North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Out of Pocket
11/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 11, 2005
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH -- It's funny, now that NC State defensive end Renaldo Moses thinks about it, that one of his main responsibilities much of this season is flushing quarterbacks out of the pocket.
"I feel like I have been in that back pocket, where nobody gets noticed, most of my life," Moses said. "It's not anything new to me."
But with a stellar performance in last week's victory over Florida State, and steady play all year long, the senior from Rockingham's Richmond County High School certainly has the attention of the one person in the Wolfpack program that matters the most, head coach Chuck Amato.
"I'll tell you the guy that is going unnoticed by everybody ... the person I'm most proud of in the defensive line is No. 96, Renaldo Moses," Amato said. "He might be as good a pass rusher as we have on our team.
"That's saying a lot."
It certainly is on a defensive line that has senior Manny Lawson and junior Mario Williams, two players who stepped filled the void in 1003 after Moses suffered a devastating knee injury. Moses was the starter in five of the Wolfpack's first seven games, with Lawson serving as his primary backup.
But he tore three ligaments in his right knee in the Wolfpack's game against Connecticut, missing the rest of the season and all the team's off-season conditioning and spring drills.
He played sparingly, and somewhat tentatively, last year, taking a backseat to Lawson and Williams. He played in a total of 53 snaps in eight games, making a total of six tackles.
This season, however, Moses has been healthy again, able to use the speed that makes him such an effective passer rusher. Always on the light side for a defensive end, the tall and rangy end can be difficult for offensive linemen to keep up with.
In the Wolfpack's first eight games, heading into Saturday's 7:15 p.m. contest at Boston College, Moses has 13 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries.
"He's got technique," Amato said. "So, against Florida State, we are lined up with a middle guard that is 6-5 ½ and weighs anywhere from 195 to 205 pounds, and that's after the pre-game meal.
"But he plays so hard. He ran the quarterback down one time. He plays like a 270-pounder in there, and it's so good to see..."
Moses, who missed spring practice in 2002 with a dislocated elbow and in 2004 while rehabbing his knee, is glad that the coach has noticed his hard work in coming back from those physical setbacks.
"I appreciate him saying that, so more people can notice what is going on, because ... you don't see everybody and everything that is going on out there," Moses said. "The thing that separates me from those other guys is that ... I am smaller and weigh less. I use more technique and leverage than power, because of my lack of weight. I really rely on speed to help me maneuver my way around.
"Having a knee injury kind of set me back."
Moses has post-college football ambitions. He hopes that NFL scouts, like Amato, have noticed how he has performed down the home stretch of his college football career.
"I know what I have to do: get stronger and stay healthy," Moses said.
Now 23, Moses is hoping he might have a growth spurt like his father, Harland Moses, had at about the same age.
"I think, in the near future, I could be a 6-6, 270-pound guy," Moses said.
But, he also has post-football ambitions of getting into hotel management. He'll graduate in December with a degree in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, with a concentration in program management.
He's already learning to manage things around the house, taking care of his 5-month-old son, Ramir, two days a week, while still going to school and football practice.
And those are just some of the other things that are often overlooked about the senior defensive end.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
