"It happened
back in July," added Clayton Moore. "I was doing my squats, and I got
through with my whole routine and it was fine. But then I woke up the next morning
and my back was hurting. I could not even reach my toes. I thought it was my mattress
so I kept squatting until I could barely throw the ball. I figured I would quit
squatting and see if that would help. It did. My back got a lot better. But I
decided to be safe and go see a doctor, and they said I tore some muscle, but
I could keep playing. As it turns out, it was not a torn muscle, it was a stress
fracture."
Moore proceeded to get a second opinion in late July.
"They
told me if the pain was not too bad, I could keep playing, so I did. But during
the Kosciusko game, I dove into the endzone funny, and it flared up pretty good.
I tried to play against Nettleton, but I had to come out after the second series.
It will be a week to week deal. I am going to try and get back as soon as possible.
I did not practice this week and I am not playing against Houston."
Despite
missing most of the fourth game, and sitting out the second half of two other
games because the score was out of hand, Clayton still managed to rush for over
400 yards in 8 quarters of play with a stress fracture in his back.
"I
was not going to sit with Dennis Thames being out. We needed a leader out there
to show the young guys. Every season you feel more and more comfortable with your
game management as a whole. I feel stronger, faster, and I can throw it harder,
despite my injury. Every year that goes by, your knowledge of the game and your
awareness improves. I am just another year more advanced."
Clayton
has attended all three Ole Miss home games this season and sees a lot to look
forward to.
"I thought at times Ole Miss has looked fantastic, and
at other times, they are not playing up to their potential because they are so
use to losing. It keeps you from winning. I mean, they dominated Vandy, and basically
just gave the game away. We should have won by 4 or 5 touchdowns. It was hard
to watch in the stands because I wanted to go down there and help them out so
badly, but my time is coming. The same thing with Wake Forest, they should have
won that game too, but they turned it over like 4 times. Ole Miss is just giving
the games away. The talent is there. The coaching is there. I think they are going
to get a big win soon and take off from there and never look back. I picked them
to go 8-4 before the season, and now I am changing it to 7-5."
Moore
has been Ole Miss' most adamant player recruiter and feels like he made the right
decision when he gave his verbal to the Rebels.
"They are bringing
in good players. It does not matter what their record is, when I get in there
with the other recruits, we are going to turn it around. If you keep getting good
players, with that staff they have, we are going to win and win big. I am sold
on what they are preaching."
Most players like to take their official
visits after the season is over so they can experience a whole weekend of activities
and one on one time with the players and coaches. But Clayton is working on setting
up an official visit to Ole Miss for the South Carolina game so he can help recruit
a couple more players.
"I am talking about taking my official for
homecoming because I want to bring Pat Patterson and Dennis Thames as my guest,
and that way, they do not have to waste their offiicial visit. They can come back
for their officials after the season is over, and I will come up there with them
and take an unofficial visit and pay my own way. I just want to do what ever I
can do to help."
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