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DonTrell Moore,
RB ―
New Mexico, 5’10”/211 lbs.
It was the
beginning of the second quarter of the Lobos opening
game against UNLV, and it was becoming apparent that
there would be little running room for DonTrell Moore. The Rebels’ defensive line was overpowering the Lobos
line and there were no holes to run through. On top of
that, the Rebels’ linebackers and safeties were in the
box, looking for the Lobos primary weapon. After two
runs that netted a loss of 4 yards, the Lobos decided to
get Moore the ball another way. They faked a handoff to
him, then, as soon as he broke through the line and was
behind the defensive line, Moore turned around and quarterback Kole McKamey hit him with a shuttle pass
right in the middle of the field.
Getting
Moore past the defensive line was an accomplishment this
day, but it wasn’t as though he had clear sailing from
that point. With the linebackers and safeties keying on
him, he was in the tightest of seams and the backers
were collapsing on him at breakneck speed. As soon as he
caught the ball, Moore spun on his left foot and faced
the charge. The linebacker was the first man to him and
Moore had just enough time to take two steps toward the
man. It seemed as though he was about to be crushed
under the man who outweighed his 208 pounds by thirty,
but then Moore displayed his special talent. When his
left foot landed at the conclusion of his second step,
his body collapsed to half his height. The linebacker
charging at him had to adjust and bend over so he
wouldn’t simply fly over top of Moore, and, seeing the
man lean forward, Moore sprung to the right at what to
the naked eye appears to be a ninety degree angle from
the direction he had been traveling. The inertia the
linebacker had generated was impossible to change at
this point, and he simply flew past Moore who was now
looking at the safety coming hard with intent. But Moore
is a mismatch with anyone one-on-one in the open field
and he cut back to the left, leaving the safety flailing
at air, and finishing the run by lowering his shoulder
to deliver a nice pop at the end to the collapsing
defensive backs who tackled him seventeen yards down
field after he’d gained the first down.
Moore’s
style is electrifying. Fans love to see defenders juked
out of position and made to look foolish. His thick
powerful legs and low center of gravity make it possible
for him to cut at impossible angles that frustrate much
bigger men. At 5’8” he is hard to find in the backfield
and running inside where he seems to be comfortable.
Trying to catch Moore is like trying to catch a fly with
your hands; no matter how confined the space may appear
to be and how inevitable the tackle seems, that change
of direction ability makes him a threat to escape. And,
once he has escaped, he has the speed to turn plays into
long gainers.
Moore’s start and stop style will mean that he will be
stopped for losses and no gains more often than a lot of
fans like to see, but he will also break away for long
gains. Placed in a multi-dimensional offense that can
get him free of the line or one that by it’s nature
spreads the defense out, Moore could be very successful,
delivering a high yards per carry average over limited
carries.
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