Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Stanford
NEW YORK, New York – November 30, 2015— The Joe Moore Foundation for Teamwork announced today six Finalists for the 2015 Joe Moore Award, given to the top offensive line unit in college football. The Finalists are Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Stanford.
“As with every college football award, as the season progresses, the cream tends to rise to the top,” said Aaron Taylor, Chairman of the Voting Committee. “We have reviewed game film and evaluated team performance all year – including the last game of the regular season – so we know many O-line Units performed well this year. We also know these six teams earned their place as the Finalists through superior teamwork and toughness.”
Voting for the final Joe Moore Award Winning Unit will begin this afternoon and be completed by midnight on Sunday, December 6th. The voting committee is comprised solely of people who played or coached the position, including all of the current offensive line coaches at the Division I/FBS level as well as former players, coaches and colleagues of Coach Moore and select media.
The winner will be announced by Friday, December 11th and will be the recipient of what is expected to be the largest trophy in college football history. The actual trophy, crafted by legendary sports sculptor Jerry McKenna, is expected to weigh more than 350 pounds and will be the subject of a CBS Sports Network special in mid-December. The trophy will be unveiled later this week after its expected completion.
The following O-lines earned a spot as Finalist, in alphabetical order (overall record):
Alabama (11-1) – Benefitting from a much needed bye week, the Tide’s strong finish down the stretch is directly proportional to the play of their offensive line. In their final regular season win over Auburn, Alabama dominated the line of scrimmage with 465 total yards, including 286 rushing yards on 50 carries. They did not allow a sack and the offense held the ball for 35:23. For the season, the offensive line cleared a path for Heisman Trophy candidate Derrick Henry to lead the nation in rushing and set school records for rushing yards (1,797) and rushing touchdowns (22).
Offensive Line Coach: Mario Cristobal
Head Coach: Nick Saban
Players:
LT Cam Robinson SO #74
LG Ross Pierschbacher RS FR #71
OC Ryan Kelly SR #70
RG Alphonse Taylor JR #50
RT Dominick Jackson SR #76
Arkansas (7-5) – The same Hogs O-line Unit started every game and weighs in at over a combined 1,600 pounds, the largest offensive line of any NFL or Power 5 team for the second straight year. The Arkansas offense led the SEC in scoring during conference games (34.4) and finished the regular season in the national top 25 in several statistical categories: they are 3rd in time of possession (34:07), 18th in tackles for loss allowed per game (4.75), 8th in sacks allowed per game (1.0) and 19th in Red Zone touchdowns (36).
Offensive Line Coach: Sam Pittman
Head Coach: Bret Bielema
Players:
LT Denver Kirkland JR #55
LG Sebastian Tretola SR #73
C Mitch Smothers SR #65
RG Frank Ragnow SO #72
RT Dan Skipper JR #70
Iowa (12-0) – The Hawkeyes finished the regular season 12-0 for the first time in school history. Iowa’s O-Line Unit consistently controlled the line of scrimmage and often ran the ball well enough to end several games with the ball in their possession. In winning the Big Ten West Division, Iowa ranked in the top five in the conference in several offensive statistical categories, including scoring offense, total offense, rushing offense, time of possession and Red Zone conversions.
Offensive Line Coach: Brian Ferentz
Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz
Players:
LT Boone Myers RS SO #52
LG Sean Welsh RS SO #79
OC Austin Blythe SR #63
RG Jordan Walsh SR #65
RT Cole Croston JR #64
T Ike Boettger RS SO #75
G James Daniels FR #78
Michigan State (11-1) – With a huge win over Ohio State and dominant performance against Penn State, Michigan State continues to build its case for a spot in the CFP final four. Despite a season that involved an unusual amount of injuries up front and featured six different starting lineups, the Spartan’s O-Line was consistently among the most physical units in the country, displaying versatility and depth at all five positions. The Michigan State O-line ranks 3rd in the Big Ten Conference and 19th in the nation in sacks allowed per game (1.25).
Offensive Line Coach: Mark Staten
Head Coach: Mark Dantonio
Players:
LT Jack Conklin RS JR #74
LG Brian Allen SO #65
OC Jack Allen RS SR #66
RG Donavon Clark RS SR #76
RT Kodi Kieler RS JR #79
G Benny McGowan RS JR #75
G Brandon Clemons RS SR #64
Notre Dame (10-2) – Despite two close losses and injuries to several key players (including their top 2 RBs), the Irish fought through to a 10-2 season, due in part to the consistent and physical play of their O-line Unit. Notre Dame finished the regular season ranked 5th in average yards per rushing attempt (5.76). In setting the tone during the second half of games, the Irish ranked 2nd in the nation in yards per rush (7.2) in the 3rd quarter. And the Irish were successful no matter who was carrying the football, as freshman RB Josh Adams finished the regular season averaging 7.3 yards per carry, ranking him second in the nation among Power 5 RBs with 100+ carries.
Offensive Line Coach: Harry Hiestand
Head Coach: Brian Kelly
Players:
LT Ronnie Stanley SR #78
LG Quenton Nelson SO #56
OC Nick Martin GR #72
RG Steve Elmer JR #79
RT Mike McGlinchey JR #68
LG Alex Bars SO #71
Stanford (10-2) – With their thrilling victory over Notre Dame, Stanford navigated one of the toughest schedules in the country to make their way into the CFP conversation. The Pac-12 North Division champion Cardinal lead the nation in time of possession (35.21) and their running game ranks 22nd in the nation in yards per game (222.00) despite seeing predominantly seven- and eight-man boxes from defenses. The O-line Unit has paved the way for its backs to average 3 yards per carry before contact (among the best in the nation for a pro style offense), assisting the incredible season by Christian McCaffrey, who leads the nation in total all-purpose yards per game (252.9).
Offensive Line Coach: Mike Bloomgren
Head Coach: David Shaw
Players:
LT Kyle Murphy SR #78
LG Joshua Garnett SR #51
OC Graham Shuler SR #52
RG Johnny Caspers SR #57
RT Casey Tucker SO #77
Jumbo TE Nick Davidson SR #66