Texas football: DeAndre Moore Jr. has emerged as top target, leader over last 2 weeks

It took Texas football wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. a little while to find the end zone this year.

The sophomore made his first-ever start in the Longhorns’ season opener against Colorado State, but he didn’t record any catches. The following week at Michigan, his 24-yard touchdown catch was nullified by a teammate’s holding penalty.

During the second quarter of Texas’ 56-7 upending of UTSA on Sept. 14, Moore finally got his touchdown. He hauled in a pass from Arch Manning, squeezed between two defenders and finished off the 19-yard score. Since then, he’s had two breakout performances in SEC play, catching a pair of touchdowns against Mississippi State on Sept. 28 and then tallying two more score at Vanderbilt, where he recorded six receptions and 97 receiving yards.

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Texas wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. catches a touchdown over Vanderbilt safety Dontae Carter during the first half of the Longhorns’ 27-24 win last Saturday at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville. It was one of two touchdowns for Moore on the day.

Texas was missing its leading receiver against Vanderbilt. Isaiah Bond was nursing an ankle injury. But on an early drive, Moore established himself as a top target. With UT trailing 7-0, Texas pieced together a nine-play, 75-yard drive that featured three catches by Moore and Matthew Golden’s 3-yard score. And on special teams, Moore downed a Texas punt at the Vanderbilt 1 in the first half, and in the final seconds of the game, he secured the 27-24 win when he corralled the Commodores’ desperation onside kick.

“D-Mo is one of those guys (who) is one of the hardest workers on the team, one of the smartest guys on the team,” quarterback Quinn Ewers said afterward.

Making a change for the good at Vanderbilt

Moore’s second touchdown in Nashville gave Texas…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/texas-football-deandre-moore-jr-020655549.html

Author : Austin American-Statesman

Publish date : 2024-10-29 02:06:55

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