Miami OL Selected to Joe Moore Award Honor Roll
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami was among those teams represented on the Joe Moore Award midseason honor roll, as announced by the The Foundation for Teamwork.
The Joe Moore Award, which annually recognizes the nation’s Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit, identified notable performances by offensive line units in games played through October 7. The OL units from the following universities, with a combined record of 100-19, earned a spot on the Honor Roll (in alphabetical order): Alabama, Auburn, Buffalo, Clemson, Georgia, Miami, Navy, North Carolina State, New Mexico, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, San Diego State, SMU, Stanford, TCU, Virginia Tech, Washington, Western Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Miami’s offensive line has hit on a number of key criteria for the Joe Moore Award, including blocking for a whopping 6.6 yards-per-carry average through the season’s first four games. The Hurricanes running backs have posted one of the best yards-before-contact averages in the nation, while first-year starting quarterback Malik Rosier ranks fifth in the ACC in passing efficiency thanks largely to the protection from his offensive line.
Senior Kc McDermott, an anchor of the offensive line in his four seasons, made his 25th straight start Friday against Florida State. The Hurricanes’ starting unit of McDermott, left guard Trevor Darling, center Tyler Gauthier, right guard Navaughn Donaldson and right tackle Tyree St. Louis has started every game together this season.
The Joe Moore Award Mid-Season Honor Roll includes units that display a high level of toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique, and “finishing”. The Voting Subcommittee uses game film and coach submitted cut-ups on The DragonFly Division I Network as the primary OL Unit evaluation tool. Advanced OL data and statistics are provided by STATS LLC, which helps to support the film evaluation process by highlighting key situations and moments over the course of the season.
“The O-line position is much more technical than some realize. So when we watch the film, we’re looking to see which units not only use good technique, but also for those that display a willingness to compete, finish, and set the tone for their offense,” said Cole Cubelic, who is the current Chairman of the Joe Moore Award Voting Subcommittee. “It’s early in the season, and it takes a while for units to get going, so we are especially working to identify groups that can do this consistently every game.”
“There’s a good chance there’s not a single OL coach in the country that’s happy with how their Unit is playing. That’s just their nature. But the teams on the Midseason Honor Roll caught the attention of the Subcommittee for good reason,” said Aaron Taylor, CBS CFB Analyst and Team Captain of the Joe Moore Award. “As in years past, this award won’t be earned until November, the time when college football matters most. As the season progresses, the bar will be raised along with the stakes, and all of these units have a lot of work to do in order to earn this year’s title of Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit in college football.”
Miami (#11, 4-0)
Award Criteria Exemplified: Teamwork, Toughness, Effort
– RB’s enjoy an average of 5.31 yards before contact (YBC) per rush attempt (2nd in FBS, 1st in ACC)
– 6.46 rush ypc (6th in FBS, 1st in ACC)
– Have rushed for over 9.0 ypc in 2 of their 4 games this season
Next: vs. Georgia Tech on 10/14
