Texas A&M junior rush end Damontre Moore opened the season with three sacks against 14th-ranked Florida and then followed it up with two more on the road against SMU last weekend.
That doesn't bode well for South Carolina State quarterback Richard Cue.
South Carolina State (1-2) is already physically mismatched as it preparse for Saturday's game against the Aggies (1-1) at Kyle Field. The bad news is that no one has been able to match up with the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Moore so far this season.
Moore leads the nation in sacks per game (2.5) and has thrived in A&M's switch to a 4-3 defense under new defensive coordinator Mark Snyder.
Moore showed flashes last year of what he could do, racking up 8.5 sacks. But flashes weren't enough for Moore, who focused on becoming a threat from the first snap to the last.
"I had some complacency issues," said Moore after Saturday's 48-3 win over SMU. "I wanted to prove I was an every-down guy."
And an every-game guy.
Moore's three-sack effort against Florida earned him SEC defensive linemen of the week honors. He knew he had to follow that up with another big game, which he did against the Mustangs by registering six tackles with two sacks, two quarterback pressures and a pass deflection.
"It's important to come back after a big game to prove it wasn't a fluke and it's a consistent thing," Moore said. "That was one of my big issues, not showing up a lot and going in and out."
Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said he didn't know what kind of player Moore was before Sumlin took the job. But Sumlin said Moore has matured since Sumlin took the coaching job and has worked on his strength and conditioning as well as being tougher mentally.
Moore played all five but snaps against Florida and was in on every player until the Aggies pulled their starters in their rout of SMU.
"Over the course of the time we've been here Damontre's matured as a person and football player," Sumlin said Wednesday. "That's what consistency is all about, the ability to do the same thing at a high level all the time instead of just some of the time. Damontre's a guy who's really growing up. He's finding his way. We challenged him to be that kind of football player."
If Moore can stay consistent, he's on pace to have a record-setting type of season. The school record for sacks in a season is 20 set by Jacob Green in 1979. Von Miller had 17 sacks two years ago while Ray Childress and John Roper each had 15-sack seasons.
Moore, who now has 19 career sacks, could threaten those marks in a system he's comfortable in. He played in a similar system in high school at Rowlett High School but was moved to the joker position for the Aggies the last two years. Now he's back on the defensive line and focused on wreaking havoc in the backfield.
It's something he's done well.
"Moving to the 4-3 is great for him," said senior linebacker Sean Porter. "He's showing off the things he does well. He's a great pass rusher and when he's not getting sacks he's getting pressure. He's grown a lot. This is the year for him to break out."
