West Virginia University Offensive Line coach Matt Moore is in his fifth
year as the offensive line coach at West Virginia. He has been
instrumental in building the line into one of the strongest units in the Big 12
Conference as well as in the nation. The group is built around three in-state
players who have taken on the leadership role on the line as well as with the
entire offense, both on and off the field.
The Mountaineer offense is led by All-American
and three-time All-Big 12 center Zach Frazier, who is arguably the best center
in the nation. Tackle Wyatt Milum has been playing at an All-American level and
Doug Nester has been playing at an all-conference level. These three have given
the OL room a strong foundation not only on the field but with a high level of
leadership off the field as well.
Guards Tomas Rimac and Brandon Yates round out
the starting five and have been a solid part of the unit over the past two
seasons. As with every team in the nation, injuries have cost time for some of
these players over the past two years. However, with the development of tackle
Nick Malone and tackle/guard Ja’Quay Hubbard, both have seen their time
increase over the past two years, including Hubbard spending time as a starter.
In 2023, the unit has paved the way for the team to currently sits at 6-3 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12 Conference. The
offense to rank No. 7 nationally in rushing offense, averaging 213.8 yards per
game. The Mountaineers have had five 200-yard rushing games, including 336
against BYU, 304 against Duquesne, 286 against UCF and 226 against Oklahoma
State. The offensive line has done an outstanding job of protecting the
quarterback, ranking No. 7 nationally in fewest sacks allowed (0.90) and No. 42
in fewest tackles per loss allowed (5.00). WVU has not allowed a sack in four
games and only had one in four games. Frazier leads the team with 54 knockdowns
(5.4 per game) and Milum leads the squad in great blocks with 61 (6.1 per
game).
In conference play, the
offense leads the league in rushing yards per game (219.57), first downs by rushing
(82 of the 159), time of possession (33:35), scored 26 total touchdowns, No. 4,
including 17 rushing touchdowns, tied for second best. Among Power
5 schools, WVU has the longest streak of game with 140 or more
rushing
yards (13), three more than any other team.
Nester is a 2023 captain who earned Academic
All-Big 12 in 2022. Milum and Rimac were named Academic All-Big 12 in 2022.
Off the field, Moore influences
his players to be good citizens in the classroom and in the community.
Frazier has a passion for the people in the
state of West Virginia, especially the youth. He can be found at the
local
children’s hospital or in the classroom. He is a three-year captain,
just named
an NFF Scholar-Athlete and is in the running for William V. Campbell
Trophy,
2021 Walter Camp and AFCA All-America Second Team, 2023 Preseason
All-American
(inclusive list), two-time Academic All-Big 12, semifinalist for the
Jason
Witten Award and the Wuerffel Trophy. He is on the Lombardi Award
mid-season
watch list and was on the watch lists for the Outland and the Rimington
Trophy.
This nomination shows that West Virginia University Offensive Line Coach Matt Moore has made quite an impact on the Mountaineer offensive line both on and off the field.
