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WINSTON-SALEM -- Two players in college football's top division have 200 or more yards rushing and 300 or more yards receiving this season. One of them is Wake Forest's Kenny Moore; the other is an Air Force Academy Falcon.

And, no, this is not some random, inconsequential fact relevant only to stats geeks bunkered in mom's basement with a satellite dish and an Internet connection. There is a bond here, and at the risk of an oxymoron, it is grounded in Orbit.

That's the name of a wide receiver-run sweep popularized at Wake by Troy Calhoun, Jim Grobe's first offensive coordinator and now the coach at Air Force. Calhoun bequeathed it to his successor, Steed Lobotzke, who has used it to accentuate Moore's skills in an offense that's still feeling its way as the Demon Deacons prepare for Thursday night's home game against Florida State on ESPN.

"We've had guys who are great runners," Grobe said. "We've had guys who are really good receivers. But a guy who gives you so much? I don't know that I've had anybody who is that versatile."

Calhoun, in his first year as coach at his alma mater, wasn't surprised to learn that his guy, Chad Hall, was being compared to Moore.

"You see some similarities between those kids," he said. "There are probably things we did back at Wake that we are utilizing now and are helpful. And there are probably some things we did at Wake that we're trying to force-feed to our kids now."

Moore, Hall and Chris Johnson of East Carolina are the only players leading teams in college football's top division in rushing and receiving yards, a fact that brings up names of dual threats such as Rocket Ismail (Notre Dame) or Charles Woodson (Michigan.) If he were playing at a football factory with a 100,000-seat stadium and a stranglehold on television, Moore might be mentioned in connection with a stiff-arming bronze trophy.

"If I were at Notre Dame or one of the Florida schools, I might be a front-runner, but I can't worry about that," he said of the Heisman Trophy. "I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing. I've got be a playmaker for the offense. It's a great role."

Whether it's a 15-catch performance at Boston College in a season-opening loss or a game-changing punt return in a victory over Army or the decisive Orbit sweep that nudged aside Duke last week, Moore has been called upon to keep the Deacs afloat.

Wake is not on the short list of schools with the luxury of interchangeable high school All-Americans at various spots, which accentuates Moore's importance. And nothing shows it off like the sweep, which entered the offense when Grobe and his staff arrived from Ohio University in late 2000.

They ran the option at Ohio, but realized their first quarterback at Wake, James MacPherson, wasn't suited to that style. Likewise, their fastest receiver, ACC track champion John Stone, had a problem catching the ball. Improvisation was in order.

"So we thought we've got the fastest guy in the ACC, and if we can't throw him the ball. ... That's where the Orbit came in," Grobe recalled. "Troy did a nice job of getting talented kids the ball in different ways. He has found a way at Air Force to get their most talented player the ball. That's what we do with Kenny."

On the Orbit play, the receiver lines up in his conventional spot, goes in motion -- often behind the quarterback -- and takes a pitch in a precisely timed run designed to surprise a defense anticipating standard, between-the-tackles runs. It doesn't always work, but when called at the right time and entrusted to Moore, it can devastate. In 23 rushing attempts this year, Moore has gained 245 yards. The most recent came on the 54-yard run in 41-36 victory at Duke.

"I remember Kenny out of high school," said Calhoun, whose final season at Wake, 2002, was Moore's senior year at Matthews Butler. "He reminded me of Fabian Davis. Fabian didn't lead our team in rushing, but he sure had a lot of long gains."

Calhoun left for the NFL's Houston Texans, and Lobotzke took over. The Demon Deacons' offense has changed through the years to involve more passing -- Moore once jokingly referred to his receiver mates as "wide tackles" -- but the Orbit has been as constant as the one in the heavens.

Moore, a senior, played much of last year in the backfield after injuries ravaged the running backs. Micah Andrews' return to health and Josh Adams' development have kept him out wide, but it's clear the experience at running back remains beneficial.

"You can't just move to one position and forget about the other," he said. "You never know when I might need to use my running back skills and wide receiver skills."

Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rdaniels @news-record.com