BEREA, Oh. --- For the past four years, Baldwin Wallace University senior quarterback Tyler Moeglin (Canton/ Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas) has continually battled for the starting quarterback role. One thing that BW Head Coach John Snell knows for sure is that whether he is at QB or another position, Moeglin needs to be on the field when his offense has the ball.
"Tyler is just an outstanding athlete," said Snell. "He has displayed excellent academic and athletic ability since he walked on our campus. He's a guy that has to be on the field in one capacity or another when we have the football.
A year ago, Moeglin earned the starting role and had a solid season. He completed 116 of 206 passes for 56.3 percent with 1,476 yards and 12 touchdowns anbd six interceptions. Moeglin also was second on the team with 438 rushing yards and a team-leading eight more TD's.
Moeglin also was named as the 37th Annual Lee Tressel Shrine Classic Game BW Most Valuable Player on September 20 when he completed 15 of 21 passes for 176 yards with two TDs and ran for a team-high-tying 87 yards on 14 attempts with two TDs. Moeglin also earned Ohio Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors on Nov. 1 at Capital University as he accounted for five touchdowns and scored three separate ways. Moeglin completed 11 of 15 passes for 172 yards with two TD's, ran for 37 yards in eight attempts with two TD's and caught a pass for a 65-yard TD.
The road to the starting role hasn't been easy for Moeglin, who was a three-sport standout in high school in football, basketball and track and earned 10 varsity letters, and it won't be again this fall. He will receive a stern challenge from senior Robbie Plagens (Rocky River), sophomore John Kromalic (Copley) and junior transfer Tommy Glenn (Avon) as his main competitors.
As a freshman in 2012, Moeglin saw most of his action on the junior varsity team while Ryan O'Rourke '13, Andrew Dziak '14 and Michael Slack '15 saw varsity action. As a sophomore in 2013, Slack and transfer Kyle Ohradzansky '15 alternated at QB for most of the season while Moeglin moved to wide receiver and both caught and ran the ball for the first eight games of the season.
In the ninth game, both Slack and Ohradzansky were both injured in a loss at No.1-ranked Mount Union, so Moeglin was called back into action. He finished the season by completing 20 of 38 passes for 191 yards with two TD's and no interceptions, running the ball 30 times for 167 yards and a TD and catching seven passes for 160 yards.
Seven Questions With Baldwin Wallace Senior Quarterback Tyler Moeglin
- You went from QB to WR and back to QB. Which position do you like better and why? I prefer QB. I have played quarterback since I started playing football in 5th grade. With that in mind, I am most comfortable playing quarterback and having the ball in my hands where I can make decisions on the fly and impact the game on every snap of the ball.
- Talk about the leadership it takes to play QB? As a quarterback, I have to know what all eleven offensive positions are doing every play, and be able to have an idea of what the eleven defensive positions are attempting to do. I put that responsibility on myself. This becomes a message to my teammates of what I believe it takes to be successful. Another aspect of leadership that comes from playing quarterback is making sure to remain positive for all my teammates. Everyone is going to make mistakes throughout the course of a game or practice; it's just part of the game. Therefore, I believe it is my responsibility to make sure guys understand that I have complete confidence in them to come through and make the correct play regardless of what may have happened in previous plays. Football is the ultimate team sport and requires 11 individuals moving as one. The quarterback needs to lead by actions and words, showing what is expected out of himself and then the team.
- You had an opportunity to account/ contribute to scoring in three separate ways in a single game last year (rushing, passing and receiving). Talk about your versatility as an all-around athlete? In high school I was a two way player at St. Thomas Aquinas. On offense I played quarterback and defense I played both cornerback and safety. I believe that the techniques I trained on while playing defense have helped me at the college level to be able to have success at Quarterback. But most importantly I have always had as my main goal, team success and wins. I told our coaches that I would do whatever was needed on the football field to help our team reach our goals. In my first two years that was defined as playing receiver and/or running back. With that unique experience, those skills that I developed have been great attributes to helping our team as the Quarterback. To the skill set of improving as an all-around athlete, one of my focuses during offseason training was to work on increasing my speed, quickness, and explosiveness; which will be key weapons in the yellow jacket arsenal!
- How much fun is it to play quarterback at BW and in the "spread offense"? Playing quarterback in college was something that I never thought was a reasonable goal for me while growing up. However, now that I have exceeded that goal, I would not want my college football experience to be any different. College football has always been a love for me, and to get the opportunity to not only play, but to play quarterback is a dream come true. I enjoy playing in this offense because as a unit, we enjoy a lot of success throughout the season, and there is no better feeling than seeing the joy on the faces of fellow teammates after scoring a touchdown! It is an honor to get to share in the successes of others, and that is what I enjoy most about being a quarterback in this offense. I look forward to sharing a lot of smiles and excitement with the offense during this upcoming season.
- What is your current academic major and what do you hope to do after graduation? My majors right now are Exercise Science and Pre-Physical Therapy. My goal upon graduation is to attend graduate school where I will be trained to be a Physician's Assistant.
- Have you done any internships? If so, tell about it (i.e..... Responsibilities and what you learned)? Last summer (2014), I did have an opportunity with an internship at Alliance Community Hospital. It was an observational intership where I learned the intricacies associated with an orthopedic surgeon's office. During my time there I shadowed both the surgeon, and the physician assistant as they opened my eyes to the daily routines of their job. I was lucky enough to stand in while four surgeries were completed.
- Have you enjoyed your experience at BW and why? My experience at BW has been great for me. The people I have met and interacted with are the type of people that I want to keep in contact with for the rest of my life regardless of the direction my life takes. Most importantly, the education aspect at BW has led me to figure out exactly what I want to do as a career after graduation. Along with that, I have had great opportunities to meet people within my field through the BW name. All in all, I have and still am enjoying my experience at BW.
