Despite being a finalist three straight times, and despite having one of the most prolific offenses and consistent running attacks in college football over the last five seasons, Oregon got passed over for the Joe Moore Award again, the trophy given to college football's best offensive line unit.
Aaron Taylor, Jenny Dell and the selection committee gave it to 8-4 Iowa, who the Ducks outrushed in a downpour in Kinnick Stadium 261-101. It's enough to make a Duck fan get in touch with their inner Incredible Hulk or John McEnroe: "You CANNOT be serious! Are you kidding me right now?"
That Saturday in early November, the Duck offensive line produced 7.3 yards a carry and gave up zero sacks, The Hawkeyes ran for 2.3 yards a carry with Mark Gronowski sacked twice. Iowa lost to Iowa State, Indiana, Oregon and USC.
Ducks are box office magic but keep getting passed over for the statue
A year ago the Ducks went 13-0 and swept through the Big Ten, winning the conference championship in their first year in the league, and the Joe Moore went to Group of 5 Army, certainly deserving in terms of devotion to their country and service, but objectively not better at blocking than the Ducks, just a team that ran the ball more often, like nearly every down.
This is the head-to-head evidence of the Iowa offensive line at work, or rather, getting worked:
Presented without comment pic.twitter.com/zUoKenQyXR
— Chuck 🦆🍊 (@MooreFor6) December 22, 2025
Taylor cited Kirk Ferentz's long history in playing and coaching offensive lines. "This 2025 group was different," Taylor said. "Just a group of Midwest boys from Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin. With Coach George Barnett they dang near perfected OC Tim Lester's mid-zone scheme in addition to the outside zone the Hawkeyes have set the standard for year after year."
Well that's nice. Perhaps it should be renamed the Joe Moore Try Hard Award, because like the comedy improv show "Whose Line Is It Anyway" the points don't matter. It's getting Moore and Moore absurd.
Iapani Laloulu, Emmanuel Pregnon, Alex Harkey, Isaiah World, Dave Iuili, Gernorris Wilson, Charlie Pickard and Kawika Rogers got jobbed. They'll just have to take their revenge by seizing the trophy that a committee doesn't vote on, and having long, successful careers in the NFL and beyond football.