Record Day for QBs Davis, Moore and Keenum

While Keenum and Moore were expected to put their names in the NCAA record books Saturday, Davis did so with a remarkable show of accuracy for East Carolina at Navy.

Davis completed his first 26 passes to break a record held by Tennessee's Tee Martin and California's Aaron Rodgers — heard of him? — and led the Pirates to a 38-35 victory.

Davis also set a record for most completions over more than one game. He had completed his final 10 passes against Memphis last week, so his stunning first half against Navy gave him 36 completions in a row — breaking the NCAA mark of 26 set in 2004 by Rodgers, now a star with the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.

After going 26 for 26 for 251 yards before halftime, Davis' streak ended when he misfired on his first attempt in the third quarter. He finished 40 for 45 for 372 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Funny thing is, it wasn't until he reached the locker room that Davis learned just how special his numbers were.

"I had no idea until after the game," the 6-foot-3 quarterback said. "When they told me, I was like, 'Wow, really?' It's amazing, but when you do your job and put the ball in your receiver's hands, that's what happens."

In Houston, Keenum became the Football Bowl Subdivision's career leader in total offense, throwing for 376 yards and tying his career high with six touchdown passes in No. 21 Houston's 63-28 win over Marshall.

The senior quarterback needed 130 yards to eclipse the record (16,910 yards) set by Chang from 2000-04. He moved past Chang on a 30-yard pass to Justin Johnson with 3:56 left in the first quarter.

Keenum completed 24 of 28 passes — 15 in a row during one stretch — and also crept closer to the major college football career records for passing yards and touchdown throws. He needs 802 passing yards to move ahead of Chang's record (17,072) and five TD passes to eclipse the mark (134) set by Texas Tech's Graham Harrell from 2005-08.

Houston coach Kevin Sumlin awarded the game ball to Keenum at midfield, where the Cougars gathered behind him. Keenum turned to his teammates and hoisted the ball.

At Boise, Idaho, Moore threw three touchdown passes and No. 5 Boise State beat Air Force 37-26 to give the senior his 45th career victory as a starter.

That put him in a tie with the former Texas star McCoy for the most wins all-time by a college quarterback. His second TD pass of the day, a 19-yarder to Matt Miller, gave him 122 for his career and pushed him past former BYU quarterback Ty Detmer for fourth best all-time.

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Can Matt Moore save the Dolphins?

Steve Mitchell/US PresswireThe Dolphins are hoping unheralded backup QB Matt Moore can spark a turnaround for the 0-4 team.DAVIE, Fla. -- Fifth-year quarterback Matt Moore was all smiles this week. He was relaxed, cracked several jokes with the media and didn't look like a player carrying the weight of the organization on his shoulders.

Moore appears unfazed by the fact that the winless Miami Dolphins (0-4) are turning to him at a crucial time. Head coach Tony Sparano is on the hot seat and needs to win immediately. General manager Jeff Ireland also is being criticized. And players are fighting for their jobs to prevent the team from cleaning house in 2012.

Moore's ability -- or inability -- to solidify Miami's quarterback position will go a long way toward determining the fates of Sparano and Ireland. Moore will make his first start with Miami in place of injured quarterback Chad Henne (shoulder) on "Monday Night Football" against the New York Jets (2-3).

This will be Moore's 14th career start, as he spent time in and out of the lineup with the Carolina Panthers. He is 7-6 as a starter and has thrown for 2,807 yards, 16 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

"I've been in pretty much every situation you can be in as a quarterback in this league, from the No. 3 to starting and playing when I'm not expected to play," Moore said. "The situation here, yeah, I've been here before. It's unfortunate that Chad (Henne) had to go down. But that's why they got guys that need to step up and fill the role. Like I said, it's not the first time I've done it. There's some familiarity."

The most games Moore started in a season was five in 2009 and 2010. If things go well, Moore will quarterback Miami's final 12 games this season.

Players and coaches have described Moore as a "gamer." He's not the most gifted quarterback, but finds ways to move the offense with his playmaking and mobility. Moore signed a two-year contract with the Dolphins this offseason and can prove he is not just a backup.

"He's somebody that I'm intrigued with," said Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. "I don't think he will ever be a star. But he moves around a lot better than Henne, he's just not nearly as gifted a thrower. Moore is an average or slightly below average passer. He doesn't muscle the ball down the field, but he's not bad there, either. He's a bit of an unknown, because he's never really had a chance. But I'm certainly not ready to dismiss him."

Moore often is a risk-taker, which has helped and hurt him at times. Jets head head coach Rex Ryan recently described Moore as a "gunslinger."

"You can turn on the tape and people can make their assumptions, labels," Moore quipped. "Have I thrown the ball down field? Yeah. Gunslinger, or whatever you want to call it? I don't know. There's only one gunslinger if you ask me, and that's Brett Favre."

Here is the biggest irony of the situation: Moore was 1-4 as a starter last year in Carolina and it helped the Panthers secure rookie sensation Cam Newton with the No. 1 overall pick.

Could Moore struggle for a second straight year and help Miami land another highly touted quarterback: Stanford's Andrew Luck?

Many Dolphins fans are hoping that's the case. The "Suck for Luck" campaign is in full steam in Miami. The support is waning for this season's Dolphins, and many supporters already consider this a lost season.

Although it's too early to project next year's draft order, Miami is a prime candidate for a top-five pick based on its play in the first four games. Williamson believes Luck would fit in well with the Dolphins.

"By all accounts and from what I've seen of him, he's a very, very special player," Williamson said. "He's ahead of Sam Bradford, or Cam Newton, or any of these recent first-round quarterbacks. He can turn any franchise around, and I think a lot of things are in place with the Dolphins. They have a left tackle, they have a center, they have a No. 1 receiver, and they have a No. 1 running back now. They have a lot of pieces."

The thought of Luck being protected by Pro Bowl left tackle Jake Long, throwing to receivers Brandon Marshall, Davon Bess and Brian Hartline, and handing off to up-and-coming running back Daniel Thomas certainly is tantalizing. But for now, Dolphins fans get to see how Moore works with these skill players.

Consider Monday's game the "Desperation Bowl" for both teams. The Dolphins and Jets have combined for seven straight losses.

While the Dolphins are fighting for their jobs, the underachieving Jets are on the brink of imploding. Ryan put a lot of pressure on his team by predicting a Super Bowl victory at the beginning of the season. Now, New York's three-game losing streak has led to finger pointing and bickering in the locker room.

"Everything stinks when you lose," said Ryan, who is still holding onto his Super Bowl guarantee. "The food tastes terrible, beer's warm, everything. It's rotten, when you lose it's absolutely rotten. But there's one way to fix it and that's to win, and when you win, everything is great. So that’s what we’re planning on doing."

The Dolphins enter Monday's game with plenty of confidence. Miami is 3-0 against the Jets at the Meadowlands the past three years. Ryan has never beaten the Dolphins at home and is just 1-3 overall against Miami.

Miami has become an NFL punchline this season and remains just one of three teams without a win. But Moore and the Dolphins can change some of their national perception with a good showing before a national audience.

"That's the best thing about this league: Every week you can wipe out the week before and move on, and kind of get a snowball effect going," Bess said. "We know how hard it is to win in this league. But if we start winning, it can become contagious."

The Dolphins still believe there is hope for them in 2011. But the worst-case scenario isn't bad, either.

If Moore doesn't pan out for the Dolphins, they might still be "in Luck."

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OT Gilbert, RB Moore Out for Steelers

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A debate about the conservative reaction to Occupy Wall Street.

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Jets’ Moore Responds to Holmes’s Critical Remarks

Are all assassinations created equal? The Thread looks at reactions to the targeted drone strike that killed the American-born Islamist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

In Room for Debate: Residential programs’ effectiveness is in doubt. Their steep price is not.

A debate about the conservative reaction to Occupy Wall Street.

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Gridiron Gab 2011 NFL Draft Prospect Scouting Report – S Rahim Moore

Rahim Moore, S, UCLA, 6'1 195

Position Ranking: #3

Strengths: A good athlete who plays light on his feet. Shows smooth footwork in his backpedal and changing direction; looks natural moving in reverse. Fluid in his overall movements with good agility. Capable of playing center field (cover 1) and has enough speed and range to get to the outside.

Played plenty of cover 2 and spent most of his time on the back end. Breaks down quickly in space to make proper technique tackles. Solid coverage awareness and has a good enough understanding of routes to put himself in position to make a play on the football. Voted team captain by peers and visibly encourages his teammates throughout the game. Well respected in the locker room and takes responsibility when the defense plays subpar.

Needs Improvement: Has a slight body frame and isn’t a powerful hitter. Strength is only adequate at the point of attack and can’t always make the tackle one-on-one on an island. Won’t be much of a threat close to the line of scrimmage at the next level; lacks the strength to consistently set the edge in contain or avoid getting washed out of the play by lineman in run support.

Doesn’t always feel the run play developing in front of him and will allow ball carrier to get on top of him before he reacts; instincts and anticipation are questionable at times. Tackling technique is off/on as are his pursuit angles.

Bottom Line: Rahim Moore has the skill set and ability to be most effective in a cover 2 scheme. He’s very comfortable in deep coverage with pass routes developing in front of him and has the necessary skills to become a reliable starter. His overall play in run support will limit his stock as Moore lacks the size and strength to be an effective last line of defense for more aggressive defensive fronts. Overall, Moore is an intelligent player with good athleticism and will likely add quality depth to a team early in his career as he continues to develop physically.

Draft Projection: 3rd round

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