by Daniel Archuleta
Daily Lobo
On a cloudy and rainy day in San Francisco, DonTrell Moore's season ended.
His career, however, is still far from over.
At last year's Dec. 30 Emerald Bowl against Navy, Moore suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that required him to have surgery during the offseason.
Moore missed all of spring practice and most of this summer's workouts.
Moore said he has taken the injury in stride.
"It's just another obstacle, just another challenge," he said. "I was bummed out initially when I couldn't be out there with my teammates."
UNM head coach Rocky Long said he was concerned for his player and not the result of the game when the injury happened.
"My biggest concern was for him, for his health," Long said. "Whenever you see a player get hurt, you always hope that it isn't serious."
Long said he is hoping Moore returns quickly.
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"We're hoping for the best," he said. "We're hoping for his sake and for the team's sake, because he is an awful good football player."
Although rehab might carry some ominous tones, Moore said he's been enjoying the time he's spent bringing his knee back up to speed.
"Rehab has been fun," he said. "I give all the credit in the world to Smitty (UNM football physical trainer David Smith). He has allowed it to be fun, not just a burden for me."
With the season only 40 days away, Moore said he's focused on recovering and getting back to business.
"It was incumbent upon me to do extra to make sure that things worked out to the best of my abilities," he said.
This season will be special for Moore. He will get a chance to prove his injury is not permanent and he will be ready to go once the season starts.
"It's my senior year, my last year to strap it up as a Lobo," he said. "A lot of people think that you can't be successful after an injury. I just want to prove to myself and to everybody that this isn't the end of the world."
