College football

Tailback's wild ride continues

Miami's Tyrone Moss has faced weight issues, stiff competition and his coach's wrath.

By MICHAEL SNYDER
Published September 28, 2005

CORAL GABLES - The best roller coaster rides have thrilling highs and lows, and twists and turns that leave people smiling at the end.

Junior tailback Tyrone Moss hopes his up-and-down career at Miami has a similar happy ending, including the game at 8 p.m. Saturday when No.9 Miami faces South Florida at the Orange Bowl in their first meeting.

"It's my turn," Moss said recently of the first two games this season, when he rushed for 241 yards against Florida State and Clemson.

Miami has had a string of top running backs from Chuck Foreman in the 1970s to Alonzo Highsmith and Melvin Bratton in the '80s, Edgerrin James and James Jackson in the '90s and Clinton Portis and Willis McGahee in recent years.

With Frank Gore leaving early for the NFL after last season, "The opportunity presented itself. I had to step up and take advantage of it," Moss said.

That meant getting out of coach Larry Coker's doghouse, a place Moss admits he ate himself into.

After helping Pompano Beach Ely win a state title - running for 2,313 yards and 35 touchdowns behind a line that featured current Miami players Andrew Bain and Cyrim Wimbs - Moss expected big things.

When Moss signed with Miami in 2003, Coker called him "the best running back in America." Moss had had three straight 2,000-yard seasons and was coveted by most major programs.

But he wasn't committed to being in the best shape. He often appeared tentative and ran side-to-side instead of attacking holes in the middle.

Moss didn't see much action his freshman year and couldn't earn a starting job even after Gore tore two ACLs.

Coker, with highly regarded backs Charlie Jones and Derron Thomas on the bench, laid down the law in spring practice. He told Moss he might be moved to fullback, a position that doesn't get much attention in Miami's offense, if he didn't shape up - literally.

"Everybody wants to play well on Saturday afternoon in front of 80,000 and on national television," Coker said. "But when you're in the hot summer sun and when you've got a chance to eat four pizzas and you don't go, that was the thing that made an indication this guy's really going to dedicate himself."

Moss dropped 16 pounds to get down to 220. The results were apparent in fall practice as the physical, bruising back who had college scouts drooling was back. In the opener against FSU, Moss gained 102 yards on 23 carries on national television. He followed that with a breakout game against Clemson, gaining 139 yards on a career high 31 carries and scored three times (also a career high), with his 25-yard burst icing the game in triple overtime.

"I've always known that I can go out there and get the job done," Moss said. "There was never a doubt in my mind."

But just when it seemed Moss' stock could only go up, it went down. Last week, against Colorado, Moss struggled, gaining 39 yards on 13 carries. He also missed a block, repeating a deficiency from last year, and quarterback Kyle Wright got leveled. Coker said Moss was sluggish and didn't have the power or explosiveness needed.

Moss was outgained by fullback Quadtrine Hill, who led UM with 55 yards on four carries.

"The first play of the game Tyrone Moss didn't block the linebacker," Coker said. "That wasn't better. That's just a mental (mistake). There's no excuse for that."

Wright didn't jump to his tailback's defense either, saying he hasn't been able to throw as much to tight end Greg Olsen, his favorite target, the past few weeks because Olsen is needed to stay in and block - a not-so-tacit reflection on Moss.

"We've had to hold him a little more because of the breakdowns we've had," Wright said.

It's not that the 'Canes have lost faith in Moss; they just hope last week was an aberration.

Just like a quick drop on the college football roller coaster ride.

[Last modified September 28, 2005, 02:30:38]