This Saturday’s football game versus the University of Texas at San Antonio will mark the second time that the two programs have faced each other.
For junior edge Trey Moore, it’ll also be his second appearance in a matchup between the Longhorns and the Roadrunners, but his first sporting burnt orange and white.
Moore was one of 12 transfers that head coach Steve Sarkisian added from the transfer portal ahead of this season. He spent his first three years at UTSA as an offensive linebacker. The San Antonio native left the Roadrunners as a record holder for the most single-season sacks, racking up 14 during his 2023 campaign and tackles for loss, recording 18 as a redshirt freshman in 2022.
He tacked on a 2023 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year honor at the end of his career at UTSA and has since been named to the 2024 preseason Lombardi Award watch list and preseason All-SEC third team selection for Texas.
Needless to say, Sarkisian has a weapon with Moore’s six-foot-three-inch, 245 pound build. The head coach praised Moore for the work he’s accomplished including four total tackles so far, especially after being thrown into a higher level of football than he’s used to.
“One thing for Trey that I’ve been impressed with is, I know the sacks aren’t just flying off the board right now, but he’s playing really good football,” Sarkisian said during Monday’s media availability. “He’s playing physical. He’s playing tough. Did you know two games in a row people are trying to run the ball at him, and he’s holding the point. He’s doing a really good job.”
However, going up against his former alma mater, emotions might come into play for Moore. When asked if he would need to have a conversation with the transfer about his situation, Sarkisian said that Moore will need to separate his past and present in order to focus in on what’s happening in front of him.
“As we get closer to the game, I’ll probably talk to him a little bit more about that, but as of right now, I just want him to prepare really well and focus on what he needs to do to play really good football,” Sarkisian said. “He doesn’t really get caught too much up into the stuff going on around him. If he were that way, I’d probably have to talk to him earlier in the week, but I know his serious nature of which he approaches the game, and so I feel pretty comfortable with him right now.”
Moore’s teammates on defense reiterated how dedicated he is to his craft, mentioning how he stays quiet in the locker room, but makes a statement on the field.
“He keeps his head down, he works hard,” junior offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. said. “Man, there’s so much I can say. He’s a very athletic player in the game. He knows the game’s ins and outs. He’s just really, to me, an all-around guy on and off the field.”
