By Michael Murillo,
CFL.ca
NCAA football fans don’t have to lose track of their favourite players when they leave their competitive teams and conferences. Each week, College Connection looks at a pair of former college stars who are making waves today in the CFL. Their teams will meet in an upcoming match-up, televised in the U.S.
This week: Hamilton Tiger-cats at Montreal Alouettes, October 8, available on CBC.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Zeke Moreno, LB, USC Trojans. Moreno had a strong career at Southern Cal (1997-2000), appearing in 10 games as a freshman and starting a dozen games as a sophomore. As a junior he started all 12 games, ranking first in forced fumbles, third in tackles and tied for third in fumbles recovered in the Pac-10. He earned an All-Pac-10 honourable mention that year as well. As a senior Moreno garnered more accolades, leading the team in tackles (103, 80 solo) and earning an All-American honourable mention. He was also an All-Pac-10 second-teamer, won the Trojans’ Most Valuable Player award and served as team captain.
Moreno was drafted by the San Diego Chargers, where he spent four productive seasons. After a year with the Philadelphia Eagles, Moreno signed with the Ti-Cats late last year. Although the club is struggling at 2-11, Moreno has been a force for the defence, leading the league in tackles (90) and recording a fumble and two interceptions, with one returned for a touchdown.
Montreal Alouettes: Damon Duval, K, Auburn Tigers. Kickers don’t always get many accolades, but Duvall earned his share at Auburn (1999-2002). Not only was he an All-SEC selection all four years of his collegiate career, he earned All-American first-team honours in 2001. That same year he made the game-winning kick to topple the top-ranked Florida Gators and kicked game-winners in two other contests. Duval was also a finalist for the Lou Groza award, given to the nation’s top place kicker. Duval was also a successful punter, amassing more than 9,000 yards in his career and registering an average of more than 43 yards per punt.
In the CFL, Duval made an immediate impact by leading the league in scoring with 191 points in 2005. Last year he set an Als record for most field-goals in a season (51) and his 201 points in 2006 was good for third all-time in team history. He was 107 points so far in 2007.
If you’d like to see a specific school or player featured in College Connection, contact Michael Murillo at vivamurillo@hotmail.com.
(The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily of the Canadian Football League)
