LSU’s offensive line has been named as one of the semifinalists for the Joe Moore Award, the team award presented to the best offensive line in the country.
Joining the Tigers on this list is:
- Georgia
- Florida State
- Michigan
- Kansas State
- Notre Dame
- Oregon
- Oregon State
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Washington
LSU’s offensive line, made up of sophomore tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr., junior guards Garret Dellinger and Miles Frazier, and senior center Charles Turner III, helped the Tigers become one of the most explosive units in college football. LSU has played the same five players on the offensive front in nine of 10 games this season.
With the help of the offensive line, the Tigers are Top 10 nationally in 10 different categories, ranking 1st in total offense and lays of 20+ yards. LSU is also the only team in America to be ranked in the top 10 in both rushing and passing yards per game (both are 4th).
LSU has the vest yards per rush average in the nation at 6.32 and have scored 28 rushing touchdowns, 4th best in the FBS. The Tigers have rushed for 200+ yards as a team in six straight games and against Florida, LSU had 300+ yards rushing and 300+yards passing for just the second time in a SEC game.
The Tigers had 701 yards of total offense against Florida Saturday night, the third most in school history and the most ever given up by the Gators.
Turner has been named Outland Trophy National Offensive Lineman of the Week (Vs Auburn) and SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week (this week vs Florida). Jones was also named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week after the Missouri win.
“Once again the cream has started rising to the top, and the common thread with this year’s semifinalists is that their high level of play has directly translated into the success of their teams,” said Cole Cubelic, SEC Network sideline analyst, and Chairman of the Voting Committee. “O-line play is defined by being at your best when your best is needed, and with just a few more opportunities left in 2023, the committee is looking forward to the coming weeks to see which units can continue to separate themselves when it matters most.”
“Like in year’s past, in addition to the extensive film review and voting committee conference calls, we also solicited the opinions of more than ninety FBS head coaches that had personally faced many of the O-line units under consideration,” said Phil Steele, analyst and founder of the popular preseason magazine Phil Steele’s College Football Preview. “It’s been an honor to be a part of an award that matters so much to the O-line community, and we take that responsibility seriously.”
“There is an undeniable relationship between excellence at our position and winning football,” said Aaron Taylor, CBS college football analyst and co-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. “The exciting thing this year is that it’s still wide open, and these last few weeks will be extremely important in determining which unit earns the right to be considered the most outstanding in college football.”
The Joe Moore Award finalists will be named on December 5th. The winner will be surprised with a on-campus visit that fits into the team’s schedule.