We’re 10 games into the Joe Moorhead era at Mississippi State, and the Bulldogs sit at a disappointing 6-4 (2-4), having lost four of their past seven games. Not a bad season historically speaking for State, and they should easily win their next two to finish at 8-4. But considering the talent level of this team and how good the defense has been, it has been a disappointing year.

Here are five observations from the first 10 games of the Moorhead era in Starkville.

5. There’s always a learning curve

Life in the SEC is hard. Like, really hard. And for guys with no experience in the SEC, there’s a learning curve. It has taken Moorhead some time to adjust to the new league after spending the last two years shredding plodding Big Ten defenses at Penn State. And don’t forget, at this time three years ago, Moorhead was coaching Fordham in the Patriot League. Give him credit for his remarkable career trajectory – and that gives you some insight into his coaching potential – but it’s not a total surprise to see someone with zero SEC experience struggle to get his footing in the most brutal conference in America. I know many State fans will make this season an indictment of him as a coach, but they shouldn’t. He’s a better coach today than he was at the start of the year, and he’ll be a better coach next year than he was this year.

4. He’s a better recruiter than I thought

My biggest question when the Bulldogs hired Moorhead was whether he’d be able to keep up in recruiting, because after all, getting the Jimmies and the Joes is far more important than the X’s and O’s. As a lifelong north-of-the-Mason-Dixon-line guy with no ties to the Southeast, whom he brought onto his staff would be absolutely critical. I was impressed with the staff that he assembled, which is full of guys with a lot of experience and ties to both Mississippi and the Deep South, and the Bulldogs have seen a lot of success on the recruiting trail as a result. Currently, the Bulldogs are ranked 19th overall nationally (good for 10th in the SEC) for the class of 2019, and they’ve done a good job getting a head start on the 2020 class as well, which is currently ranked 12th nationally.

3. He doesn’t have supernatural QB whispering ability

Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Though that doesn’t mean he’s not a good quarterback coach. Due to the immense success he experienced at Penn State, leading offenses that averaged 37.6 and 41.1 points per game with a QB in Trace McSorley whom he turned into an All-America candidate, there was the assumption that he would turn Nick Fitzgerald into an equally adept passer. Well, turns out Moorhead is mortal, and he can’t just wave a magic wand and turn a bad passer into a good one, especially this late into his development. Fitzgerald is what he is, and Moorhead has had to adjust his offense to adapt to his QB’s limitations. It’s really interesting, though, to wonder what he could’ve done with Fitzgerald had he been coaching him for the full five years instead of just one. Ultimately, trying to clean up his mechanics and install a new offense, all while Fitzgerald was recovering from a gruesome ankle injury, just proved to be too much, and he couldn’t help Fitzgerald.

2. He clearly has no faith in Keytaon Thompson

When you’re at the end of games like the one in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night, when Fitzgerald and the offense had failed to find any success or rhythm and were down by 24, why doesn’t Moorhead turn to Keytaon Thompson for a shot in the arm? What would they have had to lose at the end of the Alabama game by turning to Thompson? Maybe he provides a spark, or maybe he just gains valuable experience that could serve him well in the future, because Fitzgerald is going to be gone after this year. The only rational explanation is that Moorhead has absolutely no faith whatsoever in Thompson. The kid must just be absolutely brutal in practice every week, and Moorhead must not believe in him now or his ability to develop long term.

1. He hasn’t been able to run the offense he wants

As I pointed out above, Moorhead hasn’t been able to improve Fitzgerald as a passer, and his inability to move the ball downfield has limited the playbook. Take a look at the Penn State offense from last year and the Mississippi State offense from this year, and you’ll notice they don’t look very similar. That’s because Moorhead can’t run the full offense that he wants to run until he gets his hands on someone who can complete passes downfield and provide balance to the currently one-dimensional offense. Fitzgerald is gone after this year, and it doesn’t seem like Moorhead is interested in Thompson moving forward, so there’s a chance that an incoming freshman like 4-star Garrett Shrader wins the job. When Moorhead finally gets an adequate passer, then we should see the full playbook he wants to run and see this offense really stretch its legs.