Down early on the road against Purdue and with the offense stalling, TCU needed a break. The Horned Frogs threw an interception and punted on their first two possessions. The Boilermakers had a chance to take a two-score lead with a strong drive. 

Purdue QB Jack Plummer dropped back to pass and immediately looked for consensus All-American WR Rondale Moore who was screaming out of the slot. He delivered a ball accurately right to the heart of TCU’s zone defense. However, safety Trevon Moehrig – in just his fourth career start – recognized the route. He took a chance and stepped up into the path of the ball. 

“I saw him catch the ball, but I also had my hand on the ball,” Moehrig said. “So at that moment, I just pulled it out of his hands, laid down and realized I had the ball. I was just like, oh man, I didn’t even know, it was crazy for that to happen.” 

Moehrig’s heads up play helped TCU seize the momentum. Jonathan Song nailed a 24-yard field goal off the interception to tie the game and Darius Anderson later rushed for a score to take a lead that TCU would never relinquish in a 34-13 win. Moore – who ranked No. 2 nationally in 2018 with 8.5 receptions per game – caught just three passes for 25 yards. 

“I can’t just take my foot off the gas because of one good play,” Moehrig said. “I’ve got to keep my head level, get back in the next series and keep trying to stop a really good receiver.” 

Moehrig’s level-headed mindset helped him transform into one of the nation’s best safeties in just his second year at TCU. Despite being part of a unit that defended five receivers selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, Moehrig posted 62 tackles, 11 pass breakups and four interceptions. Pro Football Focus rated him the No. 1 safety in America.

Heading into 2020, Moehrig pairs with sophomore Ar’Darius Washington to form an elite safety rotation. If TCU’s defense gets back to top 10 defensive performance, Moehrig’s improvement will be front and center. 

“Every aspect of my game, I can improve on,” Moehrig said. “You’ll never hear me saying that I’m the top whatever. That’s for other people to decide.”