D.J. Moore making noise amongst college football's best wide receivers

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Terps junior wide receiver DJ Moore is having a breakout season in College Park and was the recipient of a long overdue accolade Oct. 18 when he was added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list recognizing him as one of the nation’s top wideouts.

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After posting a career-high 12 receptions for 210 yards and two touchdowns last weekend against Northwestern, Moore leads the Big Ten in touchdown catches (7), receiving yards (624), receiving yards per game (104.0) and receptions per game (7.3).

Against Northwestern, the Philadelphia native recorded the first 200-plus yard receiving game by a Maryland receiver since Terps great Torrey Smith racked up 224 yards against NC State in 2010. Moore also surpassed Stefon Diggs to move into fourth place on Maryland’s career touchdown receptions list with 16.

“[Moore] just does a great job,” Maryland head coach DJ Durkin said. “He’s a very talented guy. He plays hard. He runs good routes and has good ball skills. So we do a lot to get him the ball and design it that way, and he always answers the call and comes to play every week.”

On a national scale, Moore is currently 4th in the FBS in receiving touchdowns, 11th in receiving yards, and 13th in receptions per game.

The Biletnikoff Award Selection Committee, a group of college football journalists and commentators, as well as some former college football wide receivers choose the recipient of the highly distinguished award from a group of the nation’s top wideouts. And with the way he’s been playing so far this year, Moore certainly fits that mold.

Moore is excited to be recognized for his play, but he admitted that it’s a little bittersweet since the Terps are currently on a two-game losing streak.

“It feels good because you want to achieve those goals but at the same time you want to win because it’s a team sport,” Moore said. “But to achieve those goals is a personal good feeling. It feels good.”

Moore is cementing himself as the latest great wide receiver to come through College Park. He ranks 10th all-time at Maryland with 110 career receptions and 11th with 1,610 career receiving yards. Moore is also currently riding a 27-game reception streak, which is the longest active streak in the Big Ten and longest by a Terps wideout since Smith finished his career with a catch in his last 30 games in a row.

But when asked his thoughts on joining some lofty names in Maryland’s record books, Moore took the humble and focused approach.

“That is good to know just to keep track of it but I don’t really pay heavy attention to any of it,” Moore said.

There are still two more rounds of watch list cuts before a winner is announced at the end of the season, but if Moore keeps up this pace, there’s no reason why he wouldn’t be a serious contender for the award.

The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc., will announce the 10 Biletnikoff Award semifinalists on November 13, 2017, following a vote by the members of the Biletnikoff Award National Selection Committee. Then three finalists will be chosen after another vote on November 21, 2017.

The Biletnikoff Award winner will be presented live at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 7, 2017. The show will be broadcast 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. The award will be presented by former Heisman winner and Biletnikoff Award voter Desmond Howard.