One is the redshirt junior whose turn it was supposed to be to take the reins at free safety.
The other is a true freshman with all the hype whose job it was to take it from him.
And for defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker there was only one way to figure out which one to start ““ let them decide.
However, the open competition between freshman Rahim Moore and redshirt junior Aaron Ware for a starting spot in the secondary seems to have been laid to rest ““ at least for now.
“We’re going to ride with (Moore) for a little bit,” Walker said last week. “Ware is still obviously going to get snaps with the first group, but we’re going to keep the competition open for the whole year. Right now I think Rahim Moore’s the guy.”
After the season-opener against Tennessee, in which both players started at defensive back, Walker re-emphasized that the competition between Moore and Ware remain open in what has become an on-field rivalry between two friends.
“I love the competition,” Ware said. “It’s always good to have someone behind you, pushing you. I’m all for it.”
Moore’s play against Tennessee and BYU, which included a fumble recovery and his first collegiate interception, earned him some credit as the starter at free safety. However, he doesn’t have to look far to see someone ready to take up his post.
“It keeps me on my toes, keeps me on my p’s and q’s,” Moore said. “It’s good for me. We’re out there competing, and the thing about us, there’s no hatred between us. We motivate each other. We help each other out. We’re best of friends. Aaron’s been helping me out so much. It’s a good thing. I’m glad (Walker) did that so now when we come out here, we know that nothing is given to us.”
Although Moore entered the season as inexperienced at the collegiate level as one can be, Ware is not the perfect model of game experience either. He has played 26 games in his Bruin career but all primarily on special teams. However, what Walker sees in Moore is something that is not necessarily gained through experience.
“He’s not afraid to tackle,” Walker said. “He plays hard and he’s always around the ball. In two games, he’s recovered a fumble and got an interception. He’s a ball hog.”
Walker’s approach to settling this contest by on-the-field performance has led to Moore’s emergence as one of the most versatile young defensive backs in the conference.
“You gotta get them in the game to find out what they can do,” Walker said. “You know, (Moore’s) made some mistakes, but he’s also made some plays too in games. We think the more he plays, the better he’s going to get. So we’re just going to keep going and see if he continues to improve.”
Though it could cost him a shot at a starting position, Ware has no qualms about helping Moore settle into his new role and easing his learning curve.
“We have a good relationship,” Ware said. “I mean, it’s all football. He’s like a little brother to me. He’s playing right now and it’s good for him but we’re friends and companions and soldiers on the field. That’s my boy.”
Moore sees Ware as a mentor who’s helped him out ever since he got to UCLA and “didn’t know anything,” Moore said.
“Me and him roomed together at hotels, and we always talk on the phone,” Moore said. “Ware is a good dude. He has a good heart; he has a good family. Me and him ““ we’re real close. There’s no hatred between me and him. If he starts, he starts. If I start, I start. He helps me out, I help him out. That’s like brotherly love right there. He’s like a big brother to me.”
As for Ware, he recognizes the future that Moore is on a track to achieve, though the competition between the two is not over.
“He has great potential,” Ware said. “His athletic ability is off the charts, and he just keeps progressing mentally and gets in his playbook. He just knows the defense and knows where everyone else is around him. He could easily be an All-American.”
If Ware has anything to do with it, Moore might just be developing fast enough to seal his starting job for the next few years, much less for the coming weeks.
He might just even remind Ware of another former Bruin standout. The one who, in 2001, became the last non-special teams true freshman to start a season opener for the Bruins. At least until three weeks ago when Moore broke the streak against Tennessee.
The young cornerback’s name? A three-year starter named Matt, Ware’s older brother.