Seven O-Line Units Earn “Game Balls”
NEW YORK, New York – September 23, 2015 – The Joe Moore Foundation for Teamwork has announced the Week 3 Joe Moore Award Honor Roll, which identifies the most notable performances by offensive line units. The following universities earned a spot on this week’s Honor Roll (in alphabetical order): Georgia, Iowa, LSU, Navy, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Penn State.
After a review of actual game film, the weekly Joe Moore Award Honor Roll includes units that display a superior level of toughness, effort, teamwork, physicality, tone setting and finishing. Statistics, including those supplied by the universities (i.e. knockdowns), are used to support observations made about the technique and effort displayed in the game film.
The Week 3 Joe Moore Award Honor Roll “Game Ball” Winners (in alphabetical order):
Georgia: Making their second consecutive appearance on the Honor Roll, the Bulldogs line performed in near flawless manner in their 52-20 win over South Carolina. In missing zero blocking assignments and allowing no sacks or pressures, the Unit set the stage for a record-setting afternoon for junior QB Greyson Lambert, who set an NCAA, SEC and Georgia record for Best Completion Percentage at 96.0% with a minimum of 20 completions as he finished 24-for-25 for 330 yards and 3 TDs. The Unit also led the way for sophomore Nick Chubb’s 21 carries for 159 yards (7.6 avg.) and 2 TDs, further making his early case for the Heisman Trophy.
Iowa: In their “walk-off” win over Pitt, the Hawkeye offensive line helped the Panthers gobble up time of possession (32:42-27:18), including an 80-yard, 5:59 touchdown drive that gave them a lead in the 4th quarter. In allowing only one sack, they also allowed QB C.J. Beathard to throw for career bests in completions (27), attempts (40), and yards (258). The Hawkeyes, who improved to 3-0 for this first time since 2009, also make their second consecutive appearance on the Honor Roll.
LSU: Not only is this LSU’s second week in a row on the Honor Roll, it’s also their second consecutive week with a lineman named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week. Vadal Alexander graded out at 90 percent with 13 knockdowns and the offensive line unit led the way to 411 yards rushing and an 8.6 yards-per-carry average. In the 45-21 win over #18 Auburn, sophomore RB Leonard Fournette continued his stellar season with 228 of LSU's 411 rushing yards.
Navy: The Midshipmen offensive line dominated the ground game in Navy’s 45-21 victory over East Carolina, a team that held Florida to just 168 yards rushing the week prior. The power game included 75 carries for 415 yards and six rushing touchdowns, led by QB Keenan Reynolds who ran for 142 yards and five touchdowns, giving him 70 for his career. Fullback Chris Swain also went over 100 yards for the second straight game, finishing with 123 on a career-high 29 carries and a touchdown. Navy was 7-7 in red zone opportunities and 13-17 on third down conversions, as they held the ball for 36:38.
North Carolina: In the Tar Heels 48-14 win over previously unbeaten Illinois, the offensive line paved the way to 254 rushing yards, an average of 6.9 yards per game. Both TB Elijah Hood (129 yards) QB Marquise Williams (105) rushed for more than 100 yards. In 63 offensive plays, the Tar Heel offensive line did not allow a sack or have any missed assignments, with just four “loafs”. Preseason All-America G Landon Turner graded out at 90 percent and had 11 knockdown blocks. The Tar Heels O-line Unit recorded 41 knockdown blocks on the day.
Notre Dame: Making their second appearance on the Honor Roll, Notre Dame ran for 215 yards on 6.7 yards per rush in its 30-22 victory over #14 Georgia Tech. Senior RB C.J. Prosise galloped for 198 yards on 22 carries and three touchdowns, including a 91-yard run midway through the fourth quarter, the longest running play in the history of Notre Dame Stadium and the second-longest run in school history. The Irish have now rushed for over 200 yards in each of its first three games. It's the first time the Irish have rushed for 200 or more yards in three straight games to open a season since 1996.
Penn State: Penn State did not allow a sack in consecutive games for the first time since 2011 on their way to a 28-3 win over Rutgers. This is an especially notable improvement, considering the Unit gave up ten sacks in Week 1. Both Saquon Barkley (195 yards) and Akeel Lynch (120) rushed for more than 100 yards and the 330 yards rushing were the most since the Nittany Lions ran for 338 at Illinois in 2009. The Penn State O-line set the tone with two powerful drives in the first quarter, including a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that ate 6:02 and an 8-play, 90-yard touchdown drive that tallied a 14-0 lead.
About the Joe Moore Award
The JOE MOORE AWARD is named after Joe Moore, widely regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in college football history, and is the only major college football award to honor a unit. The award will annually recognize the nation’s Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit that best displays toughness, effort, teamwork, physicality, tone setting and finishing. 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, colleagues of Coach Moore and select media.
About the Joe Moore Foundation for Teamwork
The Joe Moore Foundation for Teamwork is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering the essential aspect of all great societal endeavors: teamwork. Our mission is to bring that spirit of collective achievement not only to sports, but also to schools, organizations, businesses and communities. Find out more at joemooreaward.com and follow the Joe Moore Award on Instagram (@joemooreaward), Twitter (@joemooreaward) and Facebook.