LSU senior defensive end Kirston Pittman has played against two Heisman Trophy winners and countless All-Americans in his six seasons.But one player stands out to Pittman as possibly being the most explosive of them all — Georgia sophomore running back Knowshon Moreno.”He’s a great back,” Pittman said. “He does a really good job running behind his pads. When he sees the hole, he really hits it.”The term “running behind his pads” may not be familiar to some, but Pittman said the phrase is one of the highest compliments a defensive lineman can give to a running back.”That means he’s patient,” he said. “He waits for the blockers to get in front of him. He might hit the hole fast, but if he sees he has a blocker in front of him, he will slow down and let his blocker pick up his block.” Moreno, a Middletown, N.J., native, was rated the nation’s No. 10 running back in 2006 after scoring 67 touchdowns combined in his junior and senior seasons at Middletown South High School.Moreno signed with Georgia after scholarship offers from Michigan, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Florida.The young back didn’t waste time bursting onto the national scene after a redshirt 2006 season, as he rushed for 1,334 yards and 14 touchdowns last season.Moreno was hyped as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate in the preseason and has been just as effective as he was last season. He has 762 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns through seven games, despite running behind a youthful offensive line that has been hampered by injuries.”Everyone is working hard to get better, and our guys keep getting better and better each week,” Moreno said. “The offensive line has done a great job adjusting.”But Moreno comes into this weekend’s game peaking and has 273 yards combined in his last two games.”I’m just working to try to get better each week,” he said. “As long as we’re winning games, I don’t care. I’ll help the team in any way possible.”The Georgia sophomore’s play has made him a local legend in Athens and a nationally known commodity among college football fans.Moreno’s run against Central Michigan in which he hurdled a Chippewa defender has become a YouTube classic, with more than 340,000 page views.Pittman said he was watching Moreno’s run on SportsCenter and was in awe of the athleticism he showed in the open field.”It was really an amazing thing,” Pittman said. “He was running full speed, and he took one step to slow down, and he just jumped over that guy completely.”Moreno’s teammates say the increased hype hasn’t changed his work ethic, and he still relies on doing the “little things” to make him effective.”He’s a good receiver,” said junior quarterback Matthew Stafford. “He runs good routes and has great hands, and he knows how to get open. And he’s actually a really good blocker. Probably one of our best blocking backs, including fullbacks.”LSU coach Les Miles said the Tigers must keep the Bulldogs’ halfback in check — not just in the running game — if they hope to contain the Georgia offense.”He’s a tremendous receiver,” Miles said. “He’s very elusive. He’s got very good ball skills. He’ll block the defensive ends before he leaves the pocket as well. We’re very much aware of him.”The matchup pits Moreno with the back some may consider to be his top challenger for the best in the Southeastern Conference: LSU junior Charles Scott.Scott said he admires Moreno’s ability, but he and the LSU tailbacks don’t believe Georgia will have an advantage in the running game on Saturday.”He’s a tremendous runner who can do it all,” Scott said. “But we have some guys who can run it a little bit, too.”—-Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]