Bye Bye Bearcats Seniors: #21 Rod Moore
By Chris Bains
The next UC player we’ll say goodbye to is #21 Rod Moore.
The running back came to Cincinnati by way of the Junior College circuit, from East Mississippi Community College to be exact, and a pristine resume. He rushed for 908 yards, caught another 227, and scored 11 touchdowns for the Lions as a sophomore en route to a National Championship.
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Moore originally committed to Tommy Tuberville while at Texas Tech but when he wisely left for Cincinnati, he followed.
It took him a little while to get going for the Bearcats. Fellow transfer Hosey Williams took the reigns during Moore’s first year in Clifton and the logjam behind him in the form of Ralph David Abernathy and Tion Green didn’t help matters, either. As a result, the East Mississippi transfer totaled just 13 yards on a handful of carries in 2013.
Then the planets aligned in Moore’s favor this past season.
Hosey Williams and Tion Green anchored the top of the depth chart but injuries hampered their 2014 campaign. Thankfully the Bearcats had an experienced running back to replace them.
Moore’s performance last season was overshadowed by freshman Mike Boone setting the world on fire from the South Florida game on. But that didn’t take away from the senior’s campaign, in which he put up 618 yards and 5 touchdowns on a team leading 143 carries. He also tacked on another 137 yards through the air. He was certainly a staple in Cincinnati’s offense gaining the balance that Eddie Gran envisioned heading into last season.