Relaxing and fishing on the bank of the Willamette River,
ex-Bruin quarterback Matt Moore soaks in life as an Oregonian.
Outside the gridiron, he’d be the first to say life has
changed.
Moore no longer breathes the L.A. lifestyle. Life in Corvallis,
Ore., has made everything simple and laid back for him. When he has
time away from the field, Moore spends it on the river fishing and
bonding with his teammates. Distractions are at a minimum in a city
where the population hovers around 50,000, a minuscule total in
comparison to what he once called home two years ago. He’s a
Beaver now.
“This is my new team and I love it out here,” Moore
said. “I call Oregon home and I’m happy.”
It’s been over four months since the Valencia native has
been in Southern California and nearly two years since Moore has
even set foot on the UCLA campus.
He no longer keeps in contact with his former teammates. The
only vestige of his days as a Bruin is his jersey from the Las
Vegas Bowl that hangs limply in the corner of his closet.
Being a Bruin seems like two lifetimes ago for Moore. He’s
moved on and this Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena he’ll
take on an undefeated Bruin team he once played for in front of a
crowd that once cheered for him.
“I haven’t been back (to UCLA) for a long time, but
it’s going to feel kind of different coming out of the
visitor’s side,” Moore said. “I miss some of the
guys. I had some pretty sweet relationships. Most the guys I met
took me under their wing when I was a freshman. But in terms of the
area (UCLA), I don’t miss it.”
In circles
Before the 2005 season began, UCLA senior Drew Olson and
freshman Ben Olson went through training camp trying to outperform
one another for the starting quarterback position. The local media
feasted on the thought of having a young transfer vying for a
position that Drew Olson had held for nearly two years.
Moore, who has a lucid idea of what it’s like to be in the
middle of a quarterback controversy, admitted he found it
amusing.
“I read some stuff. How could you not? It was all over the
place,” Moore said. “I kind of laughed on the inside.
The whole quarterback position when I came out here (to Oregon
State), it wasn’t blown out of proportion like it was (in Los
Angeles). It takes away from the game. My feeling is leave it
alone. Whoever wins the battle wins.”
In Moore’s sophomore year at UCLA, there was a battle for
the starting quarterback position between him and Drew Olson, who
happened to be his roommate in the Saxon Residential Suites. Moore,
with the more impressive arm and viewed as the better athlete, was
named the starter after fall training camp. But in the team’s
season-opening game on the road at Colorado, Moore was knocked out
of the game with a bruised left tibia, and was replaced by Drew
Olson.
As the new starter, Drew Olson stepped in and led the Bruins to
a 5-2 record. When Moore returned from injury, however, Drew Olson
was relegated to the backup position. Moore went on to win just one
of three games, prompting Drew Olson to supplant Moore once
again.
In a matter of 10 games during that fateful 2003 season, four
switches were made at the starting quarterback position, with Drew
Olson finally emerging as the starter by year’s end.
In UCLA’s final game against USC with the quarterback
controversy still unresolved, Moore overheard a conversation
between UCLA coach Karl Dorrell and former offensive coordinator
Steve Axman and their decision to not use Moore in the game against
the Trojans.
Moore took that as a sign and opted to transfer. Nearly two
years later, Moore is still confident he made the right
decision.
“No I definitely don’t regret it,” he said.
“I’m so happy with my decision. I have no regrets
whatsoever.”
“He’s done a great job and I am happy for
him,” Dorrell said of Moore. “He’s found a place
for him to extend his college experience and play this
game.”
Regarding talks about a rift between Moore and Drew Olson,
however, both said there has been nothing of the sort.
“I think people made it more of a big deal than it
was,” Moore said. “Drew and I were friends. We
didn’t hate each other. The media made it a big deal and
might’ve pushed us apart. I’m really happy for him and
he’s doing well.”
“We don’t have any animosity towards each
other,” Drew Olson said. “We’re just focusing on
the game this weekend, we’re facing a very good Oregon State
team, not just Matt.”
Decisions
In 2004, after leaving UCLA, Moore transferred to the College of
the Canyons in Santa Clarita, making him ineligible to compete
under NCAA regulations. Moore concentrated on his school work and
on the side, he continued to work off the field. His aspirations of
becoming a football player were stunted when he rekindled his love
for baseball.
In June 2004, he was selected in the 22nd round of the Major
League Baseball amateur draft by the Anaheim Angels. Yet, at the
time, Moore was sending tapes of himself to football powerhouses
such as Louisiana State and Oklahoma. In the back of his mind,
however, Moore was hoping to remain on the West Coast so he could
stay close to his family and play for a Division I football school.
He was torn between baseball and football.
Enter Oregon State’s secondary coach Mark Banker, who
noticed Moore while he was scouting another player during a visit
to the Santa Clarita campus.
“I got to know him. I sent more tapes up,” Moore
said. “It was a slow process, but he saw something in
me.” Ultimately, Moore’s decision came down to his
mother’s wishes.
“My mom wanted me to play football. I didn’t want
to; I wanted to play baseball,” Moore said. “But
conversation after conversation I just realized how important
school is and that really helped me make my decision.”
Past meets present
Moore still remembers his Bruin days. He recalls his first
touchdown to Mike Seidman and his first victory as a true freshman
quarterback over Stanford.
Nevertheless Moore’s departure left fans with questions.
Dorrell was criticized because the loss of Moore left UCLA with
just one quarterback under scholarship. Moore was hounded for not
sticking around and giving the situation another chance.
“Neutral terms,” Moore said on how he left UCLA.
“I was in good terms with everybody, but it depends on who
you talk to. I left smiling and I was happy with my decision. It
was not a big blown-out argument.”
When asked how life under the watch of Oregon State coach Mike
Riley differs from that of Dorrell, Moore praised Riley.
“(Riley) is one of (the)most influential guys I’ve
played for,” Moore said. “He’s really personable.
I’m more active with Riley.
Don’t know if I was young, but I just didn’t have
that (with Dorrell). Coach Riley is like that with everyone;
he’s your friend and coach, and people respect
him.”
The feeling is mutual.
“I’ve really come to appreciate Matt,” Riley
said. “He’s kind of a gym-rat guy, hangs around up here
a lot in our offices. He’s a sponge. He likes football and
likes to know and grow and learn.”
Pregame
Both Moore and Drew Olson have said they’ll greet each
other before Saturday’s game. Olson said if given the chance,
he’d joke with Moore about the barrage of questions they both
have fielded over the past few days from reporters concerning their
past.
Both players, however, have said it’s just another
football game. Senior linebacker Justin London sees it
differently.
“I’m sure if I were (Moore), (I’d) really
circled this game on (my) calendar just to come back and make a
point,” London said. “He’s a man like everybody
else trying to make a point. It’ll just be another chip on
(Olson and Moore’s) shoulders for bragging rights.”
Senior tight end Marcedes Lewis feels as if getting to see his
former teammate will be a nice change of pace.
“Matt Moore; that’s my boy,” Lewis said.
“They’re having success; we’re having success;
it’s going to be a great game.”
Distractions undoubtedly were discussed during practice this
week for both teams. With Oregon State coming off a victory against
Cal, Riley mentioned that Moore needed to be fully concentrated for
the Bruins and not Olson.
“For us to win, Matt’s going to have to play his
role and what he does in the ball game,” Riley said.
“And the key to his role is preparation, and how he does with
his role will be preparation. And I’m not worried about this,
but it’s all about no distractions for him.”
In terms of whether Dorrell will be focusing on the matchup, he
won’t be.
“It gets overdramatized as to the effect it’s going
to have,” Dorrell said. “(Moore is) part of the
equation at quarterback, but he’s not “˜the’
equation.”