a freshman, you have to adapt. The hitting is a whole new level here, especially coming from an eight-man school."
So does Andrew try and take it easy on his little brother?
"I try to kill him too," he said with a laugh. "Hey, it's my last year. I want to let him know for all the times he's been talking mess to me. ... I have to get him now."
Faauo Faga is glad to be just hitting anybody on the field. With a well-chiseled body that makes him appear closer to 22 than someone who just turned 18 last week, he had to sit out some prep games because some schools, fearful of the damage he might inflict on their players, actually threatened to forfeit games if he played.
"Me and my young brother, Omega (a senior who is being recruited by Colorado, Oregon and Washington), we'd just punish teams," Faauo said. "Some teams would forfeit because they were afraid we'd hurt their players. I remember we scrimmaged Laughlin. Their coach told my dad to take me out or else they wouldn't play anymore."
But Faauo finds himself going against players more his own size now.
"It is a big jump," he said. "To come from an eight man high school to Division I 11-man football is a big change. The game is like 200 times faster here. Everyone is just as big or bigger than you, so you just can't run over everybody out here."
"I see him a lot, maybe five times in every drill," Andrew said. "I see him on kickoff return. Truthfully, I think he tries to avoid me sometimes."
The two brothers who used to fight over the remote control in their two bedroom trailer in Indian Springs now find themselves rooming for fall camp at an Embassy Suites.
"The good thing is that there are two TV sets in there," Andrew says. "He's over at one end watching his stuff and I'm over here watching mine. In the old days, things might have gotton out of control."
Andrew says he's happy that his brother picked UNLV over Nevada-Reno, Boise State and San Jose State.
"You always want your family close by," he said. "My mom is the No. 1 Rebels fan so she can come and watch us practice and play. And it's fun to watch him grow up. He's got some good peers helping him Adam Seward, Ryan Claridge, Zach Bell and Terrence Young -- and I think he's playing well. I'm glad he decided to come here."
Especially considering the alternative.
"For a while I thought he might be going to UNR," Andrew said with a grin. "If he had gone there I would have had to hit him even worse."
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