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Football
Moeller Back Hitting…One Day Early
By Brandon Castel

COLUMBUS — The Buckeyes couldn’t start hitting for real until Tuesday morning, but Tyler Moeller couldn’t wait.

Tyler Moeller
Photo by Jim Davidson

One day before Ohio State put on the full pads for the first time this fall, Moeller saw a wide receiver coming over the middle and his instincts took over.

Despite being away from the game’s physicality for more than a year, and regardless of the fact it was a non-contact day in shorts, Moeller lined up and delivered a blow on DeVier Posey that left the team’s top receiver’s head ringing.

“I had a big hit yesterday against Posey,” said Moeller, who missed all of last season with a head injury.

“He caught me right where I had my surgery, so that was my first big hit of the camp. It felt good. I'll remember that one for sure.”

It was only one hit, but the fact Moeller initiated the contact instead of shying away from it says a lot about his mental state as he returns to the game of football after suffering a traumatic head injury last summer during a family vacation in Florida.

It also set the tone for Tuesday, when Moeller and his teammates were allowed to go full-go for the first time since fall camp began last Thursday.

“It feels good to be out here hitting again,” said Moeller, who took part in spring practice but was not allowed to participate in full-contact drills at the coaches’ order.

“I am truly blessed to be recovered and back out here with the team.”

The senior out of Cincinnati Colerain was in the lead to be Ohio State’s starting Sam linebacker coming out of spring last year, but took a punch to the face from a Florida man named Ralph Gray Decker. It wasn’t the punch that did the damage, but the subsequent fall to the floor that left Moeller with a bleeding brain. Doctors drilled two holes in his head to relieve the pressure and there was some talk that he might never play the game again.

Therefore, when Moeller hit Posey on Monday there was no apology. There was no need. It didn’t matter that it was Terrelle Pryor’s favorite weapon or that he wasn’t even in full pads. This was about something bigger.

“In a nutshell, it means everything to me”, Moeller said of being back in live contact Tuesday for the first time since the injury.
“Playing here is everything to me. Riding the bench for three years and then getting a shot and then getting hurt, to be able to contribute to this team is everything to me.”

And contribute he should. Not only was he back on the field Tuesday for the scrimmage portion of practice, but he was back working with the first-team defense only this time at a new position. Two years ago Moeller had his breakout game as a Buckeye filling in as the Star (nickel back) against Illinois for Jermale Hines.

“One game that sticks out to me in my mind, we played at Illinois in ‘08 and Tyler had maybe 4.5 tackles for loss, sack, a fumble recovery and everything else,” senior linebacker Brian Rolle said of Moeller back on the first day of fall camp.

“He's probably one of the most physical guys for his size. Tyler's not the biggest guy just like I’m not the biggest guy. He's been sitting out, but he's been eager to play and everyone’s been eager to see him play. When he gets in those contact drills next week, I'm going to be in the front watching him.” 

Rolle wasn’t in the front Tuesday, but only because a class commitment prevented him from being at practice. While Andrew Sweat took his place in the lineup, the whole team took his place in watching Moeller make his return to the Star position on a full-time basis.

After practice, which included a collision with fullback Zach Boren near the goal line, Moeller said he felt 100 percent and had no lingering effects from the head injury which cost him an entire year of his life.

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