Knowshon Moreno

Knowshon Rockwell Moreno (born July 16, 1987) is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was selected 12th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Broncos. He played college football at the University of Georgia.

Early years
Moreno grew up in Belford, a neighborhood in Middletown Township, New Jersey. At Middletown High School South he led his team to three Central Jersey Group III championships. He rushed for 1,629 yards on 153 carries and scored 28 TDs in 11 games as a senior.

He finished his high school career with 6,268 career rushing yards, 128 touchdowns, and 728 points. His rushing yards are second all-time in New Jersey high school ranks, while he is New Jersey's all-time leading scorer. He also rushed for 420 yards and 7 touchdowns in one game against the Neptune Scarlet Fliers. He also rushed for 6 touchdowns against the Monmouth Regional Falcons. During his time at Middletown South, he also was a top tier sprinter and jumper during the indoor and outdoor track seasons.

He was the #10 running back and #73 prospect according to Rivals.com, #9 running back according to Scout.com, and was a PrepStar 200 selection. He was also an EA Sports All-American while being recruited by Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Florida. Moreno eventually signed his letter of intent to Georgia.

Freshman season
Moreno redshirted in 2006, but returned in 2007 as a redshirt freshman. After a great spring, Moreno shared time with Thomas Brown as the starting running back in the season opener against Oklahoma State. Moreno totaled 70 yards rushing on 12 carries with two receptions for 51 yards in the 35-14 win. In the following game against South Carolina, Moreno saw most of the rushing duties with 14 carries for 104 yards in the 12-16 loss. In the third game of the season against Western Carolina, Moreno scored his first career college touchdown in a 45-16 win over Western Carolina. His totals on the day were 94 yards on 13 rushes with one touchdown.

Entering the Bulldogs' game against Vanderbilt, it was announced that Georgia's starting tailback Thomas Brown would be sidelined with a broken collarbone. Moreno was elevated to starting tailback in Brown's place and responded with 157 yards gained on the ground in a tight 20-17 Bulldog win.

Following a bye week, he continued his impressive season with 188 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 33 carries as Georgia defeated its rival, Florida. Against Troy the next game, Moreno rushed for 196 yards, joining Herschel Walker as the only player in Georgia history to rush for 1,000 yards in his freshman season.

Moreno rushed for over 100 yards for the fifth straight game in leading the Georgia Bulldogs to a 24-13 victory over Kentucky while totaling 124 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Moreno is the first Georgia tailback since Herschel Walker in 1982 to rush for over 100 yards in five straight games.

Through the first ten weeks of the 2007 season, Moreno was named the SEC Freshman of the Week three times and SEC Offensive Player of the Week once. He was named onto the all-SEC first team and was the unanimous SEC Freshman of the Year. He was the featured tailback on the Freshman All-American first team and was named to the All-Freshman SEC team. Sporting News named him Freshman Offensive Player of the Year.

Moreno finished the season with 1,334 yards on 248 carries for 14 touchdowns. He also added 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions.



Sophomore season
Knowshon Moreno began his sophomore campaign as a Heisman Trophy favorite. He opened the season with 59 yards on 8 carries for 3 touchdowns and 53 yards on two receptions for a total of 112 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 45-21 win over Georgia Southern. He also had a tackle on a kickoff. In the following 56-17 win over Central Michigan, Moreno rushed 18 times for 168 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had 3 receptions for 30 yards, totaling 198 yards of total offense in the win. The game also provided Moreno with his highlight reel's iconic moment: a hurdle over an upright CMU defender. In the SEC opener for the Bulldogs against South Carolina, Moreno had 20 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown in the 14-7 win. Next, Moreno and the Bulldogs traveled to Arizona to defeat Arizona State 27-10, led by his 149 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.

However, the Bulldogs' undefeated record was broken in a 41-30 loss to Alabama. In the loss, Moreno was held to 34 yards and a score on 9 carries. It was the only game on the season in which he was held under 50 yards rushing and 50 yards of total offense. However, Moreno bounced back in the 26-14 win over Tennessee with 101 yards. However, he was held out of the endzone for the first time on the season.

Georgia then defeated Vanderbilt 24-14 to improve their record to 6-1, with Moreno rushing 23 times for a season-high 172 yards and a touchdown. Moreno added onto his season totals in the 52-38 victory against LSU with 163 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Moreno's totals in the two-week effort was 335 yards and two touchdowns on only 44 carries.

However, Georgia was handed their second conference loss in a 49-10 rout against eventual national champion Florida, in which Moreno was held to 65 yards on 17 carries. Moreno closed out the season strong with 410 yards rushing, 235 receiving and accounted for six touchdowns in the games against Kentucky, Auburn, Georgia Tech and Michigan State.

He finished the 2008 season with 1,792 yards of total offense (1,400 rushing on 250 carries and 392 yards on 33 receptions) and scored 18 touchdowns (16 rushing, 2 receiving). He was named the team's offensive MVP. He finished second in Doak Walker award voting, behind Shonn Greene. He was named first-team All-SEC for the second consecutive year, and was a second-team All-American selection. On January 7, 2009, Moreno announced that he would enter the 2009 NFL Draft. Just after being drafted Moreno signed an endorsement deal with McDavidUSA and HEXPAD equipment.

2009 NFL Draft
Moreno was considered the best running back available in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Denver Broncos
Moreno was drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 12th overall pick, which was their first of 2 first-round picks in the 2009 NFL Draft. Moreno chose to wear the number 27 on his jersey, the same number used by the late Darrent Williams. He received permission from Williams' mother Rosalind. Knowshon said he would honor the number, and volunteer at the Darrent Williams Teen Center.

On August 7, 2009, after an eight-day holdout, Moreno signed a five-year, $16.7 million contract with a $5.08 million club option for 2014. The deal includes $13.135 million guaranteed and Moreno can earn an additional $6.3 million through incentives. On September 27, 2009, Moreno scored his first career NFL touchdown with a 7 yard run against the Oakland Raiders.

During the 2011 season, Moreno split playing time with Willis McGahee, and soon lost the starting job due to McGahee's performance. Moreno still averaged a career-high 4.8 yards per carry. His season was cut short on November 15, 2011 when the Broncos placed Moreno on the IR after he tore his ACL against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Moreno returned to the playing field for the 2012 season and ran for a touchdown in the opening game win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. After he fumbled in the second game of the season against the Atlanta Falcons, Moreno was benched and was ruled inactive for 8 straight weeks. After Willis McGahee was placed on injured reserve with a leg and knee injury, Moreno was reactivated. Despite speculation that rookie Ronnie Hillman, McGahee's backup, would assume the starting role, Moreno was named the starting running back in the next game against the Kansas City Chiefs. In his first game back, Moreno put up solid numbers, rushing for 87 yards on 20 carries and catching four passes for 26 yards. Two games later in an away game against the Oakland Raiders, Moreno rushed for 119 yards on a career-high 32 carries and recorded a touchdown. He also had 4 catches for 48 yards in the game. In the following game against the Baltimore Ravens, Moreno rushed for 115 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown. In the game, he hurdled over an upright Ed Reed on a 20 yard rush. For that game against the Ravens, Moreno was named "AFC Offensive Player of the Week" and was named the "Fedex Ground Player of the Week."

Career Statistics
Source:

Personal
Knowshon's first name is a portmanteau of his father's nickname, Knowledge, and his mother's name, Varashon.