Twenty-Three Offensive Line Units Gain Attention of Voting Committee
NEW YORK (Oct. 17, 2023) — The Joe Moore Award for the Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit in College Football today revealed the members of its 2023 Midseason Honor Roll, announced The Foundation for Teamwork, which has presented the unique award since 2015.
Earning a spot on this year’s midseason honor roll are the offensive lines of No. 22 Air Force, Clemson, No. 16 Duke, Florida, No. 4 Florida State, No. 1 Georgia, Kansas State, Kentucky, No. 21 Louisville, No. 19 LSU, Miami, No. 2 Michigan, No. 20 Missouri, No. 15 Notre Dame, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 9 Oregon, No. 12 Oregon State, No. 7 Penn State, No. 17 Tennessee, No. 8 Texas, UCF, No. 5 Washington, and Wyoming.
This year’s honor roll members represent eight conferences and two independents (in alphabetical order): ACC (5), BIG TEN (3), BIG-12 (3), MWC (2), PAC-12 (3), SEC (6), and Notre Dame. For games played through Oct. 16, teams on this year’s honor roll had a combined record of 122-26 and includes sixteen ranked teams, eight of which are in the Top Ten of the AP Poll.*
These units have gained the attention of the Joe Moore Award voting committee as it moves closer to announcing the selection of semifinalists on Nov. 14 and finalists on Dec. 5. Selection of the 2023 Joe Moore Award winner will be made public after a surprise visit to the winning university’s campus in late December.
“The offensive line units on the 2023 Midseason Honor Roll have caught the attention of the committee through the October 14 weekend, by demonstrating some or all of the award criteria in a recognizable way,” said Cole Cubelic, chairman of the Joe Moore Award voting committee. “The bar will raise significantly from here, and the consistency required to earn further recognition will be how the elite units eventually separate themselves.”
“It’s been fun to watch these units come together and begin to elevate their play as the year has progressed,” said Lance Zierlein, JMA voting committee member and NFL Draft analyst. “Our experience has shown that the cream begins to rise to the top from here on out, so we’ll keep a closer eye on all units to see how they finish down the stretch, especially in November. As always, having some depth and staying healthy will be critical.”
Units of Interest
In addition to the offensive line units listed above, committee members also took note of the play and production of Appalachian State, Boston College, Liberty, Louisiana, and Troy.
2023 Midseason Honor Roll at a Glance
Air Force (6-0)
Air Force leads the MW and leads the nation in rushing (334.2).
Air Force is second in the nation in sacks allowed with three.
Clemson (4-2)
Clemson ranks fourth in the ACC in rushing yards per game (188.2).
The Tigers have only yielded 9 sacks through six games this season.
Duke (5-1)
Duke leads the ACC in rushing yards per game (198.5) and rushing TDs (17).
The Blue Devils offensive line unit has given up the fewest sacks in the ACC (5).
Florida (5-2)
The Gators offense is sixth in the SEC in total yards per game (421.7).
Florida’s twelve rushing touchdowns are tied for sixth with Alabama and Tennessee.
Florida State (6-0)
The Seminoles lead the ACC and are fifth in the country with an average of 3.50 TFLs allowed per game.
FSU has earned half of the league's ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors this season.
Georgia (7-0)
Georgia’s offensive line unit has paved the way for an SEC best 19 rushing touchdowns.
OL leads the SEC and is ranked 12th nationally after allowing just six sacks in seven games (0.86/g)
Bulldogs are piling up 509.4 yards/game, which ranks fifth nationally.
Kansas State (4-2)
Kansas State ranks 11th nationally and fifth among Power 5 programs in rushing yards per game (214.3).
The Wildcats are tied for fourth overall and tied for first among Power 5 programs (with Georgia) with 19 rushing TDs.
Kansas State has scored 24 touchdowns on 29 red zone attempts (82.8%) as its 24 red-zone touchdowns are tied for eighth nationally and tops in the Big 12.
Kentucky (4-2)
Kentucky has only allowed eleven sacks this season, third best in the SEC.
The Wildcats have only allowed 32 tackles for loss, fourth best in the SEC.
Louisville (6-1)
Louisville offense is the third best in the ACC in total yards per game (464.0).
The Louisville offensive line has provided protection for the third best passing game in the ACC (285.7).
LSU (5-2)
LSU’s offensive line has helped pave the way for a Tiger offense that ranks among the Top 10 nationally in 7 categories: No. 2 in first downs (27.7), No. 2 in total offense (550.4), No. 2 3rd-down conversions (57.5 pct.), No. 3 in scoring (45.3), No. 4 pass efficiency (188.0 rating), No. 7 in passing (337.7), No. 10 in rushing (214.6).
LSU has had only 1 designed running play go for negative yardage and that was in the season-opener.
Miami (4-2)
The Hurricanes are averaging 191.0 rushing yards per game, which is ranked as the 27th highest in FBS and the 3rd highest in the ACC.
The Hurricanes running backs rank No. 15 in FBS and No. 10 among all Power-5 programs with an average of 5.41 rushing yards per carry. Starting running back Henry Parrish’s average of 6.2 yards per carry is the 16th best mark in FBS and the 11th best mark in Power-5.
Michigan (7-0)
Michigan's offensive line has allowed only seven sacks on the season (1.0 per game), the 14th-fewest nationally. With that unit as the engine, U-M permits the second-fewest negative plays per game (2.71) of any team in the country.
The offense supports the national leader in rushing touchdowns in Blake Corum (12) and the co-leader in receiving touchdowns in Roman Wilson (9).
The run game has produced 18 touchdowns (tied-eight, FBS) with ball carriers averaging 4.9 yards per carry. The team averages 182 rushing yards per game with only 75 negative rushing yards on 261 carries.
Missouri (6-1)
Missouri’s offensive line has helped the Tigers gain the fourth most yards per game in the SEC (445.4).
The Tigers passing offense is fourth best in the SEC (305.6).
Notre Dame (6-2)
Notre Dame’s offense this season ranks 10th in the nation in tackles for loss allowed (3.75/game), 14th in team passing efficiency (167.65) and passes had intercepted (3), and 15th in total first downs (160).
The Irish offensive line has paved the way for running back Audric Estimé, the leading rusher among all Power 5 players (787 yards), to rush for at least 95 yards in five games this season, including three-consecutive weeks of 100+-rushing yard games (116 vs. Tennessee State, 134 vs. NC State, 176 vs. Central Michigan).
Ohio State (6-0)
Ohio State leads the Big Ten in total yards per game (443.0).
The Buckeyes have yielded ten sacks through six games this year.
Oregon (5-1)
The Ducks offensive line has combined for 90 knockdowns through six games, led by 19 from Powers-Johnson.
Oregon is tied for fourth in the nation with just four sacks allowed, and tied for ninth with only 24 tackles for loss given up.
Oregon leads the nation in scoring (48.5 PPG) and is one of just two teams (LSU) to rank in the top 10 in both rushing (8th, 221.67 YPG) and passing offense (9th, 331.7 YPG).
Oregon State (6-1)
Oregon State is fourth in the Pac 12 in rushing yards per game (195.1).
The Beavers have only yielded eight sacks through seven games, third best in the Pac 12.
Penn State (6-0)
Through six games in 2023, the Nittany Lions' offensive line has allowed just 34 pressures and three sacks.
In 2023, Penn State ranks fifth in the nation in sacks allowed per game (0.67), seventh in tackles for loss allowed per game (3.67) and 15th in rushing offense (203.3).
The four games without allowing a sack were the most for Penn State since 2011 (five games).
Tennessee (5-1)
Despite several injuries during the first half of the season, Tennessee’s offensive line has paved the way for a rushing unit that is putting up 231.3 yards per game, which is tops in the SEC and sixth nationally. The Vols are averaging 5.9 yards per rush, which is fifth nationally.
The highlight of the offensive line has come in the last two SEC games as the Vols pounded out 238 rushing yards vs. South Carolina and 232 rushing yards vs. Texas A&M, who came into the game with the SEC’s best rushing defense, allowing only 84.0 yards per game.
Texas (5-1)
Texas returns all five starters along the offensive line with Kelvin Banks, Jr., Hayden Conner, Jake Majors, Cole Hutson and Christian Jones back for the 2023 season. It marks the first time since at least 1993 that all five starters return.
The Texas offensive line has opened holes for running back Jonathon Brooks, who ranks fourth in the nation in rushing yards per game (121.0), sixth in all-purpose yards (141.17) and ninth in rushing yards (726).
Washington (6-0)
The Huskies lead the FBS in passing yards per game (424.7).
This physical unit is 5th best in sacks allowed, allowing just four sacks in six games.
UCF (3-3)
UCF’s offensive line has been an integral part of the Knights ranking third nationally in rushing offense, averaging 246.3 rushing yards per game.
Additionally, UCF is fourth nationally in total offense with 516.7 yards per game.
Both of those marks lead the Big 12 Conference.
Wyoming (5-2)
The physical Cowboys offensive line has registered 146 knockdowns through seven games, – an average of 16 knockdowns per game,
Despite multiple injuries at the running back and quarterback position, Wyoming has been able to maintain an average of 5.3 yards per rush.
Honor Roll Criteria and Selection Process
The Joe Moore Award voting committee judges solely on six criteria: toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique and finishing.
Evaluations for the midseason honor roll were made solely through weekly review of actual game film and offensive line coach-provided cut-ups.
Voting Committee
The Joe Moore Award voting committee comprises 10 individuals who are highly knowledgeable about offensive line play, including former linemen, coaches, talent evaluators and media analysts. This group conducts in-depth analysis by reviewing game tape every week of the season to assess both the fundamentals and subtleties of overall offensive line performance.
The 2023 voting committee includes Chairman Cole Cubelic (Auburn, SEC Network); Charles Arbuckle (UCLA, Indianapolis Colts); Randy Cross (UCLA, San Francisco 49ers); Gerry DiNardo (Notre Dame, head coach at LSU); Mike Golic, Jr. (Notre Dame, ESPN); Duke Manyweather (Humboldt State, player and coach); Geoff Schwartz (Oregon, Carolina Panthers); Phil Steele (publisher of Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, ESPN); Aaron Taylor (Notre Dame, Green Bay Packers); and Lance Zierlein (NFL draft analyst, NFL.com).
Past Award Recipients
Past recipients of the Joe Moore Award include the offensive lines of the University of Alabama (2015), the University of Iowa (2016). the University of Notre Dame (2017), the University of Oklahoma (2018), LSU (2019), the University of Alabama (2020 - first repeat winner), and the University of Michigan (2021 and 2022 - first back to back winner)
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, most notably for his work at Notre Dame and the University of Pittsburgh. Over 18 seasons, Coach Moore sent 52 players on to the NFL, including Bill Fralic, Mark May, Russ Grimm, Jimbo Covert and others.
The Joe Moore Award trophy, crafted by legendary sports sculptor Jerry McKenna, is the largest trophy in college football, standing at a height of 6 feet and weighing in at 800 pounds. The perpetual trophy is made available for display by the winning university until the conclusion of the following college football season.
About The Foundation for Teamwork
The Foundation for Teamwork is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering teamwork in all societal endeavors and bringing that spirit of collective achievement to athletics, education, and organizations.
Learn More or Follow Us
Find out more at joemooreaward.com and follow the Joe Moore Award on Twitter (@joemooreaward), Instagram (@joemooreaward), and Facebook (facebook.com/JoeMooreAward).
* AP Poll as of Oct. 15
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