LaDarius Henderson admits it 'stings' that Washington won Joe Moore Award over Michigan
The Michigan offensive line had its sights set on winning a third straight Joe Moore Award this season, but ultimately fell short. Instead, Washington, which the Wolverines will face in the national championship Monday, claimed the honor given annually to the nation’s top offensive line.
That creates an interesting storyline for starting left tackle LaDarius Henderson and the rest of the offensive line. With Michigan hoping to win it first title in 26 years on Monday, Henderson spoke with On3‘s Andy Staples about the opportunity that lies ahead for the players up front to prove themselves.
“It definitely stings,” Henderson said. “That’s definitely part of the reason why you come to Michigan. You want to win that Joe Moore Award three times in a row. You want to have that. It’s something I was definitely looking forward to so much.
“For them to win it, if they want to add that into the arrangement, I’m sure we’d do it. …If they wanna put that wager on it, I’m sure we’d be down.”
The Michigan offensive line helped pave the way for 238.9 rushing yards per game this season, a number that ranks ninth in the country. The Wolverines are also allowing only 1.4 sacks per game to rank top 25 in that category. The result is an offense that is putting up 40.4 points per game to rank one spot ahead of Washington as the No. 6 team in the country.
The Huskies, on the other hand, have surrendered just 0.8 sacks per contest, which is good for fourth in the nation. That has created plenty of time for quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to carve up opposing defenses. Penix leads all FBS players this season with 4,648 yards, 35 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Washington hasn’t been quite as successful as Michigan in the running game to rank just 69th overall. However, the Huskies do have a dynamic playmaker in the backfield with 1000-yard rusher Dillon Johnson.
It’s clear that both teams have offensive lines that are among the best of the best, and it makes sense that Michigan would feel slighted especially after it won the Joe Moore Award in 2021 and 2022. However, the Wolverines failed to claim a championship in each of those seasons. Surely a championship trophy this season would make up for the lack of the Joe Moore Award.
And if things go the way Henderson hopes, Michigan can prove itself the better offensive line unit in the process.