Bubba Moses Shows Off Receiving Skills

NORMAN, Okla. -- In its second consecutive road win over a ranked opponent, the OU offense proved that it's willing to do whatever it takes to come away with a victory.

The Sooners defeated Texas A&M, 42-35, at College Station last Saturday. Oklahoma rallied from behind several times in the game.

Tight ends came up big for OU at Kyle Field. James "Bubba" Moses and Joe Jon Finley each had a touchdown.

Throughout his tenure at OU, Bubba Moses has exploited his size advantage in his pass and run blocking roles as a tight end. Only more recently has he displayed his speed and shiftiness as a receiver.

Bubba Moses Feature Video

Do you think OU's utilization of the tight end surprised A&M?
A&M has a great defense that is very sound. Every now and then though, a tight end or a wide receiver finds a seam or an open route. The tight ends run most of the under routes -- or shallow routes. The defensive backs and the linebackers were going back deep to the receivers, so the tight ends became open on the shallow routes.

Was there any reason in particular that the tight ends were more utilized?
It just so happened that it worked out that way. It helped to spread out our offense.

What does it do for the offense if the tight ends continue to be this involved?
It does a lot, as far as both our blocking and receiving go. The safeties have to come up and play tighter, which also opens up a chance for the deep ball for the receiver. The linebackers also spread out more and concentrate more on the recievers, leaving the tight ends open in the middle of the field for an under route.

Your quickness and agility after the catch were pretty remarkable...
I have always had it stored away, but I was just waiting to let it go.

How does this team compare to the 2000 team?
Everybody knows that 2000 was a special year. Even though we're not trying to compare this season to 2000, with the way we're playing this year and the way everybody is going about things, they are similar. We just have to continue to play hard in every game.

Was the A&M crowd louder than you remember in 2002?
Oh man, yeah! It was louder than I ever remember it. When we played there last time it was loud, but this past weekend it was louder than it had ever been.

How did you think the other tight ends played?
I think that Willie [Roberts] and Joe Jon [Finley] played excellent. Joe Jon's catch was great and I'm proud of him. It was a seam right up the middle, just like we practice during the week.

A victory against Nebraska on Saturday will clinch the South Division. What does that mean to you?
It means a lot, but we still have to come up with with the win over Nebraska. So first we just have to get them out of the way.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Bubba Moses Shows Off Receiving Skills

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