Breaking Down Gaston Moore's Performance in the Spring Game

While most eyes were on Joe Milton and Nico Iamaleava on Saturday for the Tennessee Volunteers, Gaston Moore had a great opportunity to show what he is capable of.

Quarterback Gaston Moore went 8-for-11 for 94 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in his time leading both the Orange and White offenses in Tennessee's spring game on Saturday. Moore is a redshirt junior who was formerly a walk-on at UCF. There is little doubt that he is behind Joe Milton and Nico Iamaleave on the Volunteer depth chart, but it never hurts to have quality depth at the most important position on the field. He has seen very little playing time at Tennessee over the past two seasons, so he had a lot to prove in the Orange and White Game. 

Moore saw action early and often, leading the White team on their second drive of the game. On his first passing play, he did a great job of being patient, escaping when needed, and throwing a great ball on the run to Mitchell Bittner for 42 yards. That first play really showed what Gaston Moore is capable of. Later in that first drive, he used his legs to get outside the pocket and pick up yardage, a key skill in today's era of college football. He ended the drive with a fantastic throw to Dayton Sneed, who made an impressive 6-yard snag. Moore was pretty flawless and made a statement to start the game.

Gaston Moore, Tennessee QB

On his next drive with the Orange team, he did not show quite as much and had a miscommunication with a receiver on a deep ball, but he had another strong throw to Sneed. He ended this drive with a sidearm throw to Hunter Salmon for another score. That was it for Moore in the first half.

He started the second half's first drive with the Orange team and had a good throw on a slant dropped by Nimrod on third down. In his next drive with white, he stepped up in the pocket and threw the ball across the middle, resulting in a tip-drill interception. The throw was a little bit behind the receiver, but it was still a little unlucky for Moore to have the play end in an interception. Still, this is the risk you take throwing the ball across the middle and getting reps in as close to a real-game situation as you can to help him mature as a quarterback, even if it means learning from a mistake.

In his last drive with Orange down three, it was unclear if Heupel was really letting him go for the win or tie. There were runs and short passes, but also some deep dropbacks. Nothing major got going, and the clock ran out. 

At the end of the day, spring games are most competitive at the beginning, and that was when Gaston Moore was at his best. It was great to see him shine with such a great opportunity. It may not come to anything, but it is great to see, nonetheless.

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