Moore a major part of offensive line
Group has only allowed one sack through Aggies’ first four games
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M left tackle Dan Moore Jr.’s job description on passing plays is painless.
“You want to keep your quarterback off the ground and able to complete passes,” Moore said of his gig’s straightforward synopsis. “Every week that’s emphasized.”
It’s the implementation that’s hard, but every week this season, Moore and his cohorts on the A&M offensive line have exceeded expectations. Just don’t pat them on the back about their early success.
“I knew what we were capable of,” Moore said. “We all did.”
Based in part on the offensive line’s surprising (to all others) feats, the Aggies (3-1) are ranked eighth nationally entering their Saturday night SEC West contest against Arkansas (2-2) at Kyle Field.
“(It’s) the best offensive line I’ve seen in a while at A&M,” said Sam Pittman, a longtime offensive line coach before taking the Arkansas coaching job last December.
Moore, a former Beaumont West Brook standout, is one of four senior starters on the line, a group that’s grown up together at A&M.
“It’s a unit that has bonded so well together, and when you’re a really good football team … there are skill guys all over the board, but the skill guys can function for a reason,” A&M third-year coach Jimbo Fisher said. “Because there are big guys up front who are doing their job.”
Moore’s primary charge is protecting senior quarterback Kellen Mond’s blind side, and Mond is appreciative of his left tackle’s development as a threeyear starter.
“Wewere looking back at our freshmen year (of 2017), and I was kind of thrown into the fire, andwe didn’t have a true starting offensive line. We had a lot of guys moving around,” said Mond, a four-year starter pressed into early action as a true freshman because of an injury to then-starter Nick Starkel. “Just to see how (Moore) has evolved and grown and continues to get better — it’s not a surprise to me.
“He has all the physical tools, and he continues growing mentally, on and off the field. He’s playing tremendous this year, and I still think he’s going to get a lot better.”
Last season, with much of the same blocking cast, the Aggies finished 107th out of 130 teams and worst in the SEC in sacks allowed with 2.62 per game. This year has been a completely different story four games in, and the lone sack allowed occurred in the opener against Vanderbilt.
Meaning Alabama, Florida and Mississippi State failed to get to Mond or backup Haynes King over 118 pass attempts. The offensive line — dubbed the “Maroon Goons” — leads the SEC in fewest sacks allowed (one) and is tied for the national lead with Alabama-Birmingham among programs that have played more than two games during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The offensive line was A&M’s most criticized unit over the past two years; now it’s the most praised nearly halfway through the 10-game regular season.
“Chemistry plays a big part in football, especially on the offensive line,” Moore said of the veterans jelling after years together. “You’re playing beside the same people every day. In knowing someone’s tendencies, the way they think, the way they move, their strengths, their weaknesses, all that plays a part in it.
“Having that experience with one another and being able to play beside each other in the past is definitely a huge reason for (success).”
Moore (6-5, 315) originally pledged to Oklahoma State but opted for the Aggies and then-coach Kevin Sumlin following a visit to College Station in December 2016. He joined Mond in the Aggies’ class of 2017, which ranked 13th nationally, according to 247Sports.com.
“One of the main things was playing in the SEC and being able to play close to home,” Moore said of his switch from the Big 12 and the 180-mile drive from Beaumont to College Station. “Really, it was just wanting to play inmy home state so my (family) could come and see me play every Saturday.
“Itwas also making a ‘40year commitment,’ as some like to say, to the Aggie program.”
Moore was one of 20 three-star prospects in A&M’s 2017 class, but his contributions to the program have weighed much heavier than his middling recruiting ranking. He has started 31 games over four seasons (including a lone start as a freshman) and has saved his best for last in protecting Mond from heatseeking SEC defensive ends.
“I came in here with a chip on my shoulder,” Moore said of being a threestar prospect, “and I don’t really have a belief that stars matter.”
Moore likely is bound for a shot at the NFL in the spring of 2021, but because of the pandemic, the NCAA also granted all football players an extra year of eligibility. Moore said he’ll mull his alternatives in the offseason — meaning he could earn at least one start in each of five seasons at A&M.
“It’s a good option,” he said with a smile. “It opens doors.”