BISHOP LYNCH FOOTBALL

Friars at the College Level

Ryan Moats

RUSTON - Senior kicker Josh Scobee and sophomore running back Ryan Moats were both named to the 2003 All-Western Athletic Conference first team announced Monday by the league office.

Three other Louisiana Tech players earned second team honors as senior wide receiver DJ Curry, senior linebacker Antonio Crow and junior linebacker Byron Santiago were named to the all-conference unit.

Scobee received his accolades after a senior campaign that saw the Longview, Texas, native hit 21 of 31 field goals and all 31 extra points. The 6-foot place-kicker led Tech with 94 points while becoming the program's all-time leading scorer with 343 points.

During the season, the NFL prospect ranked No. 1 in the WAC and No. 7 in the nation in field goals made per game while also ranking No. 2 in scoring at 7.8 points per contest. Scobee used his powerful right leg as a weapon on kickoffs as well as 40 of his 60 kickoffs were not returned. He also hit four of seven field goals of 50-plus yards during the year.

Moats earned his honors after exploding on the scene in the fifth game of the season as the Dallas, Texas, native rushed for 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns on only 199 carries. The sophomore posted six 100-yard rushing performances, including a pair of 200-plus games, and an even more impressive 124-yard effort against LSU's No. 1 ranked defense.

Moats 6.7 yard per attempt average ranked among the nation's best and his 1,300 yards was the second best single season performance in Tech history. The 5-foot-8-inch, 200-pounder led the WAC in rushing and ranked 18th nationally while also catching 27 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown.

Curry caught a team-high 53 passes for 668 yards and six touchdowns during the season and finished his Tech career ranked in the Top 10 in Bulldog history in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions. The Springhill, La, native recorded three 100-plus yard performances this season while also snaring the biggest catch of the year, an 11-yard touchdown reception with :02 remaining against Michigan State.

Crow started 11 games for Tech at outside linebacker, ranking second on the team with 92 tackles, including 46 solo stops. The Cotton Valley, La., native also registered six tackles for loss, two sacks and two fumble recoveries during the year. Crow registered three double digit tackle performances during the year, including an impressive 15 stops in the win over Michigan State.

Despite starting only five games, Santiago led Tech in tackles with 107, 53 solo stops and 54 assisted tackles. The Violet, La., native also recorded 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks while forcing one fumble and recovering another. Santiago posted six games of 10-plus tackles, including a career-high 16 stops against Rice and 10 against nationally-ranked LSU.

Offensive linemen Aaron Lips and Adrian Gonzalez, quarterback Luke McCown, and punter Dustin Upton earned honorable mention accolades.

Boise State quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie was named the WAC's Offensive Player of the Year while Hawaii's Travis LaBoy earned the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Tulsa head coach Steve Kragthorpe was named the league's Coach of the Year.

Storm warnings were in effect for Louisiana Tech Saturday as the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa topped the Bulldogs 48-14 before a crowd of 28,862 at Skelly Stadium.

The loss dropped the Bulldogs to 5-6 overall and 3-4 in the Western Athletic Conference while Tulsa climbed to 7-4 and 5-2.

A record-setting performance from Tech running back Ryan Moats was overshadowed by a dominating Tulsa defense that held the Bulldogs to 313 total yards and only 161 through the air.

Tech entered the contest averaging 301.4 passing yards per game.

"It was one of those nights, and Tulsa had a lot to do with that," Tech coach Jack Bicknell said. "They are a very good football team. They have good schemes, and have good players to implement those schemes. I felt we were prepared. We played hard and never gave up, but we just couldn't make plays. We didn't make plays and they did."

Moats set a new Tech record with his sixth consecutive game rushing for at least 100 yards while recording his second career game going over 200 yards. The sophomore out of Dallas also moved into second place in Tech single-season rushing stats with 1,263 yards with one game remaining.

Former Bulldog Jason Davis set Tech's single-season rushing record with 1,351 yards in 1991.

"I felt we could run the football on them, and we did a good job of that," Bicknell said. "But when we got behind, we had to throw that (the running game) out of the window. They simply beat us in all aspects of the game."

Tulsa took an early advantage as quarterback James Kilian's one-yard plunge 4:17 into the game gave the Golden Hurricane a quick 7-0 lead.

Tech managed a 52-yard field goal from Josh Scobee at the 8:50 mark of the first quarter to cut Tulsa's lead to 7-3, but the Golden Hurricane stormed away from there, scoring three more touchdowns before intermission for a 27-3 lead at the half.

The Bulldogs looked like they might make a game of it after intermission as they took the opening second-half kickoff and marched on a 9-play, 72-yard drive culminating with a two-yard scoring run from Moats to cut the Tulsa lead to 27-10 with 12:16 remaining in the third quarter.

But any momentum Tech picked up with the opening second-half drive quickly vanished as on the first play from scrimmage on the ensuing series Tulsa running back Eric Richardson burst free for an 80-yard scoring scamper to put the Golden Hurricane back on top by 24 points.

"This was one of those evenings when you're standing out there and tell yourself that it just wasn't going to be our night," Bicknell said. "I had that feeling early, but in the second half when we scored, I thought we would make it a game. They immediately came back with the long run and stopped any momentum we might have built."

Tulsa would add two more touchdowns on a 42-yard pass from Kilian to Romby Bryant and on a 2-yard toss to Garrett Mills while the Bulldogs would tack on eight final points as quarterback Luke McCown found the corner of the end zone on a 10-yard run followed by a 2-point conversion pass to Eric Newman.

"I thought we really stepped up," Tulsa coach Steve Kragthorpe said. "They were very potent in their passing attack. I knew it would be a difficult challenge for our defense, but they really rose to the occasion. We disrupted their passing game and that's something we definitely wanted to do heading into the game. We knew that would be important."

The Bulldogs suffered another momentum-breaking distraction midway through the third quarter when senior linebacker Antonio Crow went down on the field for approximately 14 minutes as he was strapped to a backboard and carried off on a stretcher.

Crow was taken to a local hospital for X-rays as a precautionary measure but after the game reported that he had feeling and movement in all extremities and expected to be all right.

Moats finished with his 220 yards and touchdown on 34 attempts for a 6.5 yards per run average while McCown connected on 12-of-25 passes for 161 yards with three interceptions.

The Golden Hurricane picked up five turnovers on the day with four picked passes along with one fumble recovery while only turning the ball over once themselves on a interception by Tech defensive lineman Chris Van Hoy.

"We turned the ball over too much," Bicknell said. "Five turnovers are way too many against a good team. Personal fouls, a substitution penalty -- whatever could possibly have gone wrong for us did."

McCown faced a fierce Tulsa pass rush that resulted in six sacks for 77 yards in losses while being hurried numerous other times. Backup Maxie Causey relieved McCown in the final quarter and was picked off on his only attempted pass.

D.J. Curry led Tech receivers with three catches for 37 yards while Chris Norwood added a pair of receptions for 53 yards.

The Bulldogs have a bye next week before closing out the 2003 season by playing host to Rice in a 2 p.m. contest at Joe Aillet Stadium.

Boxscore

RUSTON - If there was one bright spot Louisiana Tech in Saturday's 49-10 loss to LSU, it was the play of running back Ryan Moats.

The Dallas, Texas, native who took over the full-time starting role five games ago rushed for 124 yards on only 16 carries against a Tiger defense that ranked No. 2 in the country against the run.

The 100-yard performance by Moats was his fourth straight, marking the first time since Jason Davis in 1991 that a Bulldog player had rushed for at least 100 yards in at least four straight games. This weekend when Tech hosts SMU at 2 p.m. at Joe Aillet Stadium, Moats can tie the program's record for most consecutive 100-yard rushing games set by Davis in 1991 with five.

"Ryan did a great job against a very difficult team to run against in LSU," said Tech head coach Jack Bicknell. "I am very proud of him. He is just a real good player; he is tough and runs hard. I am looking forward to seeing how he finishes the season."

Through nine games Moats has rushed for 943 yards on only 137 carries for an incredible 6.9 yards per carry average, ranking third in yards per game among Western Athletic Conference running backs.

To put what Moats has accomplished in better perspective, his numbers need simply be compared to SMU running back Keylon Kincade, who leads the WAC in rushing. Kincade has rushed for 1,044 rushing yards, 101 more yards than Moats; however, Kincade has carried the ball 116 more times.

One of the reasons for Moats' impressive yards per carry average is his ability to break the big play as he leads all Bulldogs with 14 plays of 20 or more yards on the season, 11 runs and three receptions. Included in those plays are three runs of 60-plus yards all coming in the last five games, including a 64-yard scoring run against Boise State, a 69-yard scoring run against Nevada and a 60-yard jaunt at Tiger Stadium Saturday night.

"I think a lot of people didn't expect him to be so good," said wide receiver Chris Norwood. "But he is a great running back. It's helped our offense a lot. To have Ryan come in and do what he has done has taken a lot off of the receivers and the quarterback. It makes us tougher."

Moats needs only 57 yards rushing Saturday against SMU to become only the seventh Bulldog to ever rush for 1,000 yards in a season and Davis' 1991 school record of 1,351 yards is still not out of the question.

SMU enters Saturday's game at Joe Aillet Stadium ranked No. 2 in the WAC in rushing defense allowing only 142.6 yards per game. If Moats remains healthy for the final three games, his name could be etched in numerous places in the Tech record books.

"Durability might have been the question about Ryan entering the season," Bicknell said. "He's pretty well put together. I was hoping he would be productive, but he has definitely surpassed what I was hoping for this year."

With the thought of four-year starting quarterback Luke McCown, who currently sits in fourth place in the NCAA record books in career passing yards and total offense, having only three career games left for the Bulldogs, Bicknell said he is happy Moats is only a sophomore.

"I don't think much about next year right now because we still have three games left in this season, but in the back of my mind, I'm thinking that I sure am glad I have Ryan for two more years," Bicknell said.

RENO, Nevada -- It was the usual Wild West shootout between Louisiana Tech and Nevada Saturday as the Bulldogs battled the Wolf Pack at Mackay Stadium.

The game's outcome was in doubt until the final seconds before the Bulldogs came away with a 42-34 win before a Nevada homecoming crowd of 21,157.

Tech now stands at 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the Western Athletic Conference while Nevada falls to 5-3 and 3-1.

Nevada went up on top 34-28 in a wild fourth quarter as running back Chance Kretchemer broke free from six yards out to put the Wolf Pack in front. Nevada's PAT attempt was no good to hold the Wolf Pack lead at six with 12:04 remaining.

Louisiana Tech moved back out in front with 9:49 left as quarterback Luke McCown hit Tramissian Davis on a 30-yard scoring bullet followed by Josh Scobee's point after touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 35-34 advantage with 9:49 remaining.

Sophomore running back Ryan Moats turned out to be Tech's biggest weapon and turned in his biggest play of the day with a career-long 69-yard scoring burst with 6:13 left in the contest to give the Bulldogs the eight-point final advantage following Scobee's PAT.

"It was just a little zone run play," McCown said. "We were trying to control the clock because we were ahead. We were just trying to get first downs and Moats broke it. That is the caliber of runner he is. He can score anytime he gets his hands on it.

Moats recorded a career-high three touchdowns with 199 yards on 31 rushing attempts in the contest.

"Ryan is special," Tech coach Jack Bicknell said. "He's one of those guys you just have to keep giving the ball to beause he can make big plays. That's what he did today."

The last two games Moats has totaled 362 yards in the second half.

"I'm telling you, he's going to be one the best runing backs in the country by his senior year," McCown said. "He's a hard runner, a smart runner. And the more mature he gets, the better he will get."

Nevada had three more drives to try and tie things up, and on the first two failed to move past its own 31 yardline.

Tech looked to have wrapped things up on Nevada's second drive after the Bulldogs' final score when Corey Brazil picked off his second pass of the season with 1:56 remaining to give the ball back to the 'Dogs at the Nevada 16 yardline.

But in the Tech-Nevada series, nothing should be taken for granted.

"We were playing a soft man (defense) and I just baited their quarterback," Brazil said. "I saw him looking my way and I just jumped the route."

The Bulldogs were trying to run the clock out when Nevada forced a McCown fumble and recovered to give the Wolf Pack the ball at their own seven yardline with 32 seconds remaining. Nevada managed to drive to its own 42 yardline before Tech's Michael Johnson broke up a fourth-and-two pass attempt with eight seconds remaining to sercure the victory for the 'Dogs.

"We've had so much adversity," Bicknell said. "We've been playing tough and coming up just barely short. To come in here and get down like we did; no one panicked and we were able to come back. It's unbelievable and showed great character by our team."

Tech's eight-point margin of victory was the most ever in a series that before the contest averaged a 46.7 - 46 Tech win in the four-game series that Tech now leads 3-1.

The Wolf Pack gained 538 total yards while Tech picked up 490 with McCown connecting on 23-of-34 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

Nevada quarterback Andy Heiser hit on 18-of-36 attempts for 315 yards with one interception.

Shawn Piper led Tech receivers with eight catches for 61 yards while Tramissian Davis and D.J. Curry each caught touchdowns for the Bulldogs.

Nevada tried to shoot down Tech early on and utilized and little trickery on a fake field goal in doing so. The Wolf Pack opened scoring as B.J. Mitchell found paydirt on a two-yard run as Nevada lined up in field goal formation before shifting into an offensive set for the score at the 11:40 mark of the opening period. Chance Kretschmer's one-yard plunge with 1:36 left in the first quarter pushed the Pack out to a 14-0 advantage.

Tech picked up its first score on a 24-yard field goal with 14:49 remaining in the first half, but Nevada countered with a 22-yard scoring scamper by Talib Wise as the Wolf Pack stretched their lead to 21-3 at the 13:48 mark of the second quarter.

That's when the Bulldogs reloaded as Tech followed with a one-yard touchdown run from Ryan Moats at the 6:56 mark of the quarter and a 39-yard Scobee field goal to cut the Nevada lead to 21-13 at intermission.

Tech tied things up early in the third quarter as McCown hit Curry on a four-yard scoring pass followed by a two-point conversion pass from McCown to Davis.

The Bulldogs pulled out in front 28-21 on a one-yard touchdown run by Moats with 7:52 left in the third quarter, but the Wolf Pack countered with a B.J. Mitchell five-yard run to tie things up at 28-28 with eight seconds left in the third, setting up the wild fourth-quarter finish.

Tech returns to action next Saturday as the Bulldogs take on LSU in a 7 p.m. contest at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.
 

RUSTON - Everyone has heard of Mighty Mouse. Well, Louisiana Tech now has its version of Mighty Moats ... Ryan Moats that is.

The sophomore out of Dallas, Texas, might not look like your average Division I running back but don't tell the Bulldogs last three opponents he isn't legitimate.

Since taking over the sole running back responsibilities three games ago, all the 5-foot-8, 200-pounder has done is rush for 484 yards and five touchdowns while averaging over 7.5 yards per carry.

"Oh yeah. I can guarantee we are going to give him the football and make him a bigger part of our offense," Tech head coach Jack Bicknell said Tuesday during his weekly luncheon. "Obviously, we've figured out how good he really is over the last few weeks. At first he struggled early in the season with his shoulder injury, but now that he is healthy, he is showing how good he is."

Moats began the onslaught of opposing defenses against Boise State Oct. 4 when he rushed for 99 yards on eight carries while scoring his first career touchdown on a 64-yard burst. Since that game, he has only gotten better, rushing for 118 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-35 win over UTEP before exploding for 267 yards and two more scores against Hawaii.

"People always ask me how many yards am I going to get, and I just tell them I am going to run my heart out," Moats said. "That's all I do. They told me I had 267 yards against Hawaii and I didn't think I had 100. I just put my head down and run. I just want to win."

It's no coincidence that the Bulldogs offensive improvement on the scoreboard has coincided with Moats break through games as Tech has seen its scoring average go from 17.2 points per game in the first four games to 38.7 points a game over the past three contests.

"If people want to concentrate on stopping me that's fine," Moats said. "That only helps Luke (and our passing game)."

No doubt that opposing defenses will have a "Mighty" hard time stopping both in the coming weeks thanks to Moats.
 

Bulldogs report: Notes, quotes

GAME BALL GOES TO: RB Ryan Moats -- The sophomore rushed for 267 yards and two touchdowns and also caught five passes for 81 more yards. It was the second-best rushing day in school history.