Healthy At Last, Moore Developing Into A Playmaker For The Gators
Thursday, September 30, 2010 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – When he watched film this week of Florida's win over Kentucky, one play stood out more than the rest to Gators receiver Carl Moore.
It was the final of his four catches for 72 yards against the Wildcats, with all four receptions coming on third down and giving the Gators a first down.
Moore's last catch of the game – a 10-yard reception on third-and-six late in the third quarter – was the play he would like to rewind and do over.
“I knew that if I hadn't left my feet, I could probably have done more after the catch other than just getting tackled,'' Moore said.
A fifth-year senior who missed all of last season following back surgery to repair a bulging disc in his lower back, a renewed Moore has been Mr. Clutch in the past two games. All six of Moore's receptions against Tennessee and Kentucky came on third down and moved the chains for the Gators.
Moore's recent production has caught the attention of Gators coach Urban Meyer, who was quick to pass praise Moore's way following the win over Kentucky.
“He's practicing that way and he's playing that way,'' Meyer said. “You see what I see. He's not the same player.''
Moore arrived at UF in 2008 as one of the most sought after junior college recruits in the country. As a sophomore at Sierra (Calif.) Community College, Moore caught 73 passes for 1,068 yards and 16 touchdowns. He slowly found his niche as a possession receiver with the Gators as a junior, his biggest catch coming in the 2008 SEC Championship Game against Alabama.
On Florida's first scoring drive of a 31-20 win over the Crimson Tide, Moore's 3-yard touchdown catch from Tim Tebow gave the Gators a 7-0 lead. Moore later left the game with a leg injury and missed the 2008 BCS national title game. Moore wouldn't return to the field until Florida's 2010 season opener against Miami (Ohio) following back surgery in the summer of 2009.
Now that he is healthy, the 6-foot-3, 222-pound Moore is starting to develop into a primary target for Gators quarterback John Brantley.
“You saw in Tennessee he emerged and made a couple of plays,'' offensive coordinator Steve Addazio said. “Then I thought what you saw last week, he went up and got those catches, but then he knifed the defense and got vertical up the field. I thought that was significant. That really helped a lot.''
Moore said he hasn't been doing anything differently that has led to his recent production. He's just doing what comes natural to him when his body is healthy.
“Hey, I just want the ball,'' he said. “If it comes my way, I'm going to do what I can do to make the play. That's all I know. That's what I've always done and that's what I'm going to keep doing.''
In four games, Moore has 11 catches for 138 yards and one touchdown.
First-year receivers coach Zach Azzanni wasn't around when Moore first arrived with so much promise. But from what he has seen of late, Moore is determined to finish his career on a positive following a difficult 2009.
“He has a good focus this year,'' Azzanni said. “He's kind of got blinders on. He knows what he wants to do. He wants to help the team win a championship, and he doesn't want any drop off from Riley Cooper and Louis Murphy to him. He wants to uphold that tradition out there at that spot.
“He is playing his best ball.''
To make sure his back stays loose, Moore often receives extra treatment before and after practice. He said being pain-free is something he cherishes following what he went through last year, the first time in his career Moore missed significant time due to an injury.
“It killed me last year not playing,'' he said. “It made me work harder, though. It made me realize you can't take it for granted, because you don't know when you are not going to be able to play again. It surprised me.''
Did he ever think the touchdown catch against Alabama two years ago would be his final one for the Gators?
“I knew my shot would come. I'm just doing my job when that ball comes my way. That's all, really.''
