[ WARRIOR FOOTBALL ]
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii's Tanuvasa Moe tried to bring down Appalachian State QB Richie Williams last week, when the long snapper got his first playing time at linebacker.
Never heard of Tanuvasa Moe?
That means the Hawaii long snapper
and linebacker is doing his job
Tanuvasa Moe never paid much attention to long snappers until he became one himself, and if he does his job right few people will notice him much this season.
Moe is in his second season as the snapper for the Hawaii football team's punt and field-goal units, a position where a lack of attention is an indication of effectiveness.
"If you're not being noticed on punts, then things are going well," UH special teams coach Tyson Helton said. "If you're getting noticed then something's wrong."
Moe won the long-snapping job for the Warriors as a redshirt freshman last year and excelled in executing the vital, if often overlooked, first step in the kicking game.
Moe played all 14 games last season at long snapper, and without a reliable backup, the UH coaches decided to limit Moe to special teams.
This season he's also competing for playing time at linebacker and took the field on defense for the first time in his UH career in the Warriors' 40-17 win over Appalachian State. But it's his work on the kicking units that has earned him the admiration of the UH coaches and kickers, if not the adulation from the fans, early in his college career.
Efficiency in such low-profile and seemingly mundane aspects of the game will also be a key when the Warriors play at fourth-ranked Southern California on Saturday. If you don't hear his name called on punts, that's probably a good thing for Hawaii.
"I'm not one of those that needs that much attention, as long as I do my job and get it done I'll be happy," Moe said.
Moe was an all-star linebacker at Saint Louis School and was the Crusaders' long snapper his sophomore and junior years. A broken arm early in his senior season kept him from playing special teams.
He redshirted his first year at UH and hadn't planned on trying out for the long-snapping job, but mentioned to the coaches that he had done it in high school. After a brief audition, the job was his.
While firing bullets to the punter or holder is Moe's primary task, his ability to disrupt the oncoming rush boosts his value to the kicking units.
"The snap's the most important thing, but what he does that a lot of guys don't do is he's able to get a block after the snap," Helton said. "A lot times you get these big offensive linemen or defensive linemen, they can snap but they can't protect because they're slow."
UH punter Kurt Milne said the velocity and accuracy of Moe's snaps are the keys to an effective kicking game. He said the target time for Moe to get the ball from the ground to Milne's hands is 0.77 seconds, a mark Moe hits consistently.
"It's really nice to have him as a snapper, that's one less thing for me to worry about," said Milne, who punted three times with an average of 44.3 yards per kick against Appalachian State. "It helps with timing to know that you have a very consistent snapper that puts it right on your right hip every time and gets it back there really fast."
DEAN SENSUI / DSENSUI@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii's Tanuvasa Moe realizes that as a long snapper, the only time he's noticed is when he makes a mistake.
While an accurate snap won't earn a snapper much acclaim, a botched one will thrust him into an unwanted spotlight. Former New York Giants snapper Trey Junkin's skill allowed him to build a lengthy NFL career. But only when he misfired on a snap as the Giants were attempting a game-winning field goal in a playoff loss to San Francisco last season did Junkin's name gain prominence.
"I definitely felt for him, I knew exactly what was going through his head at that time," Moe said. "I felt for him because it was one of the biggest situations you can be in and just didn't have it at that time."
Moe's role on special teams has expanded this season to include duty on the kickoff coverage and return teams. He provided a critical block to help spring Ross Dickerson on a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Warriors' opener.
"He's real fast and aggressive, but more importantly he's a tremendously smart player," Helton said. "Just one of those guys that has football sense about him."
Moe has also worked his way into the Warriors' defensive scheme as a backup linebacker. He got into the game in the second half last week and finished with three tackles.
"I definitely want to get back into linebacker, that's what I came here as and hopefully I can get back into the scheme of things," he said. "I loved it just being on defense and trying to make your reads. That's stuff that I missed a lot."
While he's hoping to someday make a name for himself as a linebacker, he takes pride in being a reliable long snapper. Just as long as nobody knows about it.
"I have a lot more respect for it now," Moe said. "Before I didn't think of it too much, but last year that was my whole job. Since then I have a lot more respect for snapping and what goes into it."
More on Moe
Nickname: T.J.
Height and weight: 6 feet, 220 pounds.
Family ties: Has a son, Tanuvasa, and a daughter, Talyn. His sister Mia plays soccer for UH.
Earning it: Moe walked on at UH, but earned a scholarship after an outstanding fall camp in 2002.
Special stuff: Moe made six tackles (four solo), all on special teams last year. He also won the Defensive Scout Team Award.
