O-Line Award is Only Accolade in College Football to Honor a Unit
NEW YORK (August 28, 2018) — The Joe Moore Award for the Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit in College Football will be back for a fourth season in 2018, announced The Foundation for Teamwork, which has presented the unique award since 2015.
“We’re excited to get back into the film room and trenches to evaluate and honor great college football O-line play,” said Aaron Taylor, CBS college football analyst and founder of the Joe Moore Award. Taylor played guard at the University of Notre Dame for the award’s namesake, the legendary offensive line coach Joe Moore.
“Football is the ultimate team sport, so it’s rewarding to present the only award in college football that honors a position group,” said Cole Cubelic, chairman of the voting committee. “The Joe Moore Award has assembled a top-notch voting committee of expert O-line evaluators, who as a group are the most credible in the country. And, we have created an incredibly thorough review process that we feel is second to none among college football awards.”
2018 Selection Milestones
The midseason honor roll for the Joe Moore Award will be announced on Tuesday, Oct. 16. Semifinalists will be revealed on Tuesday, Nov. 20, and finalists will be announced Tuesday, Dec. 4. Selection of the 2018 Joe Moore Award winner will be made public after a surprise visit to the winning university’s campus in late December.
Selection Criteria
The Joe Moore Award judges O-line units from tackle to tackle, solely on six criteria: toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique and finishing.
Voting Committee
The Joe Moore Award voting committee comprises 13 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 O-line performance.
Two new members have joined the voting committee in 2018, including Phil Steele, who is widely respected for his annual preseason magazine, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, which is a book the experts cannot do without, as it has been the most accurate magazine for more than 20 years. A frequent guest on national TV and radio programs, Steele is regarded as one of the country’s preeminent college football experts.
“In the 24 years of producing my college football magazine, one of my top honors is being included on the voting panel for the Joe Moore Award, which is an exclusive club for ex-offensive linemen and offensive line coaches,” Steele said.
Also new to the voting committee in 2018 is Pat Hill, former head coach of Fresno State University, which under his leadership routinely scheduled – and defeated – highly ranked programs from power conferences. During his 40-year coaching career he served as O-line coach for Fresno State and the University of Utah, and offensive coordinator for the University of Arizona and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He was also O-line coach for the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons.
The voting committee is anchored by former standout O-line players, coaches and media members, including 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); Dave Harding (Duke, Blue Devil Network); Barrett Jones (Alabama, St. Louis Rams); Duke Manyweather (Humboldt State University, Offensive Line Scouting and Development Consultant); Geoff Schwartz (Oregon, Carolina Panthers); Aaron Taylor (Notre Dame, Green Bay Packers); and Lance Zierlein (NFL draft analyst, NFL.com).
Evaluation Process
As in years past, evaluations for the Joe Moore Award will be made primarily through review of actual game film and offensive line coach-provided cut-ups on the DragonFly Division I Network. In addition to reviewing game tape every week, the voting committee will later go through each of the finalists’ season-long highlight reels and multiple back-to-back quarters of game film. In addition, STATS, one of the industry leaders in sports data analytics, will again provide advanced O-line data and analytics to provide context and clarity and to help streamline the film evaluation process.
The voting committee will select the midseason honor roll, semifinalists and finalists. After the finalists have been selected, a vote will be held to select the 2018 recipient of the Joe Moore Award by a voting body of 200-plus members. This voting body includes 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 members.
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) and the University of Notre Dame (2017).
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. 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 bring that spirit of collective achievement to athletics, education, and organizations. Find out more at joemooreaward.com and follow the Joe Moore Award on Twitter (@joemooreaward), Instagram (@joemooreaward), and Facebook (facebook.com/JoeMooreAward).
NOTRE DAME WINS 2017 JOE MOORE AWARD AS MOST OUTSTANDING OFFENSIVE LINE UNIT
Physicality and All-American Talent Impressed Voters
SOUTH BEND, IND. – December 19, 2017 — The Joe Moore Award announced today that the University of Notre Dame’s offensive line is the recipient of the 2017 Joe Moore Award (JMA) for Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit in College Football. In a presentation from the Guglielmino Athletic Complex on the Fighting Irish campus, the offensive line was presented with college football’s biggest trophy.
The Joe Moore Award trophy, crafted by legendary sports sculptor Jerry McKenna, is the largest trophy in college football that weighs more than 800 pounds and is more than six feet wide by nearly seven feet tall. As is tradition, the trophy has been made available to Notre Dame to display on their campus until the 2018 winner is announced.
“The thing voters felt separated Notre Dame’s O-line this year from the other deserving units was their technique and how they consistently finished their blocks,” said Cole Cubelic, SEC Network Sideline Analyst and Chairman of the Joe Moore Award voting committee (as Chairman, Cubelic does not vote). “As impressive as the other Finalists and Semi-Finalists were, no one consistently finished blocks in 2017 like Notre Dame, and that really seemed to make the difference this year in the eyes of the voters.”
As this year’s recipient of college football’s biggest trophy, Notre Dame was selected by a voting body comprised of experts who played or coached the offensive line position at the highest levels. This includes all current offensive line coaches at the Division I/FBS level, as well as former players, coaches, and colleagues of Coach Moore, the JMA voting committee, and select media. The Fighting Irish were narrowly selected over fellow finalists Alabama and Auburn.
“This year proved to be difficult because of how well each of the Finalists displayed the award criteria throughout the entire season,” said Barrett Jones, two-time consensus All-American, National Champion, and Joe Moore Award voting committee member. “It really came right down to the end.”
Each of this year’s Finalists presented compelling arguments to be crowned the winner, which made this the closest race in the three-year history of the Joe Moore Award. Through their impressive play on the field, the O-line units for Alabama and Auburn each exemplified what the Joe Moore Award is about and were more than deserving of the honor of being named a 2017 Joe Moore Award Finalist.
“The O-line position is extremely difficult to evaluate, especially when doing so for entire units with different styles of play,” said Randy Cross, three-time All-Pro with the San Francisco 49ers, College Football Hall of Famer, CBS college football analyst, and JMA voting committee member. “That is why we thoroughly go through each of the finalists’ season-long highlight reels and multiple back-to-back quarters of game film. The focus on the film study is the only way the 200+ voting body can properly and credibly evaluate the nuances of the award criteria that would otherwise be difficult to see.”
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Team Notes
The Notre Dame Offensive Line Unit was the major force that carried the Fighting Irish from a 4-8 record a season ago to a 9-3 record in 2017, with wins over three (3) Top 25 ranked opponents.
Notre Dame’s Offensive Line is the first O-Line ever in the history of the Football Writers Association of America to have two (2) of its linemen garner first-team All-American honors in the same season (the first FWAA All-American team was in 1944).
Notre Dame’s Offensive Line is the first O-Line to have two (2) of its linemen garner first-team All-American honors by the AP since 1931.
In arguably their strongest performance of 2017, the Fighting Irish handily beat Pac-12 Champion #8 USC Trojans 49-14. In that game, the O-Line Unit paved the way for the Fighting Irish to rush for 377 Rushing Yards and five (5) Rushing Touchdowns.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Advanced Data and Analytics - provided by STATS
Ground Attack: Notre Dame averaged 279.1 Rushing Yards Per Game (7th FBS)
Explosive Runs: The Fighting Irish had 39 runs of 20+ yards (3rd FBS)
Clean Pockets: Despite long developing pass play concepts, Notre Dame’s O-line created a Clean Pocket (pass pro opportunities with no pressure allowed by the OL) on 77% of its Pass Plays (vs FBS average of 72.8%)
Explosive Plays: The Fighting Irish had an Explosive Play (20+ yards) on 9.3% of their offensive plays (13th FBS)
Room to Run: The Fighting Irish averaged 4.17 Yards Before Contact (YBC) this season (t-4th FBS)
Offensive Line Coach: Harry Hiestand
Head Coach: Brian Kelly
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 annually recognizes the nation’s Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit that best displays toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique and finishing. The voting body 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 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 at www.facebook.com/JoeMooreAward.
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Three Offensive Line Units Earn a FINALIST Recognition: Alabama, Auburn, Notre Dame
Prestigious College Football Award to Utilize Video Services and In-Depth Data to Evaluate Nation’s Top Offensive Lines
Seven Units Earn Honor Through Tough, Physical O-Line Play
NEW YORK, November 21, 2017 — The Joe Moore Award announced the seven semi-finalists for the 2017 most outstanding offensive line unit in college football. *No. 1 Alabama, *No. 6 Auburn, *No. 7 Georgia, *No. 9 Notre Dame, *No. 3 Oklahoma, *No. 20 Stanford and *No. 5 Wisconsin (in alphabetical order) are all among the offensive line units in the running to be one of the three Joe Moore Award finalists, who will be named on Monday, November 27. The eventual winner of the Joe Moore Award will be recognized in mid-December during a surprise, on campus visit to the winning Unit’s school.
This year’s semi-finalists represent four conferences and one Independent: SEC (3), BIG TEN (1), BIG-12 (1), PAC-12 (1), and Notre Dame. For games played through Nov. 18, the 2017 Joe Moore Award Semi-Finalists have a combined record of 68-9 and average 465.30 total yards per game (compared to national average of 402.50 ypg) and 247.57 rushing yards per game (national average 175.25 ypg).
“There is a noticeable improvement in O-line play this season compared to last year. It’s been exciting to watch the effort and resilience of these O-lines over the course of this challenging and competitive season,” says Aaron Taylor, CBS College Football Analyst and Founder of the Joe Moore Award.
“Once again the cream has started rising to the top, and the committee strongly feels that the common thread with this year’s semi-finalists and the success of their teams are a direct result of the O-lines’ level of play,” says Cole Cubelic, SEC Network sideline analyst, and Chairman of the the Joe Moore Award Voting Sub-Committee, which is comprised of only those who have coached or played the position on the collegiate stage and beyond. “With only a few more opportunities left in 2017, the Voting Sub-Committee is looking forward to seeing which units separate themselves when it matters most.”
Joe Moore Award Semi-Finalists Selection Process:
The Joe Moore Award is earned based upon the following six (6) criteria: Toughness, Effort, Teamwork, Consistency, Technique, and Finishing. As in year’s past, evaluations are made via review of actual game film and Offensive Line coach provided cut-ups on the DragonFly Div I Network. In addition, STATS, one of the industry leaders in sports data analytics, provides advanced offensive line data and analytics to help streamline the film evaluation process.
Joe Moore Award Semi-Finalists (in alphabetical order):
Alabama (11-0)
Alabama leads the SEC and is ninth in the nation in rushing offense (270.3 RUSH YPG).
Alabama’s 6.03 yards per attempt lead the SEC and is tied for seventh nationally.
Alabama is sixth in the nation with 42 tackles for loss allowed.
Alabama averages 4.26 yards before contact (YBC) per rush attempt. FBS average is 3.22 YBC.
Have not rushed for fewer than 100 yards in any game this season.
Offensive Line Coach: Brent Key
Auburn (9-2)
Auburn’s OL unit has paved the way for RB Kerryon Johnson to lead the SEC in rushing (1,172 RUSH YDS), despite Johnson missing 2 games.
Auburn calls a run an incredible 84% of the time in 3rd/4th and three or less, and goal-to-go situations. National average is 71.2%, which means the coaches trust their OL in key situations.
Auburn has rushed for 300+ yards in four different games, tied for the most in the SEC.
Auburn’s 30 RUSH TD are tied for 14th in the nation and are third in the country.
All of the above has been accomplished with six different starting combinations. Notably, senior Austin Golson has started four different positions (LT, LG, OC, RT), and is the first Tiger OL to do so since Auburn started tracking OL starts in 1986.
Offensive Line Coach: Herb Hand
Georgia (10-1)
Georgia’s OL has paved the way for an average of 267.4 RUSH YPG, which is second in SEC and 10th in the nation.
Georgia’s OL has allowed only 14 sacks, third in the conference and tied for 19th nationally.
The Dawgs OL has helped their team rush for at least 200 yards in nine of eleven games this season.
Georgia has 36 rushes of 20+ yards which leads the SEC and is fourth in the nation.
Offensive Line Coach: Sam Pittman
Notre Dame (9-2)
Notre Dame RBs enjoy an average of 4.33 yards before contact (YBC) per rush attempt. FBS average is 3.22 YBC.
Notre Dame averages 290.5 RUSH YPG which is sixth in the nation.
Notre Dame has blocked for the 10th best rusher at RB (Josh Adams, 1,337) and the 11th best rusher at QB (Brandon Wimbush, 704).
RB Josh Adams is first in the nation in 70+ yd runs (4), first in 60+ yd runs (7), second in 50+ yd runs (8), second in 40+ yd runs (8), second in 30+ yd runs (13) and third in 20+ yd runs (28) among RBs.
ND rushed for 515 yards at Boston College, the third most for ND in the modern era, including a Notre Dame QB record of 207 RUSH YDS.
Offensive Line Coach: Harry Hiestand
Oklahoma (10-1)
Leads the nation in total offense (588.7 YPG).
The Sooners are 31st in the nation as a team in rushing (206.9) despite not having a single rusher higher than 88th in the nation (Rodney Anderson, 68.1 RUSH YPG).
Leads the nation in passing yards per attempt (11.8), giving Baker Mayfield plenty of time to complete his passes.
Oklahoma has 73 pass plays of 20+ yards, which is 10 more than any other team in the nation.
Offensive Line Coach: Bill Bedenbaugh
Stanford (8-3)
Stanford’s OL has paved the way for the nation’s leading rusher, Bryce Love (172.3 RUSH YPG).
RB Love’s season is even more notable considering Stanford’s OL is in an “Alley Fight” (running against seven or more defenders in the box) 79.6% of the time. FBS average is 57.5%. The more crowded the defender box, the harder it is to run the football.
The Cardinal OL allowed only 12 sacks this season, tied for the Pac-12 lead and 11th in the nation.
Stanford has 31 rushes of 20+ yards is 2nd in the Pac-12
Offensive Line Coach: Mike Bloomgren
Wisconsin (11-0)
OL has paved the way for Freshman RB Jonathan Taylor has 1,657 RUSH YDS, the most for a freshman since Samaje Perine had 1,713 in 2014 and within striking distance of Adrian Peterson’s 1,925 in 2004.
Wisconsin’s OL is in an “Alley Fight” (running against seven or more defenders in the box) and incredible 89.7% of the time. FBS average for Alley Fights is 57.5%.
Wisconsin has not rushed for less than 100 yards in any game this season, including eight games of 200+ rush yards.
Wisconsin is holding the ball for an average of 35:24 per game, 2nd most in the nation.
Offensive Line Coach: Joe Rudolph
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 group or unit. The award annually recognizes 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. The inaugural Joe Moore Award went to Alabama in 2015, and Iowa in 2016.
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. Find out more at joemooreaward.com and follow the Joe Moore Award on Twitter (@joemooreaward), Instagram (@joemooreaward), and Facebook.
*AP Poll as of Nov. 19
The Foundation for Teamwork has announced the Mid-Season Honor Roll for the Joe Moore Award, which identifies notable performances by offensive line units in games played through October 7.
The Foundation for Teamwork announced today that the Iowa Hawkeyes offensive line is the winner of the 2016 Joe Moore Award for the Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit in College Football.
The Foundation for Teamwork announced today three Finalists for the 2016 Joe Moore Award, given to the top offensive line unit in college football. The Finalists are Alabama, Iowa, and Ohio State.