FAYETTEVILLE — Whatever adversity KJ Jefferson has faced as the starting quarterback for the University of Arkansas this season, he said it's nothing compared to what his mother, Katorie Moore, has overcome.
Moore had a stroke and underwent brain surgery when Jefferson -- a redshirt sophomore for the Razorbacks -- was a senior at North Panola High School in Sardis, Mississippi.
"With her going through what she went through a while back, it just showed me how strong she is," said Jefferson, who will lead Arkansas against Penn State in the Outback Bowl on Saturday. "Knowing she can overcome adversity with that going on, I know any obstacle that comes my way I can overcome.
"What she was going through was way worse than what I'll probably ever go through. So knowing I have a mom like that and the way she bounced back and recovered from a health problem, I just feed off that."
Moore takes medication and has regular checkups after recovering from surgery and undergoing rehab that included learning to walk again. She has returned to work as a receptionist at an urgent care clinic in Senatobia, Mississippi, and was able to attend several Arkansas games this season.
"I've had good days and bad days since the stroke, but I'm feeling good," said Moore, 44. "I can't complain. It's not going to do any good.
"I'm just working and getting ready for the bowl game."
A highlight of the recovery process for Moore was when doctors finally allowed her to attend one of North Panola's games.
Jefferson didn't know she would be at the game until family members took her onto the field in a wheelchair during warmups.
"When KJ saw me, he came running off the field to me," she said. "Then the entire team came running to me. The players all knew me, and they were hollering and clapping and waving.
"It was amazing. That right there was a moment. I was so ecstatic. But my family was like, 'Don't get her too worked up.' They didn't want me to run my (blood) pressure up because I got too excited."
Moore said Jefferson helped inspire her to work to regain her strength and health so she could see him play.
"He might have said I was his inspiration, but he was mine, because he stayed on me," Moore said. "He was like, 'Never give up,' and, 'You can do this.'
"He was always very encouraging and saying, 'Mom, you've got this. I'm going to push you until I can't push you no more.'
"He always made sure that if he couldn't be where I was -- because sometimes in therapy I stayed at the hospital -- he would check up on me.
"He'd say, 'You doing what they're telling you to do? You need to exercise, you need to stop pouting. You want to be able to come home and be able to see me play football again, don't you?'
"I never gave up because he kept pushing me. I knew I wanted to get better so I could see him fulfill his dreams.
"My husband (James) would tell me all the time, 'KJ said you can't come to the game if you don't do what they say you're supposed to do.'"
The doctors and nurses treating Moore also used Jefferson and football as motivation for her.
"They'd said, 'You can go to his game, but only if you do right,'" Moore said. "They knew what triggered me to do better."
Jefferson said his mother is his No. 1 fan, but also isn't afraid to offer constructive criticism when she believes it's needed.
"She's always week in and week out telling me to make sure I do the right thing on and off the field," Jefferson said. "On the field, she's my biggest critic.
"She knows I can get better, knows some areas I need to mature in and work on.
"I have her in my corner telling me each and every day, 'Hey, go into practice with a clear mindset. Make sure you're focusing on these things. Make sure you focus on your mechanics this day.'"
The motivation and criticism Moore has provided her son must be working, because Jefferson has put together an impressive season after replacing Feleipe Franks -- now with the Atlanta Falcons -- as a starter.
Jefferson has completed 184 of 275 passes (66.9%) for 2,578 yards and 21 touchdowns with 3 interceptions. He also has rushed 126 times for 554 yards and 5 touchdowns.
"KJ's had a wonderful season," Arkansas senior running back Trelon Smith said. "I believe KJ came in and did exactly what he was supposed to do. I feel like he stepped up to the plate after Franks left, and he's a true leader on this team.
"He proved everybody wrong. All the critics. All the doubters."
An article posted by 247Sports on Aug. 31 -- a week before the season opener -- rated Jefferson 14th among the Southeastern Conference's 14 starting quarterbacks.
"When I saw that ranking, I was like, 'Wow, they put him dead last,'" Moore said.
Moore said she and other family members made sure Jefferson knew about the article rather than trying to shield him from it.
"My sister (Jessica) said, 'This is motivation for us. We see where they're ranking him, but we know what he can do. We know how he'll elevate his game. Just watch him work,'" Moore said. "So we shared it on social media
"We said, 'Watch KJ work,' and it did work, because nobody's ranking him No. 14 in the SEC now."
Moore said there's no doubt any criticism serves as motivation for her son.
"It could be the smallest thing, but we're going to make sure if we see it, that KJ knows about it, too," Moore said. "If he didn't see it, we're going to bring it to his attention.
"I tell him, 'Everything that people put in front of you that's meant for your bad, use it for your good. Do what you've got to do.'
"Someone might mean it as a negative statement for KJ, but I'm going to find something positive for him to bring it out. He's going to make it go the right way."
Moore said she was able to attend all of Arkansas' home games in Fayetteville and Little Rock this season and road games at Georgia and Ole Miss.
Oxford, where Arkansas played Ole Miss, is 23 miles from Sardis.
Moore said there were well over 100 family members and friends from Sardis, Senatobia and Como, Miss., at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to cheer on Jefferson and the Razorbacks.
"We had people rooting for KJ and Arkansas all over that stadium," she said. "There were people there even from his pee-wee league years."
Ole Miss held on to beat Arkansas 52-51 when Jefferson's two-point conversion pass intended for Treylon Burks sailed high on the game's final play.
Jefferson rushed 20 times for 85 yards and 3 touchdowns and completed 23 of 35 passes for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns.
"That was a tough game," Moore said. "But we were all so proud of KJ."
Moore said family members from around the country, including those living in Mississippi, Texas, Memphis and Chicago have become huge Arkansas fans because of Jefferson.
"A lot of my family in Chicago, they don't do football, but since KJ's been playing, they watch every game they can on TV," Moore said. "They announce at their church when the Razorbacks are playing and what network the game will be on.
"A lot of my family didn't used to watch sports, but now they're watching KJ and the Razorbacks. It's made Arkansas football a real family affair. Everybody watches it now, young and old.
"One family member will call and say to another, 'Did you see that play KJ made?'"
Jefferson had a rough first half in Arkansas' opener against Rice when he completed 4 of 11 passes for 19 yards with an interception. He completed 8 of 10 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in the second half as the Razorbacks rallied to win 38-17 after trailing 17-7 in the third quarter and finished with 89 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
"The first game, I think it was just that he had some nerves," Moore said. "Once he got the feel of things and got the jitters out, he was like, 'OK, I can do this. Let's just do it.'
"After the game, he and I talked, and I was like, 'Hey, you've got to come with your A game. You've got to be ready, but you've got to relax. You've got to have fun.'
" 'I know what everybody's expecting of you, and it's a big thing and you've got to lead your flock. Get yourself together, get your mind right and play ball.'"
Moore said she's happy about her son's success, but that she's not going to let up on him.
"I always tell him, 'Keep pushing yourself,'" Moore said. "I make sure he doesn't get the big head."