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Football
Moses' Progress Pleases Mattes
CHARLOTTESVILLE — He’s not threatening to unseat the player ahead of him at right offensive tackle, sophomore Oday Aboushi, but Morgan Moses is a solid No. 2 on the depth chart. And that bodes well for UVa’s offensive line, now and in the future.
At 6-6, 350 pounds, Moses is the largest player on the team. One of three true freshmen to have played for the Cavaliers this season, he’s starting to show why he was such a coveted recruit.
“Big Mo, he’s progressing,” offensive line coach Ron Mattes said Wednesday. “Early in the season there’s a lot of calls, a lot of different blocking schemes going through your head, and with any freshman or first-year player, there’s hesitation. It’s getting to the point he’s getting more reps and he’s picking it up quicker, and I can see him progressing in practice weekly. And that’s a good sign. And we’ll keep on getting him reps in the game, and I think he’s going to be a heck of a player as time goes by.”
UVa (2-1) plays its first ACC game Saturday at Scott Stadium. At noon, the Wahoos host the Florida State Seminoles (1-0, 3-1).
Like many of Mattes’ reserve linemen, Moses played extensively last weekend in UVa’s 48-7 rout of VMI at Scott Stadium.
“He had a pancake [block] one time, and he came out and said, ‘Coach, you see that? You see that?’ ” recalled Mattes, a former NFL offensive tackle.
“It’s good to see young kids have success. And there were a few times he came out and said, ‘Coach, I should have done this.’ He’s recognizing his mistakes, and that’s part of the learning you have to go through. The more snaps we get, the more he can recognize them, and the more confidence he’ll get.”
Moses, a Parade All-American as a Meadowbrook High School senior in 2008, played for Fork Union Military Academy’s postgraduate team last season.