When Maurice Moore took his recruiting trip to the University of Iowa, he kept hearing about the "other guy" that the Hawkeyes were pursuing as a cornerback. "They kept telling me that they were recruiting somebody named Jay Valai," he said.

Funny how that works, because when Jay Valai made his official visit to Iowa City, he kept hearing about the "other guy" that the Hawks were projecting as a corner. "They kept talking about a Maurice Moore," he said.

Moore didn't know Valai.

Valai didn't know Moore.

"The only thing that we knew," Moore said, "is that they were recruiting both of us to play corner, and we were both from Texas and the Dallas-Fort Worth area."

Moore, who's from Fort Worth, was a dual-threat quarterback for the Everman High Bulldogs.

Valai, who's from Euless (located midway between Dallas and Fort Worth) was a teeth-rattling defensive back for the Colleyville Heritage High Panthers.

"I didn't know about him at all," Moore said, "but I did know that he had a pretty good team."

"It was weird for me," Valai said, "hearing his name everywhere I went (in Iowa City)."

Moore and Valai finally met in the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport on their way to another recruiting trip. Both were headed to Madison and their official visit to the University of Wisconsin.

After spending some time together and sharing thoughts, they discovered they saw eye to eye on a lot of different things. Moore is 5-foot-11, Valai is 5-9.

"We hit it off pretty good," Moore recalled, "and we ended up committing on the same day and being roommates. We had a lot in common off the field."

What about on the playing field? "We're a little bit different," Moore said with an impish grin. "He likes contact, and I'd rather stay away from it."

Spoken like a true quarterback, or rather an ex-quarterback turned wide receiver. Moore will be in the wideout rotation Saturday in Iowa City when the Badgers face the Hawkeyes. In 2006, he was redshirting as a freshman when Wisconsin upended the Hawks 24-21 at Kinnick Stadium.

So was Valai, now the starting strong safety for the Badgers, who will be seeking to snap a frustrating three-game losing streak in an historically tough road environment. Kickoff will be at 11 a.m., and Iowa fans have been encouraged to "Be Bold, Wear Gold." Moore and Valai nearly did.

"Jay and me have been talking about it (playing at Kinnick)," said Moore, who is rounding back into shape after being sidelined for a few weeks with a strained hip flexor. Prior to the injury, he had three catches against Marshall and two at Fresno State.

"I know the offense better, and I think I've showed the coaches that I can be on the field," said Moore, who has been effective when the Badgers have thrown the bubble screen. "It's definitely a play where I can get the ball in space and make some moves."

As for the move from quarterback to wide receiver, Moore pointed out, "It was more mental than physical, because you don't touch the ball as much. I was used to touching it on every play. Now, I have to be patient."