ASSOCIATED PRESS Ryan Moats of Louisiana Tech has compiled big rushing numbers against tough competition.

LaTech enjoys Moats
while it has him

The junior tailback is sixth in
the nation in rushing and could
go pro after this season

The consensus around Louisiana Tech is that Ryan Moats is somewhat talented and fairly entertaining. Maybe not good enough to go pro, but he's one of the better players on campus.

He's not bad at running with a football, either.

Running Wild The top six single-game rushing efforts against Hawaii in UH history Name, School, Yards, Year » Ron Dayne, Wisconsin, 339, 1996 » Marshall Faulk, San Diego State, 300, 1992 » LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU, 294, 2000 » Deonce Whitaker, San Jose State, 278, 2000 » Terry Metcalf, Long Beach State, 268, 1971 » Ryan Moats, LaTech, 267, 2003 Louisiana Tech at Hawaii When: Tomorrow, 6:05 p.m. Where: Aloha Stadium Tickets: $24 sideline, $19 south end zone, $10 north end zone (adult), $9 north end zone (senior citizens), $10 north end zone (students 4-18), $3 UH students. Available at Aloha Stadium, Stan Sheriff Center, UH Campus Center, RainBowtique at Ward Centre, and Windward Community College's OCET Office. Or call (808) 944-2697 or go to hawaiiathletics.com on the Internet. TV: KFVE (Channel 5), delay at 10 p.m., rebroadcast Sunday at 9 a.m. Also available live on pay-per-view. Call 625-8100 on Oahu or (808) 643-2337 on neighbor islands. Radio: Live, KKEA, 1420-AM. Parking: Gates open at 2:30 p.m. Parking is $5. Alternate parking at Leeward Community College, Kam Drive-In and Radford High School. Traffic advisory: 1420-AM is the official traffic advisory station and provides updates before each home game. Bus: Roberts Hawaii School Bus will run shuttles to and from the stadium with pick-ups at several locations. Call 832-4886 for information and reservations.

"I play a little guitar," the Bulldogs star tailback said. "I play some songs here and there. I'm not good at making them up. That takes time. Everything takes time."

It didn't take long for Moats and teammates/bandmates Phillip Fontenot, Dez Abrams, Quarvay Winbush and Shelton Richardson to make a mark on the Ruston, La., music scene. As "The Dawgs of Soul," they won a campus talent show last month.

"I hear they're pretty good," coach Jack Bicknell said. "But I don't know if they'll be going on tour anytime soon."

While it's not likely Bicknell will lose Moats to the professional music industry, the junior from Dallas is good enough to take his football talents to the NFL after this season if he so chooses. He is the sixth-leading rusher in NCAA Division I-A with 151.6 yards per game, despite an early-season ankle sprain, and against a schedule that includes the Tennessee Volunteers and Miami Hurricanes.

His opponents next year could include the Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins.

"That's something I'm trying to keep down, stay humble and neutral about," said Moats, who arrived yesterday with his LaTech (4-4, 3-1) teammates to play Hawaii (3-4, 3-3) tomorrow at Aloha Stadium. "I just play my game and whatever happens, happens. As of now, I consider myself a senior at Louisiana Tech next year."

Hawaii coach June Jones -- who called Moats a "studly Barry Sanders" -- and the rest of the Western Athletic Conference coaches would like to see him leave, for obvious reasons.

"Tell Coach Jones thanks for the compliment," said Moats, who wears No. 20 because he models himself as a player and person after the Detroit Lions Hall of Famer.

Last year, Moats rushed for 267 yards and two touchdowns against UH in Ruston. But it wasn't enough for LaTech, as the Warriors won 44-41. Instead of giving the ball to Moats on fourth-and-2 with the game on the line, Bicknell elected for NFL-bound kicker Josh Scobee to try a 53-yard field goal, which failed.

"Of course I was upset about it," Moats said. "But if you look at the whole game, it was one of the best games of the year. If you were sitting in the stands, you had a good time."

Moats also wasn't very pleased with the way recruiters from Texas colleges treated him during his high school years.

In 10th grade, Moats suffered a leg injury that included an infection. Doctors said he would never play football again.

"I fought back," Moats said.

He rushed for 4,782 yards and 56 touchdowns in two high school seasons, but apparently it wasn't enough to convince Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Baylor to continue recruiting him. His 5-foot-9 height didn't help, either.

But Bicknell was convinced from the first time he saw Moats on tape.

"I like those little backs if they're thick and physical," Bicknell said. "Did I think he'd be this good? I had no idea."

Early in his college career, the recruiting snubs fueled Moats.

"In the beginning it did; now it's just what I do, for the team, not revenge," he said.

Bicknell said Moats is a genuinely nice person.

"He's a humble guy who doesn't get caught up in all that stuff," the coach said. "Our first two games, the heat was 100-something degrees. He stayed an hour-and-a-half after signing autographs."

And, of course, he takes care of the offensive linemen who have helped him to 1,213 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in eight games.

"I try my best to take those big boys out to eat once in a while," he said. "We go to a place, appropriately enough, called 'Fattie's' for chicken wings."

Moats is allowed to make a mild joke at their expense, as long as he keeps piling up the yards and picking up the tabs.

"He's a good friend who always gives us our due respects," left tackle Lester Brown said.