Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Billie Weiss
BC O-Line on Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll
October 22, 2019 | Football
Eagles unit upfront in the running for nation's top offensive line award.
NEW YORK  — The Joe Moore Award for the Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit in College Football today revealed the members of its 2019 Midseason Honor Roll, announced The Foundation for Teamwork, which has presented the unique award since 2015. Boston College's o-line unit, which leads the country with 0.43 sacks allowed per game and has paved the way for the sixth-ranked rushing offense (278.3 yards/game) in the nation.
Junior Zion Johnson is the ACC's reigning Offensive Lineman of the Week after making his first career start at BC at left guard against NC State as the Eagles racked up 429 yards of rushing offense. Graduate right guard John Phillips was named the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week following a 500-yard performance for BC in week two. The o-line is anchored by redshirt-sophomore and first-year starter Alec Lindstrom at center. Redshirt-freshman left tackle Tyler Vrabel protects the blindside and owns the top overall grade (74.2) among OTs in the ACC according to Pro Football Focus. Junior Ben Petrula, a three-year starter, is opposite Lindstrom at right tackle. He has started 31 consecutive games and is coming off an All-ACC Honor Roll season in 2018.
This year's honor roll members represent eight conferences and two independents (in alphabetical order): ACC (3), Big Ten (3), Big 12 (4), C-USA (1), MWC (2), Pac-12 (2), SEC (5), Sun Belt (2), and Army and Notre Dame. For games played through Oct. 19, teams on this year's honor roll had a combined record of 154-20 and includes twelve ranked teams, eight of which are in the Top Ten of the AP Poll.
These units have gained the attention of the Joe Moore Award voting committee as it moves closer to announcing the selection of semifinalists on Nov. 19 and finalists on Dec. 10. Selection of the 2019 Joe Moore Award winner will be made public after a surprise visit to the winning university's campus in late December.
"The O-line units on the 2019 Midseason Honor Roll have caught the attention of the committee, through the October 12 weekend by demonstrating some or all of the award criteria in a recognizable way," said Cole Cubelic, chairman of the Joe Moore Award voting committee. "The bar will raise significantly from here, and the consistency required to earn further recognition will be how the elite units eventually separate themselves."Â
"It's been an interesting year for development, and having depth or staying healthy appear to be critical already," 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. "October and November have historically proven to be when the elite units separate themselves, and I know we're all looking forward to seeing some 'Joe Moore Moments' down the stretch in what we call the 'Gotta Have It' situations. Those moments are the critical third and fourth-down and short yardage, red zone or goal-line plays that often separate the good from the great."
Committee Notes:
Boston College (4-3)
The Joe Moore Award voting committee judges solely on six criteria: toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique and finishing.Â
Evaluations for the midseason honor roll were made solely through weekly review of actual game film and offensive line coach-provided cut-ups on the DragonFly Division I Network. In addition, Stats Perform (formerly STATS Inc.), one of the industry leaders in AI and sports data analytics, provides advanced O-line data and analytics to provide context and clarity and to help streamline the film evaluation process.Â
Voting Committee
The Joe Moore Award voting committee comprises 13 individuals who are highly knowledgeable about offensive line play, including former linemen, coaches, talent evaluators and media analysts. This group conducts in-depth analysis by reviewing game tape every week of the season to assess both the fundamentals and subtleties of overall O-line performance.Â
The 2018 voting committee includes Chairman Cole Cubelic (Auburn, SEC Network); Charles Arbuckle (UCLA, Indianapolis Colts); Randy Cross (UCLA, San Francisco 49ers); Gerry DiNardo (Notre Dame, head coach at LSU); Mike Golic, Jr. (Notre Dame, ESPN); Dave Harding (Duke, Blue Devil Network); Pat Hill (head coach at Fresno State, O-line coach at Atlanta Falcons); Barrett Jones (Alabama, St. Louis Rams); Duke Manyweather (Humboldt State, player and coach); Geoff Schwartz (Oregon, Carolina Panthers); Phil Steele (publisher or Phil Steele's College Football Preview, ESPN); Aaron Taylor (Notre Dame, Green Bay Packers); and Lance Zierlein (NFL draft analyst, NFL.com).
Looking Ahead
After the semifinalists and finalists have been selected, a vote will be held to select the 2019 recipient of the Joe Moore Award by a voting body of 200-plus members. This voting body includes all of the current offensive line coaches at the Division I/FBS level, as well as former players, coaches, colleagues of Coach Moore and select group of qualified media members.
Past Award Recipients
Past recipients of the Joe Moore Award include the offensive lines of the University of Alabama (2015), the University of Iowa (2016), the University of Notre Dame (2017), and the University of Oklahoma (2019).
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. Over 18 seasons, 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.Â
Junior Zion Johnson is the ACC's reigning Offensive Lineman of the Week after making his first career start at BC at left guard against NC State as the Eagles racked up 429 yards of rushing offense. Graduate right guard John Phillips was named the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week following a 500-yard performance for BC in week two. The o-line is anchored by redshirt-sophomore and first-year starter Alec Lindstrom at center. Redshirt-freshman left tackle Tyler Vrabel protects the blindside and owns the top overall grade (74.2) among OTs in the ACC according to Pro Football Focus. Junior Ben Petrula, a three-year starter, is opposite Lindstrom at right tackle. He has started 31 consecutive games and is coming off an All-ACC Honor Roll season in 2018.
This year's honor roll members represent eight conferences and two independents (in alphabetical order): ACC (3), Big Ten (3), Big 12 (4), C-USA (1), MWC (2), Pac-12 (2), SEC (5), Sun Belt (2), and Army and Notre Dame. For games played through Oct. 19, teams on this year's honor roll had a combined record of 154-20 and includes twelve ranked teams, eight of which are in the Top Ten of the AP Poll.
These units have gained the attention of the Joe Moore Award voting committee as it moves closer to announcing the selection of semifinalists on Nov. 19 and finalists on Dec. 10. Selection of the 2019 Joe Moore Award winner will be made public after a surprise visit to the winning university's campus in late December.
"The O-line units on the 2019 Midseason Honor Roll have caught the attention of the committee, through the October 12 weekend by demonstrating some or all of the award criteria in a recognizable way," said Cole Cubelic, chairman of the Joe Moore Award voting committee. "The bar will raise significantly from here, and the consistency required to earn further recognition will be how the elite units eventually separate themselves."Â
"It's been an interesting year for development, and having depth or staying healthy appear to be critical already," 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. "October and November have historically proven to be when the elite units separate themselves, and I know we're all looking forward to seeing some 'Joe Moore Moments' down the stretch in what we call the 'Gotta Have It' situations. Those moments are the critical third and fourth-down and short yardage, red zone or goal-line plays that often separate the good from the great."
Committee Notes:
Boston College (4-3)
-
- BC leads the nation with 0.43 sacks allowed per game in 2019. The Eagles are sixth nationally in rushing with 278.3 rushing yards per game.
- The Eagles OL paved the way for 429 yards in their 45-24 win over NC State. Prior to that game, NC State had only given up 400 rushing yards all season long.Â
- What the Committee is Saying:Â
- "No elite talent but extremely consistent fundamentals, especially on gap scheme runs. Center Alec Lindstrom sets the tone for this unit with his high effort and desire to finish."
The Joe Moore Award voting committee judges solely on six criteria: toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique and finishing.Â
Evaluations for the midseason honor roll were made solely through weekly review of actual game film and offensive line coach-provided cut-ups on the DragonFly Division I Network. In addition, Stats Perform (formerly STATS Inc.), one of the industry leaders in AI and sports data analytics, provides advanced O-line data and analytics to provide context and clarity and to help streamline the film evaluation process.Â
Voting Committee
The Joe Moore Award voting committee comprises 13 individuals who are highly knowledgeable about offensive line play, including former linemen, coaches, talent evaluators and media analysts. This group conducts in-depth analysis by reviewing game tape every week of the season to assess both the fundamentals and subtleties of overall O-line performance.Â
The 2018 voting committee includes Chairman Cole Cubelic (Auburn, SEC Network); Charles Arbuckle (UCLA, Indianapolis Colts); Randy Cross (UCLA, San Francisco 49ers); Gerry DiNardo (Notre Dame, head coach at LSU); Mike Golic, Jr. (Notre Dame, ESPN); Dave Harding (Duke, Blue Devil Network); Pat Hill (head coach at Fresno State, O-line coach at Atlanta Falcons); Barrett Jones (Alabama, St. Louis Rams); Duke Manyweather (Humboldt State, player and coach); Geoff Schwartz (Oregon, Carolina Panthers); Phil Steele (publisher or Phil Steele's College Football Preview, ESPN); Aaron Taylor (Notre Dame, Green Bay Packers); and Lance Zierlein (NFL draft analyst, NFL.com).
Looking Ahead
After the semifinalists and finalists have been selected, a vote will be held to select the 2019 recipient of the Joe Moore Award by a voting body of 200-plus members. This voting body includes all of the current offensive line coaches at the Division I/FBS level, as well as former players, coaches, colleagues of Coach Moore and select group of qualified media members.
Past Award Recipients
Past recipients of the Joe Moore Award include the offensive lines of the University of Alabama (2015), the University of Iowa (2016), the University of Notre Dame (2017), and the University of Oklahoma (2019).
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. Over 18 seasons, 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.Â
Players Mentioned
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