Colorful purpose of Le'Veon Moss remains resolute as he nears return

Everybody needs a purpose.

Texas A&M running back Le’Veon Moss has one. Anyone who’s watched Moss bounce off linebackers or bowl over safeties knows Moss runs with a purpose.

So, what is that purpose?

“To run through (my foes) face,” Moss said in a recent interview.

That awesome, colorful quote speaks to the intimidating presence of Moss. He delivers more hits than he takes.

The words in parentheses were edited to soften Moss’ response while accurately conveying his thoughts. Perhaps (most folks) or (many fellows) would’ve sufficed, too.

Moss attacks offenses like he approaches defenses — unrelenting, unafraid and unapologetic.

Last season, Moss rushed for 765 yards before sustaining a season-ending knee injury early in the ninth game. More than two-thirds of his yardage (533 yards) was gained after contact.

In fact, Moss averaged 4.4 yards per rush after contact. That was 10th in the nation among players with more than 100 carries.

He is a bull, and the football field is his china shop. Moss also has thoroughbred qualities. He demonstrated those with a 75-yard touchdown run against Missouri.

But his purposeful persona was more apparent against Florida, when he spun out of a pile at the line of scrimmage, stepped through a tackle attempt and then bulldozed through a couple of defensive backs for a 27-yard gain.

Or against Arkansas, when he blasted over the right side for a 30-yard gain and picked up an additional 15 yards because a defensive back had to grab Moss’ face mask to stop him.

Or against LSU, when he ran through a safety and picked up 19 more yards on a 25-yard gain. That led to a seven-yard touchdown run right through the middle of the LSU defense.

Alas, Moss was injured in the first quarter the next week. He was severely missed, especially on short-yardage plays. His physicality might have made a difference on fourth-and-1 situations against South Carolina and Texas.

That injury raises the obvious question. Will Moss return? And if he does, can he be as effective as he was?

Moss answered “yes” to both questions.

A few weeks ago estimated his health at 98 percent. When August camp arrives, he said he’ll be at 100 percent.

“I might be an even better Le’Veon Moss,” he said. “I’ve got a chip on my shoulder because I didn’t finish the season the way I wanted to.”

The Aggies will need Moss at his best. Next season, they face seven opponents that ranked among the nation’s top 51 in run defense last season. Three of them were ranked among the top 20.

That’s OK. Moss has made clear his intent to run through the faces of (more foes).