The big boys who do the dirty work up front got a big reward on Monday, as it was announced that the Alabama offensive line has won the 2020 Joe Moore Award.
The award is handed out to the most outstanding offensive line in the country and there is no such one more deserving than the Crimson Tides. Made up of Alex Leatherwood, Deonte Brown, Landon Dickerson, Emil Ekiyor and Evan Neal the group helped lead Alabama to the SEC’s top-rated offense along with one of the best in the country.
“I think this is one of the awards that I really cherish the most because it’s one of the few that honors a group of players, and the offensive line is a special group of guys,” head coach Nick Saban said. “They all seem to have similar personalities. They all have the same kind of competitive characteristics.
“They probably play more together as a unit and as a group in terms of how they communicate, how they combination block and all those things than any other group in football. I think this is a tremendous thing that they continue to do in Joe Moore’s honor because it does mean a lot to our group, who has won it before.”
Offensive Line
- Starting O-line has featured senior left tackle Alex Leatherwood (12 starts), redshirt senior left guard Deonte Brown (12 starts), redshirt senior center Landon Dickerson (11 starts), redshirt sophomore Emil Ekiyor Jr. (12 starts) and sophomore right tackle Evan Neal (11 starts), while redshirt senior Chris Owens has one start at center and one start at right tackle.
- Alabama’s starting offensive line has only allowed quarterback Mac Jones to be sacked nine times in 12 games on 379 drop backs, or one sack per 42.1 drop backs, while Jones leads the nation in passing efficiency (203.0)
- The Crimson Tide ranks second nationally in rushing touchdowns with 35 (2.92 per game) while ranking fourth in the SEC in rushing offense (185.7 ypg)
- The Alabama offensive front has blocked for the nation’s top-ranked Power Five scoring offense (48.2 ppg), the No. 1 pass efficiency offense (198.48) and No. 5 total offense (535.0).
- The Crimson Tide offensive line features consensus All-Americans and leading candidates for the Outland Trophy (Alex Leatherwood) and Rimington Trophy (Landon Dickerson)
- The veteran group boasts 126 career starts and their play has been the catalyst behind Alabama’s three Heisman Trophy candidates Najee Harris, Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
