Who’s better? At the beginning of the season the overwhelming answer would have been Moreno, but Dwyer’s numbers are much closer than you think and in some situations better. Moreno has rushed for 1,244 yards through 11 games. Dwyer has 1,184 yards. Moreno has 210 rushing attempts and a 5.9 yards per carry average. Dwyer has 170 attempts and seven yards per carry. While Moreno has 15 touchdowns to Dwyer’s 10 touchdowns, five of Dwyer’s touchdowns were from more than 40 yards out, with just two from that far for Moreno. The key difference between the two backs is performance in big games. Dwyer’s best performances have been in Tech’s biggest games; 128 yards and two touchdowns versus Miami, 145 yards and two touchdowns against Florida State, 108 yards and the game-winning touchdown at Boston College. Take away the LSU game, Moreno has a combined 99 yards and one touchdown in UGA’s two biggest games, Alabama and Florida.
I’m not saying that Dwyer is a better back than Moreno today. If anything, Moreno is more consistent (Dwyer has two sub-30-yard performances this season). Tech doesn’t have an emerging star in Dwyer, it has an emerging superstar. And Saturday at noon may be his coming-out party and the opening statement of his 2009 Heisman campaign.
Crosskey can be reached at jcrosskey@scoreatl.com.
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