Mike London lobbies for OL Morgan Moses as freshman all-American

Virginia allowed 15 sacks during its first five games of the season. True freshman offensive lineman Morgan Moses played in reserve in four of those five contests.

But Moses was inserted into the starting lineup after junior offensive tackle Landon Bradley broke his right hand during Virginia's loss Oct. 9 at Georgia Tech. Moses started the final seven games of the season and logged time at right tackle and right guard. During that span, the Cavaliers gave up eight sacks -- and four of those came during the season-ending loss at Virginia Tech.

Now, maybe Moses's presence shouldn't single-handedly* be credited for the drastic midseason turnaround in the performance of the offensive line from a pass protection standpoint. But having the 6-foot-6, 350-pound freshman in there sure seemed to help a lot.

* It also should be noted that after Bradley broke his hand, sophomore offensive tackle Oday Aboushi switched from the right side of the line and played nearly the entire rest of the season on the left side.

Maybe that's why Coach Mike London suggested Wednesday that Moses be recognized as one of the best freshmen in the nation.

"I would hope that Morgan would be a consideration for a freshman all-American," London said. "I think he was a significant difference in the running and the pass protection."

Virginia averaged 128.4 rushing yards per game during the first five contests of the season. In the final seven contests -- the ones in which Moses started -- the Cavaliers averaged 147.1 rushing yards per game.

The offensive line should be an area of considerable strength for Virginia entering next season. The Cavaliers will have five offensive linemen returning that each logged at least six starts this fall. Bradley (six starts), offensive guard Austin Pazstor (12) and center Anthony Mihota (11) will be seniors. Offensive tackle Oday Aboushi (12) will be a junior. And Moses (seven) will be a sophomore.