The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
No. 3/3/5 Football’s offensive line recognized as Joe Moore Award semifinalists
11.12.2024 | Football
The offensive line was tabbed as a Joe Moore Award semifinalist for the second-straight season.
AUSTIN, Texas – For the second-consecutive year, the University of Texas' offensive line has been recognized as a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, The Foundation for Teamwork announced Tuesday. Since its inception in 2015, The Joe Moore Award has recognized elite O-line units for their unparalleled toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique, and ability to finish.
Texas' offensive line is one of 10 semifinalists up for the award, joining Alabama, Army, Indiana, Iowa, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee and Tulane.
Behind the 2024 offensive line which includes four returning starters, Texas has one of the most productive offenses in the nation. The Longhorns have used the same five starters along the offensive line in all nine games this season. From left tackle to right tackle, UT has started Kelvin Banks Jr. (36 starts), Hayden Conner (36 starts), Jake Majors (50 starts), DJ Campbell (22 starts) and Cameron Williams (10 starts). That group averages 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds. Cole Hutson (13 starts) has also been a key contributor to the offensive line this season. All totaled, the Longhorns offensive linemen have combined to start 167 games during their careers.
This year's offense line has helped Texas rank No. 1 nationally in 20-plus yard play percentage, ninth in team passing efficiency (166.25), ninth in total offense (465.2 ypg), 10th in passing offense (301.1 ypg), 10th in scoring offense (38.9 ypg) and 18th in yards per play (6.71 ypp). The Longhorns allowed pressure on 25.8 percent of dropbacks, the 29th-best rate in the FBS. Additionally, all five offensive line starters have allowed two or fewer sacks this season.
Banks, Majors and Williams have all earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors this year. Banks, a preseason first-team All-American, 2024 Lombardi Award semifinalist and member of the Outland Trophy watch list, is a third-year starter who was tabbed a second-team All-American in 2023. Majors, who claimed Outland Trophy National Player of the Week recognition for his efforts in the Michigan game and is a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy and semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award, as well as a member of the Rimington Trophy Watch list, is in his fourth season as a starter. Hayden Conner, a third-year starter, was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works team and a semifinalist for the Allstate Wuerffel Award. With 50 starts to his credit, Majors has a chance to break the UT record for career starts (55: Johnathan Scott, OL, 2002-05/Rodrique Wright, DT, 2002-05). Campbell has started 22-straight games while Williams, the SEC co-Offensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts in the Horns win over Colorado State on Aug. 31, is in his first season as a starter at right tackle, replacing Christian Jones who is now with the Arizona Cardinals.
Texas has started 8-1 in back-to-back seasons. With the offensive line paving the way, the Longhorns have won nine-consecutive true road games, which is the longest streak for the Horns since winning 15-straight road games from 2003-06. Texas notched its first 6-0 start to a season since 2009, which became just the fourth time since 2000 that the Longhorns have started the season 6-0 (2024, 2009, 2008 and 2005). Texas debuted at No. 5 in the first 2024 College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings released on Nov. 5. The Longhorns have seven-consecutive top-10 CFP rankings, dating back to Oct. 31, 2023. It was the program's highest-ever spot in the first week of CFP rankings. Texas has been in the top 25 in each of the last 10 CFP rankings and has 23 overall appearances with its highest appearance at No. 3 in 2023. The Longhorns are currently ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press and US LBM Coaches Poll. UT made its first CFP appearance in 2023 after facing the No. 2/2/2 Washington Huskies in CFP semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The Longhorns climbed from No. 7 in the penultimate 2023 CFP ranking to No. 3 on Selection Day.
Under the direction of co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Kyle Flood, the Longhorns are one of five FBS teams with the same offensive line starters in nine games this season (Indiana, Kansas, Tulane, Texas and Wisconsin). Through those nine games, the Texas offense is averaging 465.2 yards per game and 6.7 yards per play. The yards per game is tracking close to the UT single-season record set in 2005 (512.1) The yards per play would be on pace to be second behind only the 1993 team (7.44). Last season's offense finished third (477.5) and fourth (6.67) in those categories, respectively. The current 301.1 passing yards per game is also inching close to a UT single-season record, held by the 2008 team (308.3).
Behind the offensive line's blocking and protection, QB Quinn Ewers has been one of the nation's top quarterbacks this season. Ewers was tabbed a Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Top 10 Finalist on Oct. 31 and was also named to the Davey O'Brien Award QB Class of 2024. Prior to the season, Ewers was named to preseason watch lists for the Davey O'Brien Award, Walter Camp Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Maxwell Award, Manning Award and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award along with being named preseason second-team All-SEC by the media and league's coaches. During the season, Ewers has also hauled in a plethora of accolades including SEC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 9), Manning Award Star of the Week (Sept. 9), Reese's Senior Bowl Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 9), Davey O'Brien Great 8 (Sept. 9), Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week (Sept. 10) and Maxwell Award Player of the Week (Sept. 10). Ewers extended his passing touchdown streak to 20-consecutive games in the victory – the longest active streak in the FBS which he shares with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Ewers is one of two quarterbacks in program history to throw a touchdown pass in 20+-consecutive games, trailing Colt McCoy's program-record streak of 29-straight games. This past week in the 49-17 win vs. Florida on Nov. 9, Ewers completed 19-of-27 (70.4 percent) passes for 333 yards and a career-high five touchdowns through 2.5 quarters of play. Ewers' five touchdown passes against Florida tied for the third-most in single-game program history, one behind the program-record of six set by Colt McCoy (Baylor, 2006) and Casey Thompson (Kansas, 2021). Ewers has now been credited with multiple passing touchdowns in six of his seven starts this season with three-plus touchdowns in back-to-back games after darting three vs. Vanderbilt on Oct. 26. In addition, freshman RB Jerrick Gibson became one of three Longhorns to run for over 100 yards in a single-game this season after recording 16 carries for 100 yards (6.3 ypc) and a score against the Gators.
In Texas' Week 2 31-12 road victory at No. 10/9 Michigan on Sept. 7, the 19-point win at Michigan was the Longhorns' largest margin of victory against a top-10 team on the road since 1979. The UT offense combined for 246 passing yards with 143 rushing yards to outgain the Wolverines, 389-284.
Joe Moore Award finalists will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 3, following the completion of the 2024 regular season. Unlike in previous years, the 2024 Joe Moore Award selection will exclude conference championship game results due to the new playoff format. The award winner will be announced during a surprise visit to the winning university's campus, scheduled for late December.
The Longhorns travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to clash with the Arkansas Razorbacks at 11 a.m. CT Saturday, Nov. 16, inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The game will air on ABC with Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (analyst) and Katie George (sideline) on the call.
