University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Football Recognized By Joe Moore Award
10/10/2024 3:09:00 PM | Football
Cajuns' O-Line one of 22 named to Midseason Honor Roll
NEW YORK — The Foundation for Teamwork, which has presented the Joe Moore Award for the Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit in College Football since 2015, announced on Thursday that Louisiana was one of twenty-two members on its 2024 Midseason Honor Roll.
Earning a spot on this year's Midseason Honor Roll are the O-lines of Alabama, Army, Clemson, Iowa, Kansas State, Louisiana, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Navy, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers, SMU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech, UConn, UNLV, Western Michigan, and West Virginia.
This year's Midseason Honor Roll members represent eight conferences and one independent (in alphabetical order): AAC (2), ACC (3), BIG TEN (6), BIG-12 (3), MAC (1) MWC (1), SEC (4), SUN BELT (1), and UConn. For games played through Oct. 5, 2024, these teams boast a combined record of 94-19, including nine undefeated squads, thirteen ranked teams overall, and eight teams ranked in the Top 10. *
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 exclusively through weekly review of actual game film, including offensive line coach-provided cut-ups.
These units have gained the attention of the Joe Moore Award voting committee as it moves closer to announcing the selection of its Semifinalists on Nov. 12, 2024 and its Finalists on Dec. 3, 2024. Selection of the 2024 Joe Moore Award Winner will be made public after the award's annual surprise visit to the winning university's campus, which will likely be in late December.
Louisiana's offensive line, coached by Steve Farmer and Bryant Ross, has helped pave the way to a 4-1 record in 2024 while ranking second in the Sun Belt Conference in rushing yards per carry (5.54).
The current starting unit of King McGowen, AJ Gillie, Landon Burton, Jax Harrington and George Jackson helped Louisiana control the football for nearly 42 minutes – the seventh-highest time of possession this season – in last week's win at USM.
"The O-line position takes time to gel, and units are finding their rhythm later in the season than we've ever seen," said Cole Cubelic, lead analyst for the SEC Network. "More teams are showing flashes of physicality and excellence, but the consistency of play has been more uneven than we're used to seeing at this point." Cubelic, who played center at Auburn from 1996-2001, added, "It's something to watch moving forward, especially with depth likely being tested like never before due to the extended postseason and the impact of the portal and roster turnover."
"It's great to see physicality making a comeback across all levels of football, especially after years of offenses focusing on space and speed," said Lance Zierlein, NFL Draft Analyst for NFL.com. "While the results vary, more O-lines are getting downhill and playing with a renewed sense of aggression—a welcome return for some programs that had gotten away from it."
"One of the early takeaways this season is that many O-line units are still working on how to operate as one and see the game through the same set of eyes," said Brandon Thorn, editor of Trench Warfare, one of the most respected newsletters focusing on offensive and defensive line play. "We're seeing too many cases where you'll get great combo blocks or double teams on one side, but missed assignments or mistakes on the other, that derail the entire play." Thorn, whose Trench Warfare has earned acclaim from NFL scouts, analysts, and college coaches, added, "I think part of this is due to it still being early in the season, but the influx of transfers and conference realignment has likely made it even harder for units to get on the same page as quickly as we're used to seeing."
"Each unit of this year's Midseason Honor Roll has earned the right to be recognized for displaying the award criteria in a variety of ways that embody the essence of our position," 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. "As always, physicality, finishing, and consistency in technique will likely be what elevates the units that do what it takes down the stretch to earn this award in the eyes of their peers."
Single-game tickets for Louisiana's six home games – which include remaining games against App State (Oct. 12), Arkansas State (Nov. 9), South Alabama (Nov. 16) and Troy (Nov. 23) – are currently on sale now. Tickets start as low as $15 and can be purchased through RaginCajuns.com and its social media platforms (Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram).
Season tickets for Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Football are available for purchase on-line at RaginCajuns.com/tickets or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685).
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@RaginCajunsFB) to stay up-to-date on Louisiana Football.
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.
Earning a spot on this year's Midseason Honor Roll are the O-lines of Alabama, Army, Clemson, Iowa, Kansas State, Louisiana, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Navy, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers, SMU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech, UConn, UNLV, Western Michigan, and West Virginia.
This year's Midseason Honor Roll members represent eight conferences and one independent (in alphabetical order): AAC (2), ACC (3), BIG TEN (6), BIG-12 (3), MAC (1) MWC (1), SEC (4), SUN BELT (1), and UConn. For games played through Oct. 5, 2024, these teams boast a combined record of 94-19, including nine undefeated squads, thirteen ranked teams overall, and eight teams ranked in the Top 10. *
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 exclusively through weekly review of actual game film, including offensive line coach-provided cut-ups.
These units have gained the attention of the Joe Moore Award voting committee as it moves closer to announcing the selection of its Semifinalists on Nov. 12, 2024 and its Finalists on Dec. 3, 2024. Selection of the 2024 Joe Moore Award Winner will be made public after the award's annual surprise visit to the winning university's campus, which will likely be in late December.
Louisiana's offensive line, coached by Steve Farmer and Bryant Ross, has helped pave the way to a 4-1 record in 2024 while ranking second in the Sun Belt Conference in rushing yards per carry (5.54).
The current starting unit of King McGowen, AJ Gillie, Landon Burton, Jax Harrington and George Jackson helped Louisiana control the football for nearly 42 minutes – the seventh-highest time of possession this season – in last week's win at USM.
"The O-line position takes time to gel, and units are finding their rhythm later in the season than we've ever seen," said Cole Cubelic, lead analyst for the SEC Network. "More teams are showing flashes of physicality and excellence, but the consistency of play has been more uneven than we're used to seeing at this point." Cubelic, who played center at Auburn from 1996-2001, added, "It's something to watch moving forward, especially with depth likely being tested like never before due to the extended postseason and the impact of the portal and roster turnover."
"It's great to see physicality making a comeback across all levels of football, especially after years of offenses focusing on space and speed," said Lance Zierlein, NFL Draft Analyst for NFL.com. "While the results vary, more O-lines are getting downhill and playing with a renewed sense of aggression—a welcome return for some programs that had gotten away from it."
"One of the early takeaways this season is that many O-line units are still working on how to operate as one and see the game through the same set of eyes," said Brandon Thorn, editor of Trench Warfare, one of the most respected newsletters focusing on offensive and defensive line play. "We're seeing too many cases where you'll get great combo blocks or double teams on one side, but missed assignments or mistakes on the other, that derail the entire play." Thorn, whose Trench Warfare has earned acclaim from NFL scouts, analysts, and college coaches, added, "I think part of this is due to it still being early in the season, but the influx of transfers and conference realignment has likely made it even harder for units to get on the same page as quickly as we're used to seeing."
"Each unit of this year's Midseason Honor Roll has earned the right to be recognized for displaying the award criteria in a variety of ways that embody the essence of our position," 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. "As always, physicality, finishing, and consistency in technique will likely be what elevates the units that do what it takes down the stretch to earn this award in the eyes of their peers."
Single-game tickets for Louisiana's six home games – which include remaining games against App State (Oct. 12), Arkansas State (Nov. 9), South Alabama (Nov. 16) and Troy (Nov. 23) – are currently on sale now. Tickets start as low as $15 and can be purchased through RaginCajuns.com and its social media platforms (Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram).
Season tickets for Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Football are available for purchase on-line at RaginCajuns.com/tickets or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685).
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@RaginCajunsFB) to stay up-to-date on Louisiana Football.
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.
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