Colorado University Athletics
Buffs' Moeller Had Memorable Debut Vs. Ducks
October 01, 2015 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — The last time the Colorado Buffaloes were preparing to play Oregon, Ryan Moeller entered the week as a walk-on redshirt freshman whose duties consisted of special teams and scout teams.
But by the end of the week, Moeller found himself in the starting lineup, playing safety against the nation's third-ranked team — the one that featured soon-to-be Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Marcus Mariota and a host of other high-powered offensive weapons.
Moeller didn't flinch — and less than a year later, as the Buffs once again prepare for Oregon, he hasn't seen the scout team since, he's on full scholarship, and he's become the Buffs' regular starter at free safety.
It's what happens when your starting debut is one of the best in school history.
In Moeller's first appearance on CU's defense, the small-town product produced some big-time numbers, finishing the game with 14 unassisted tackles — including three at or behind the line of scrimmage, a third-down stop and a touchdown save, along with one pass deflection and a near quarterback sack.
It certainly wasn't what you'd expect from a freshman starter under those circumstances.
"I remember kind of watching him during the first quarter, and I said, 'Wow, this isn't too big for him. He's OK out there,'" CU head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "He was playing his heart out and did really well. He played well the rest of the season, he had a super spring and a great fall, and the rest is kind of history."
Not that the final chapter has been written. Moeller, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound product of Rifle High School, is far from finished. He is second on the team this season in tackles (20 solo, eight assists) and has one interception, one pass breakup and three tackles for losses.
And he's ready for another shot at the Ducks, whose 44-10 win in Eugene last year is what Moeller remembers more than his individual numbers.
"I don't really remember how many tackles I had," Moeller said. "I just remember trying to get the next (defensive) call. They play a pretty fast-paced game."
The Ducks do indeed play a fast-paced game, but Moeller's performance is even more eye-popping when you figure he had had almost zero repetitions with either the No. 1 or No. 2 defense prior to the week of the Oregon game. It was almost as if he was learning as the game went along.
"He had barely a week of playing the the ones and twos," MacIntyre said. "We'd just moved him over that week, and then we had a bang-bang-bang situation with injuries. All of a sudden he's starting, and he goes out there and makes 14 tackles and a bunch of plays."
Moeller, though, said the preparation wasn't particularly difficult.
"It was a normal week, just like every other one," he said with a shrug.
But he admits now that the game will always have a special place in his memory bank.
"I'll always remember that game in particular because it was my first opportunity to start on defense," he said. "I got to play against a great team and great players, Mariota and that bunch. Maybe I'll live long enough to talk about it a little bit someday."
For Moeller, however, talking about last year is not a wise use of time and energy. Instead, he's focusing on Saturday's matchup at Folsom Field (8 p.m., ESPN). It's CU's Pac-12 opener, and one the Buffs desperately want to win.
"You have to prepare to play your best game and play against a team that's going to try to give you their best game," Moeller said. "You have to realize we're all just men, that they're no different than us. If you play with the right kind of intensity and respect, you'll be all right."
Moeller came to CU as a "recruited walk-on" in 2013. A star running back at Rifle — he ran for 3,002 yards and 42 touchdowns as a senior — he still was somewhat lost in the shuffle of coaching staff changes between the 2012 season and 2013 recruit signing day. Because MacIntyre and his staff didn't arrive until late in the recruiting season, he hadn't had a chance to see much of Moeller.
"If I would have been here the whole time and had been recruiting him the whole time, I think we would have ((offered him a scholarship)," MacIntyre said earlier this season. "I didn't know he could be a safety; I knew he was a good running back. So, I encouraged him to walk on and I'm sure glad he did."
Moeller moved to defensive back his first year at CU (2013), when he redshirted. He moved up to special teams and scout team duty last season, and finally got his break in the 11th game of the year.
"That game gave me a boost of confidence to be able to play and carry through to the last game of the season with Utah, and then for preparing for this season," Moeller said. "What I've always believed is that you stay prepared and you try to fine-tune your craft, everything can work out for you."
