BlueWhiteIllustrated.com - Man on a mission

November 16, 2009

BWI Staff

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Rochester football coach Gene Matsook told Derek Moye a long time ago that he'll play football on Sundays.

With the way Moye is playing on Saturdays, the Penn State receiver could be well on his way.

Matsook isn't surprised one bit with Moye's progress. He always knew the redshirt sophomore was bound for success.

"This is really what we expected," Matsook said. "How fast he was going to do it was the question. We felt he was so athletic. He excelled in football. He had great hands. He's 6-foot-5. He had speed. Those are the things you can't teach. I knew once he matured and learned the system that he'd be a big-time player."

As a first-year starter, Moye is Penn State's leading receiver with 39 catches for 648 yards and five touchdowns. Moye recorded his third 100-yard game of the season against Northwestern and continues to impress Penn State coaches and fans.

"He's a big kid that can run and he's a good competitor," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "He does a heck of a job blocking. I think he's getting better all the time, which should happen as he has the kind of success he has been getting. I think he's doing really well and he's obviously a very, very strong factor in the outcome of our football games."

Moye has been a big factor on the football field for as long as Matsook could remember.

Moye was a manager for the Rochester Rams as a fifth grader. His brother, Jermaine, was five years older and a talented football player. Moye was always following around Jermaine.

There's a picture hanging on Matsook's wall from when he first started coaching at Rochester. Moye is in that picture as a team manager, but he brought something more to the squad at a young age.

"Our managers used to play other team's managers and we knew we'd always win because we'd throw the ball to Derek," Matsook said. "It was probably the first time we'd gone undefeated in the regular season."

Matsook was referring to the team of managers.

Right next to that old-time photo is a picture of the Rams when Moye was a senior in high school. By that time, he'd accomplished so much and excelled in everything he did.

Moye helped Rochester win a WPIAL championship as a sophomore, but the Rams went to the title game and lost during his senior year. Moye lined up mainly at running back and sometimes at receiver for Rochester. During his senior year, Moye rushed for 1,205 yards and 20 touchdowns and caught 16 passes for 430 yards and five touchdowns.

It's obvious Moye is a talented football player, but he is a phenomenal athlete. How's this for versatile? Moye was a three-time, first-team All-State selection in football. He was a two-time state track champion - in the 200 and 400-meter dash. He averaged 20 points per game as a guard for Rochester.

How, you might wonder, did Moye decide to pursue football and not track or basketball?

Enter Matsook and Jermaine, again.

"Coach Gene came up to me sophomore or freshman year and said, 'There are not really any basketball players that come out of here. Focus on football,'" Moye said.

Up to that point, the 6-foot-5 Moye always saw himself as more of a basketball player. He liked basketball better and felt he had more potential in hoops. He played AAU ball until he realized football was his future.

"I would say I realized it when I was still interested in basketball during my sophomore year," Moye said. "We had a pass scrimmage at Beaver Falls and I made a few big plays. After the scrimmage, coach Gene said, 'I know you're focused on basketball, but if you ever want to focus on football, you have a big-time career ahead of you.'"

Jermaine, too, had a big influence on Moye.

"Without him, I don't even know if I'd be playing football," Moye said. "Going to his games, he got me more focused on football."
Jermaine may have turned Moye on to football, but Paterno talked Moye into committing to the Nittany Lions. Paterno only made two visits that year and his outing to Rochester high school was one of them.

That visit sealed the deal for Moye.

Penn State seemed like the perfect fit - football-wise and location-wise - for Moye.

"I liked the environment up here," Moye said. "It's not a city. It's its own place away from everything, but at the same time, it's not too far from home. It's not too close either so I can get away a little bit."

Moye's hometown of Rochester is located approximately 35 miles from Pittsburgh. Rochester can be a rough area. Some kids have fallen off track. Even some of Moye's friends have gone down the wrong road.

Not Moye, though.

His distraction was sports. His motivation was sports. His direction came from his mother, Diane, father Jeramie and Jermaine. It helped, too, that Moye inherited some athletic ability from his father, who was a well-known running back at Beaver Falls.

"To this day, people still come up to me and tell me how good he was," Jermaine said.

It was a good combination of talent and discipline that helped Moye succeed.

"I feel like my parents did a good job making sure I was on task," Moye said. "My brother, if he made a mistake, would teach me through his mistakes."

Moye learned a lot - about life and football - from Jermaine.

Throughout his football career, Jermaine experienced some growing pains, which benefited Moye.

Jermaine started out at West Virginia, but after one too many position switches and a lack of playing time, Jermaine transferred to Division II California University of Pennsylvania.

"Things didn't work out the way that I expected it to," Jermaine said. "Obviously, I wish I would have made a couple different decisions, but it made me into the person today I am today."

Perhaps the most critical virtue Moye learned from Jermaine was patience. For two seasons, Moye sat behind Derrick Williams, Jordan Norwood and Deon Butler - arguably the best trio of receivers in Penn State history.

There were times when Moye grew incredibly frustrated. He's an athlete. He's competitive. He was always the star and he wanted so badly to play.

Moye's time would come, Jermaine stressed, and it did.

"I told him to focus on today and worry about today because you don't know what tomorrow can bring," said Jermaine, who currently works with children with disabilities in Rochester. "Don't look ahead; enjoy right now. Me, personally, I looked so far ahead. I was so worried about the NFL that l didn't worry about today. I didn't meet those goals that I set for myself."

Moye takes Jermaine's advice seriously, and Jermaine couldn't be more proud of his little brother. It seems he's turned into a local celebrity in the football-crazed town of Rochester.

"(One) Friday night I was at a game at Rochester for a little bit and I saw people wearing his jersey and I don't even know them," Jermaine said.

Everybody - in Rochester and beyond - is getting to know Moye these days.

"It's nice to see him on TV," Matsook said. "When I walk around town, people always mention his name. He's making us proud."
Moye is a well-mannered kid who is quiet off the field, and on it. He's confident, but not cocky. He won't talk trash. He just likes to "chill out there," as he puts it. ?

Moye, along with Graham Zug, has been Penn State's go-to receiver all season. Moye's big moment came in the Minnesota game when he made a highlight-reel catch in the end zone. Moye managed to grab the ball, drag one foot inbounds and hold on to the ball for an incredible touchdown catch.

Because of big-time plays like that and his consistency, Moye constantly receives praise from Paterno, and his teammates, particularly Daryll Clark.

And of course, Matsook.

"Before he left, I wrote him a letter telling him to keep everything in perspective," Matsook said. "Appreciate the people that got you where you are today. Hopefully you'll do well for yourself if you keep things in perspective."

Right now, Moye is focused on playing football on Saturdays. But he can't help but ponder the possibility of playing on Sundays.

"It definitely crosses my mind," Moye said. "That's my ultimate goal - to go to NFL and be a professional athlete. I'll let everything take care of itself and give myself a great shot. Hopefully it'll happen some day."

Just remember, Matsook said it first.

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Phil's Corner

In this week's Phil's Corner, BWI publisher Phil Grosz takes a look at how much Penn State's freshman class has contributed to this season's success.

Indiana coverage

As always, Blue White Illustrated provides the best, most insightful game coverage anywhere. Take a look at our game story, the highs and lows of the game, statistics, game grades and our weekly 'At the Game' feature column.

Michigan State preview

BWI contributor Eric Thomas provides a complete game preview and key match-ups from the game. Don't miss this must-read before the game on Saturday afternoon.

Ecstasy in East Lansing

BWI contributor Lou Prato remembers the Nittany Lions' Bobby Engram and the success he always brought with him to Spartan Stadium.

Recruiting

BWI's Sean Fitz wraps the impact of the Ohio State game on recruiting and looks toward the rest of the recruiting year.

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