Moreno takes his place among Bulldog greats

The more you cover high school football, the better you become at identifying a special player.

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT University of Georgia redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno is duplicating some of the same football feats he accomplished while at Middletown High School South. Moreno has passed the 1,000-yard plateau this season and looks to add more this Saturday against Auburn. Only it doesn't always hold true. You'll find there are countless times when your ready to label someone a "can't miss prospect"; the type of kid a college or university would be crazy to pass on, only to watch as this kid turns into just another player on a 85-man roster at the next level.

In the eight years I've spent covering high school football, there have been numerous times where I found my expectations humbled by a high school star's inability to take his game to the next level once he reached college. I remember running into one particular player - a quarterback who just two years earlier had led his team to a state championship with one of the best individual seasons I had ever seen - at a local gas station one day. And he was pumping my gas. Of course, there's nothing wrong with working at a gas station, but you have to understand, I thought the next time I'd see him was dressed in a suit at the Heisman Trophy awards ceremony.

After watching players like him dominate the teams I cover for four years, part of me always wants to see them dominate in college too. Players strive for greatness, while us sports writers are left hoping to witness it, and report it to the masses.

As a result, you find yourself rooting for a lot of these kids (silently, of course). You hope that once they graduate and move on in their playing careers, they continue to rise above the competition, and make a name for themselves among a whole new gaggle of sports writers. You make it a point to follow their accomplishments on a weekly basis, waiting for them to break out and become the type of player you always thought they could be - the type of player who goes from being one of the best high school football players in the nation to one of the top collegiate players in the nation.

I started hearing about Knowshon Moreno the summer before his freshman season at Middletown South. Moreno's name was already being uttered among high school football fans and coaches around the Shore, as his prowess on the Pop Warner level was glorified to near legendary status.

So I made it a point to see the Eagles' opener that season. I don't remember exactly what his numbers were for the game, but it doesn't really matter. I just remember smiling when I first saw him with the ball in his hands.

Off the field, he was equally impressive. Regardless of his numbers on the day, he would always reflect the praise toward his teammates. While he was certainly the center of attention, he was far too concerned with keeping the respect of his teammates to ever become a distraction. Without him, Middletown South still had enough talent to be one of the best public school teams in the state. With him, however, they were the best.

When Moreno made his decision to attend the University of Georgia, it seemed like the perfect fit. After establishing a relationship with head coach Mark Richt and his coaching staff during a summer camp the previous year, Moreno quickly became one of their top targets. After signing Moreno, Richt told me that he truly expected Knowshon to become a special player. I told him he was wrong. I told him he already was a special player.

Through nine games, Moreno is third in the Southeast Conference with an average of 111.4 yards-per-game rushing, and has already been named the SEC Freshman of the Week three times and the SEC Offensive Player of the Week once.

This past Saturday, he was simply brilliant in rushing for 196 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-34 win over Troy, becoming only the 12th player in Georgia history to have 1,000 yards in a single season, and the first freshman to do it since Herschel Walker back in 1980.

"No. 24, Knowshon, man, he is a great back," said Troy coach Larry Blakeney.

"I think Knowshon is continuing to get better," added Richt. "We are blocking better for him, and he is reading [his blocks] a lot better."

Moreno's comments following his third straight breakout performance sounded awfully familiar.

"The offensive line did a good job opening up holes today," he said. "The way the guys up front opened them up made it easy for the back to make plays."

With his energy and play-making ability on the field, coupled with his leadership and humility off the field, it's easy to see why Knowshon was recently selected as a team captain by his teammates.

So this Saturday, when the 10th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs host Auburn in the Deep South's oldest rivalry, keep your eyes on No. 24 in red and white.

Moreno is the real deal in every sense of the phrase. And I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I, for one, am proud of him.