11:32 am | December 18, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:
Oklahoma’s offensive line unit was named the most outstanding in college football for 2018 with the presentation of the Joe Moore Award during a surprise announcement at the Switzer Center on Tuesday afternoon.
The Joe Moore Award trophy will be displayed on OU’s campus until the conclusion of the 2019 college football season. This year’s other finalists hailed from Alabama and Georgia.
This is the first time the Sooners have won the Joe Moore Award, which was first presented in 2015. Past recipients of the award include the offensive lines at Alabama (2015), Iowa (2016) and Notre Dame (2017).
Coached by co-offensive coordinator Bill Bedenbaugh, OU’s offensive line has paved the way for an offense that is on pace to break the single-season FBS record for yards per play. The Sooners are averaging 8.7 yards per snap this year, a mark that would top the record of 8.6 by Hawaii in 2006. The next highest average this season is 7.9 by Alabama, and the third highest is 7.4 by Clemson.
OU also leads the nation with 11.6 yards per pass attempt, and ranks second by averaging 6.7 yards per rush. No FBS team since 1994 has finished in the top two nationally in both categories in the same year.
Additionally, the Sooners are the only team in the country this season with at least 40 rushing touchdowns (40) and at least 40 passing TDs (41).
Oklahoma’s starting line has featured redshirt junior left tackle Bobby Evans (13 starts), senior left guard and Outland Trophy semifinalist Ben Powers (12 starts), redshirt freshman center Creed Humphrey (11 starts), senior right guard Dru Samia (13 starts) and redshirt junior right tackle Cody Ford (13 starts). Redshirt senior Jonathan Alvarez also started two games at center and one at left guard.
Oklahoma leads the country in points per game (49.5) and yards per contest this season (577.9) despite ranking tied for 107th out of 130 teams in plays per game (just 66.1). OU is also averaging 0.71 points per offensive play. Going back to 1996, the highest end-of-season figure was 0.69 by 2013 national champion Florida State.
Five times already this season the Sooners have recorded at least 300 rushing and at least 300 passing yards in a game. The feat had only been accomplished six times in program history entering the year, and has only been accomplished three times this season by the rest of Power Five teams combined.
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. Moore sent 52 players on to the NFL.
No. 4 Oklahoma will make its 52nd bowl appearance when it takes on No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by ESPN.
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