Moats turns up the heat on Dukes’ defense

One play should be sufficient if senior defensive end Arthur Moats ever needs a highlight DVD of his work at James Madison.

On a pass by William and Mary, Moats used a speed rush to get around the tackle assigned to block him. Up stepped a running back.

Moats went through him as if he was a ghost, then homed in on quarterback R.J. Archer for a sack in short order.

The sequence was so swift and powerful that it left the crowd at William and Mary buzzing.

"Those are the double teams I like," Moats said with a chuckle. "I like the running backs."

Few people this season have been able to block Moats, who's slightly over 6 feet, weighs 250 pounds, runs a 4.54 in the 40 and talks just as fast as he plays.

In a dim season for the Dukes (1-4 CAA, 3-5), the Portsmouth native has been quite a beacon. He's been able to elude constant double and triple teams enough that he has 66 tackles, leads Football Championship Series defenders with a whopping 20 tackles for loss and ranks third in sacks with 9.5.

JMU coach Mickey Matthews calls Moats "the leader in the clubhouse" for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the top defensive player in FCS.

"He's the best defensive player I've seen this year, on my team or another team," said Matthews, whose squad plays visiting Maine tomorrow at 3 p.m.

Moats spent this past summer improving his speed and strength.

He ran with a weighted vest, pulled a sled and tied a cable between him and another runner for resistance.

He's gone from 4.76 in the 40 in high school to 4.54. NFL scouts are interested in Moats as an outside linebacker.

"He's got that great first step," Matthews said. "After we played Villanova, [Wildcats coach Andy Talley] said he thought he was offside a couple of times, he took off so fast."

Moats calls himself a visual learner. He taught himself to play drums and piano in part by watching YouTube. But his incredible season found rhythm from some perceived and verbal cues.

Moats, a preseason all-CAA pick after tying for the lead in sacks last year (11.5), was left off The Sports Network's preseason All-America list. He was added to the Buchanan list after the season started.

"I don't need motivation," he said. "That was more like an extra thing. But I know when I saw some of the players on the All-American list . . . I said, 'OK, let's improve the numbers from last year.' I didn't understand how I couldn't be up there.

"I've got to prove I'm better than them."

Matthews added fuel by issuing a challenge before the season opener against Maryland. While Moats was playing a high level, Matthews thought he could get to a higher level.

"His feet haven't touched the ground since," Matthews said. "Arthur's a kid who has never lacked confidence. He's one of those guys who is a heck of a player, and usually he's the first guy to admit it. But I don't know if I've been around a great defensive player who doesn't have a lot of confidence.

"When he comes over the sideline, I'll ask him, 'How are they blocking you?' He'll say, 'Coach, you won't believe it. They're trying to block me with one guy.'"