via Press Release, Texas Athletics
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 1/1 Texas Football’s (5-0) offensive line was one of 22 units named to the Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll, The Foundation for Teamwork announced Thursday. The Joe Moore Award is presented annually to the most outstanding offensive line unit in college football.
Behind the 2024 offensive line which includes four returning starters, Texas has one of the most productive offenses in the nation. The Longhorns have used the same five starters along the offensive line in all five games this season. From left tackle to right tackle, UT has started Kelvin Banks Jr. (32 starts), Hayden Conner (32 starts), Jake Majors (46 starts), DJ Campbell (18 starts) and Cameron Williams (six starts). That group averages 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds. Cole Hutson (13 starts) has also been a key contributor to the offensive line this season. All totaled, the Longhorns offensive linemen have combined to start 147 games during their careers.
Banks, Majors and Williams have all earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors this year. Banks, a preseason first-team All-American and member of the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award watch lists, is a third-year starter who was tabbed a second-team All-American in 2023. Majors, who claimed Outland Trophy National Player of the Week recognition for his efforts in the Michigan game and is a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy and Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award as well as a member of the Rimington Trophy Watch list, is in his fourth season as a starter. Hayden Conner, a third-year starter, was recently named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works team and as a semifinalist for the Allstate Wuerffel Award. With 46 starts to his credit, Majors has a chance to break the UT record for career starts (55: Johnathan Scott, OL, 2002-05/Rodrique Wright, DT, 2002-05). Campbell has started 19-straight games while Williams, the SEC co-Offensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts in the Horns win over Colorado State, is in his first season as a starter at right tackle, replacing Christian Jones who is now with the Arizona Cardinals.
Texas has started 5-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2008-09 and for just the second time in 50+ years. With the offensive line leading the way, UT holds an 11-game home winning streak and an eight-game winning streak on the road. The Longhorns are one of two FBS teams (Texas, Army) and the only Power 4 team to not trail this season. The offense has exploded early in games with the Longhorns outscoring opponents 56-0 in the first quarter this season.
Under the direction of co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Kyle Flood, the Longhorns offensive line has played a key role in Texas converting 31-of-60 third downs this year – ninth best in the FBS (.525). The Longhorns sport the nation’s seventh-best scoring offense after averaging 45.0 points per game while also ranking seventh nationally in total offense (513.6). The yards per game is on pace to surpass the UT single-season record set in 2005 (512.1) while the yards per play would be on pace to be second only behind the 1993 team (7.44).
Behind the offensive line’s protection, UT is one of the most eruptive passing offenses in the country. The Longhorns rank sixth is team passing efficiency (185.36), eighth in completion percentage (.714) and 10th in passing offense (322.2). After starting at QB the last two games for an injured Quinn Ewers, Arch Manning currently ranks second nationally in passing efficiency (200.5), third in yards per pass attempt (11.55), fourth in yards per completion (16.38) and 11th in completion percentage (.705). The current 322.2 passing yards per game by the UT offense would also be on pace for a UT record, held by the 2008 team (308.3). UT’s offensive line has helped Texas record 100+ rushing yards in 19-consecutive games.
With the offensive line anchoring Texas’ offense, UT’s red zone offense ranks second in the SEC (.957) and 19th nationally. The Longhorns are 24-of-26 on red zone chances with 23 touchdowns. Against ULM on Sept. 21, Texas was 7-of-7 with seven touchdowns in the red zone.
In Texas’ Week 2 31-12 road victory at No. 10/9 Michigan on Sept. 7, the 19-point win at Michigan was the Longhorns’ largest margin of victory against a top-10 team on the road since 1979. The UT offense combined for 246 passing yards with 143 rushing yards to outgain the Wolverines, 389-284.
Texas is amongst 22 offensive line units that have garnered the attention of the Joe Moore Award voting committee as it inches closer to announcing its semifinalists on Nov. 12 and its finalists on Dec. 3. The 2024 Joe Moore Award Winner will be made public after the award’s annual surprise visit to the winning university’s campus, which will likely be in late December.
The Joe Moore Award voting committee judges solely on six criteria: toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique and finishing. Evaluations for the midseason honor roll were made solely through weekly review of actual game film and offensive line coach-provided cut-ups.
UT is one of four SEC programs that earned spots on this year’s Midseason Honor Roll (Alabama, LSU, Tennessee and Texas).
This week, the Longhorns clash with No. 18/16 Oklahoma in this year’s edition of the Allstate Red River Rivalry at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The game will broadcast on ABC with Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Holly Rowe (reporter) on the call.
