Former UTSA Roadrunner Trey Moore set to take on his former team
Trey Moore is one of the best defensive players in the 151-game history of the UTSA football program, and he’ll be playing defense against his old Roadrunners squad on Saturday night.
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Moore, a junior EDGE who transferred from UTSA to Texas in the most recent portal window who has started the first two games of the season for the Longhorns, set a number of Roadrunner football records during his three seasons in Jeff Traylor‘s program. He was a freshman All-American in 2022, tallying 59 tackles with 18.0 for loss and 8.0 sacks for a UTSA team that won the Conference USA title and the Cure Bowl.
As the Roadrunners upped their standing in the sport in 2023 by moving to the American Athletic Conference, Moore upped his game too. He was the AAC defensive player of the year in 2023, posting 45 tackles with 17.5 for loss along with 14.0 sacks and an interception.
Moore lines up against a team on Saturday where, along with those decorations, he holds several defensive records for the in-state program. Although it could be an emotional time for the Longhorns’ starting Buck, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian isn’t concerned about Moore’s state of mind playing against some of his old compatriots.
“For Trey himself, as we get closer to the game I’ll probably talk to him a little bit more about that, but as of right now I just want him to prepare really well and focus on what he needs to do to play really good football,” Sarkisian said Monday. “Some guys might be more difficult to talk to that way. He’s not the most emotional guy. He’s got a really good head on his shoulders. He’s focused on what he needs to do.”
Moore has recorded four tackles in his first two games as a Horn and has yet to earn a sack during his snaps. He was one of the more talked-about players in the summer and preseason, earning a starting role on the Longhorn defense. That comes just a few months after Nick Saban heavily recruited Moore to head to Alabama just before he announced his retirement (and after Texas beat Saban for Moore’s services).
Despite a lack of statistical production, Moore has affected games. He was an asset in Ann Arbor against the ground-and-pound style of the Michigan Wolverines. When Davis Warren dropped back to pass, Pro Football Focus credited Moore with three pressures as part of a game where he earned a game grade of 64.8.
He’s played an all-around game, one Sarkisian believes will get Moore into the stat sheet more often.
“I think one thing for Trey that I’ve been impressed with is I know the sacks aren’t just flying off the board right now, but he’s playing really good football,” Sarkisian said. “He’s playing physical. He’s playing tough. Two games in a row people have tried to run the ball at him and he’s holding the point. He’s doing a really good job.”
Moore is one of the few examples for the Longhorns of a player who is suiting up for Texas against his old team in the transfer portal era. Keilan Robinson did it for Texas against his old Alabama teammates in 2021 and 2022, as did Tarique Milton versus Iowa State in 2022 among several others.
Those were anticipated matchups for Robinson and Milton. Though Sarkisian anticipates a calm demeanor from Moore that’ll minimize the attention on playing his former team, Texas O-lineman Kelvin Banks gave Moore some tongue-in-cheek advice this week.
“This is probably going to be cool for him,” Banks said Monday. “I gave him a hard time this morning and was letting him know don’t take it easy on them because it’s your old team.”
Moore and Banks battle often in practice, with the EDGE position battling offensive tackles. In those reps and even off the field, Banks has seen a lot to like from Moore.
“He’s a very down to earth guy,” Banks said. “He keeps his head down. He works hard. There’s so much I could say, but he definitely works hard. He’s a very athletic player in the game. He knows the game, the ins and outs of it. Really he’s an all-around guy on and off the field.”
Moore will be a key part of the Longhorns’ gameplan for a win on Campbell-Williams Field on Saturday, just as he was the last time he was playing in Texas’ stadium in 2022 with UTSA in a 41-20 loss to Texas.
It’ll be strange for the Longhorn and for his former Roadrunner fans, but it’s not something Sarkisian thinks will change how Moore plays the game.
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“He doesn’t really get caught too much up into the stuff going on around him. If he were that way, I would probably have to talk to him early in the week,” Sarkisian said. “I know the serious nature with which he approaches the game, so I feel pretty comfortable with him right now.”
