Jireh Moe didn’t arrive at Utah with a ton of hype attached to his name, but after the way he played against the Hogs, that’s changing fast.
The Utes defensive lineman looked like a player who has already figured out how to make his presence felt. After the game, Moe said the outing came down to Utah’s approach all week and the way he carried it onto the field.
“Just playing fast, preaching our culture. We had a good week of preparation, preaching our culture on the field, playing fast, and playing with good technique.”
That same theme showed up when he broke down the defense’s overall performance. Moe said the line was consistently disrupting things up front, and the results showed up in both phases.
“As a whole, we had a lot of pressure. We're getting to the quarterbacks, and we're stopping the run. As you can see, we stopped them in the run, then they converted to pass a lot, and they tried to get home.”
For Moe, Utah wasn’t just a football decision. He said the school had long been on his radar, and the connection grew stronger once the coaches got involved.
“Just the University of Utah. I always heard about it growing up, and I loved everything about it.
And coming here, getting that call from Coach Scalley, Coach Elliss, man, it was a blessing. When I came on my visit, I wasn't only looking to be a good football player; I was also looking to be a good man too.
Under Scalley, we have a lot of very passionate dude. He has a lot of love.
He's genuine over here. When I talked to my parents about coming over here, the word we thought of first was genuine.”
One of the highlights from the game came when Moe turned to a spin move, and he said the decision was simple: he saw the chance and took it.
“Before the plays, I was doing, like, a stutter before it, and I saw him bite inside, and I was like, why not? Let's throw the spin, see if it works or not. And it did.”
Moe also pointed to Aaron Donald as the standard when it comes to the kind of player he wants to be.
“Of course we have Aaron Donald. I mean, as you can see, I'm undersized too.
I'm like 6'2, okay, I'm just playing.. But yeah, for sure, after him, I'll try to be.”
He admitted that being overlooked because of size has stuck with him some, but not in a way that drags him down.
“For sure it does a little bit, but I gotta keep on grinding, leave it up to God, and stay on my P's and Q's.”
And for Moe, the performance against an SEC opponent meant more than just a strong stat line. It was a chance to show that he belongs.
“It was just a blessing to go out and show people what I got. That game was another opportunity to show that us undersized athletes can do it too.”
In Other News...
Utahs New Offensive Identity Is Already Turning Heads
The early buzz around Utahs revamped offense is already reaching beyond the usual football crowd. PGA Tour golfer Tony Finau has made it clear he likes what he sees from the Utes, especially the way the new scheme has leaned into using two quarterbacks at the same time. With 109 points through the first two games under Morgan Scalley, there is at least enough evidence to suggest this is more than a cosmetic change.
Former Utah receiver Steve Smith Sr. has also weighed in, pointing to a renewed emphasis on winning and putting points on the board. For a program that has long been associated with toughness and control, the shift has drawn attention because it looks and feels different, and because it comes with real production attached. The next question is whether that early spark keeps holding up once the schedule gets less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]