HOUSTON --- Texas A&M junior defensive end Damontre Moore was one of five Southeastern Conference standouts named semifinalist for the 43rd Rotary Lombardi Award, the Rotary Club of Houston announced on Wednesday.

SEC players made up five of the seven Lombardi semifinalists or “Seven Blocks of Granite.” The “Seven Blocks of Granite” was the immortal nickname given to Fordham University’s famous offensive lines of the 1930s, of which Vince Lombardi was a 1936 member. The semi-finalists for the Rotary Lombardi Award are similarly dubbed the seven blocks of granite. The Rotary Lombardi Award committee will announce the four finalists on November 17, 2012.

Joining Moore as a semifinalist from the SEC were: DE Jadeveon Clowney of South Carolina, C Barrett Jones of Alabama, LB Jarvis Jones of Georgia and DE Sam Montgomery of LSU. Other semifinalists were LB Arthur Brown of Kansas State and LB Manti Te’o of Notre Dame.

Moore, from Rowlett, Texas, has been spectacular in his first season at defensive end after spending his first two seasons at A&M at outside linebacker. In the NCAA statistics, he ranks No. 2 in tackles for loss (2.0 per game) and No. 3 in quarterback sacks (1.25 per game). He is the Aggies’ leader in tackles with 74, and is seeking to become just the third A&M defensive lineman to lead the team in tackles in the last 40 years. For the season, Moore leads the team in tackles, solo tackles (51), sacks (12.5), tackles for loss (20.0) and QB hurries (6). A model of consistency, Moore has at least one tackle for loss in his last 16 games.