Do fans like it? Sure, but firing Joe Moorhead the way it did after 2 years was a bad move by MSU
Two years, 2 Egg Bowl wins, 2 bowl games.
Two years, 2 bowl losses, 2 disappointing seasons.
One bizarre Egg Bowl win, 1 “they’ll have to drag my Yankee ass” press conference comment, 1 disastrous bowl season.
One firing.
Joe Moorhead’s time at Mississippi State ended in some of the most bizarre fashion you’ll ever see. An Egg Bowl win that happened in part because Elijah Moore’s dog pee celebration was what helped MSU to get to a bowl game … where a now infamous post-practice fight involving quarterback Garrett Shrader and linebacker Willie Gay and a disastrous collapse to Louisville appeared to be the undoing for Moorhead.
Bizarre, indeed. It’s a move that on the surface to MSU fans who watched the program reach new heights under Dan Mullen probably will sign off on.
You can say Moorhead disappointed. You can say he wasn’t Mullen 2.0. You can say you had serious concerns about him as the long-term guy.
But should MSU have fired Moorhead after a bowl game in Year 2? Absolutely not.
This move was reckless and reactionary. It came off like a move made from an athletic director who spent too much time around frustrated boosters and angry MSU fans on the internet. It came off like a move from an athletic director who looked across the state and saw a splashy hire made, much like a kid getting jealous of their sibling’s Christmas presents.
Moorhead didn’t deserve to be fired after just 2 seasons in Starkville, no matter what Twitter tells you.
John Cohen reportedly claimed Moorhead “wasn’t the right fit” at MSU. That’s an interesting way to justify firing a coach who didn’t have ties to the South, which was part of the skepticism for when he was hired. Someone who spent the majority of his coaching career in the Northeast took over an incredibly talented team and won 8 games, which was indeed a disappointment by his own high standards (he admitted that telling players to “get their ring sizes” upon arrival was a mistake).
Still, though, he clearly didn’t lose control of that locker room:
Y’all are trippin if you think Moorhead isn’t a good coach 🤷🏽♂️
— Nick Fitzgerald (@nickfitz07) January 3, 2020
Lost in the shuffle of that season was that it was tied for the most wins ever for a 1st-year MSU coach, and that the Bulldogs were ranked heading into last year’s Outback Bowl loss. Overlooked was that the biggest question facing Moorhead — how was he going to recruit in the South — was answered with a Top 25 class in his first full cycle. Moorhead was in position to do that again in 2020.
Now, all of that is up on the air. Cohen made the atypical move of waiting until after the Early Signing Period, which is morally wrong in itself. Basing that decision on the events of a Monday afternoon bowl game seems, well, weak. And if you’re convinced that this was a result of the NCAA probation that MSU was put on because of academic fraud involving MSU players, tell me why Moorhead wasn’t fired after the regular season.
Cohen botched this decision. The timing, the reasoning, the everything.
Sure, Arkansas and Florida State fired its coaches in the midst of their 2nd seasons, but this was by no means a common move. From 1990-2018, only 6 Power 5 programs fired their head coach before the start of their 3rd seasons (according to Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger).
Comparing MSU’s situation to Arkansas and FSU would also lack context. Arkansas went 2 years without winning an SEC game and lost to the likes of Colorado State, Western Kentucky and San Jose State under Chad Morris. FSU saw the nation’s longest bowl streak end under Willie Taggart in Year 1, and he was off to a 4-5 start in Year 2 after a 17-point home loss to rival Miami.
Say what you want about Moorhead — he set the bar too high, his passing offense struggled, etc. — but don’t tell me his 2 years were on that level of awful. They weren’t. And MSU isn’t Florida State. Even Bulldogs fans can admit that (MSU won 14 games in a 5-year stretch in the 2000s). Well, at least the ones without agendas would admit that.
A program with 1 winning season in SEC play in the 21st century is kidding itself if it suddenly thinks it’s going to start cranking out 10-win seasons in the toughest division in college football. There’s a fine line between “accepting mediocrity” and “thinking you’re something you’re not.” This move makes me think MSU is more the latter right now. That’s a scary place to be in this sport.
MSU, like it or not, has a ceiling. Mullen raised it. When Moorhead was hired, I banged the drum that he was going to continue to raise it. I called it a “home-run hire” after watching closely what his offenses did at Penn State. I was wrong about that, and I’ve since eaten crow. Cold-take me, if you wish.
But this move still came too soon. MSU was still going to fill those seats next year, regardless of the widespread belief that Moorhead would have entered the season on the proverbial hot seat. Pulling the plug on a 14-12 coach who went 7-9 in the SEC was the product of Cohen wanting a do-over instead of having faith that Moorhead could improve in Year 3.
Cohen won’t admit this, but he’s lying if he says he didn’t want a chance to win back the court of public opinion. He knew that fans would get on board with him “dragging Moorhead’s Yankee ass out of there” and as a result, he’d get a chance to save his own job.
I’m not saying Moorhead’s lack of Southern roots were his undoing because obviously Mullen once had limited Southern ties (outside of being Florida’s offensive coordinator) when he was hired. But that made the leash a little tighter, and it made it easier to turn on Moorhead when his offenses weren’t as successful as Mullen’s. Moorhead was always seen as an outsider who admittedly got ahead of his skis by talking about expectations that 1st-year coaches don’t usually have in Starkville.
Expectations shape perception. Mullen inherited a struggling roster and went 14-11 (7-9 in SEC play) in his first 2 years. Moorhead inherited a much better roster (thanks to Mullen) and went 14-12 with the same 7-9 record in SEC play. Mullen clearly turned out to be a better fit and a better coach than Moorhead. I’m not denying that.
But contrary to the feeling of a fan base that’s excited to see a coach fired after an embarrassing end to the season, I am denying that this move needed to be made after Year 2.
Moorhead deserved a 3rd year in Starkville. He deserved a chance to fight for his job with another season, and not just in a bowl game in which he was without several key players. Is that an excuse for a 31-point run from Louisville? No, that can’t happen, and it’s a coaching staff’s responsibility to stop the bleeding. But context is always important.
MSU fans are going to continue to tell me I’m crazy for thinking Moorhead should have gotten a 3rd year, and that this is beyond wins and losses. They’ll say that the mishandling of the quarterback situation combined with the pre-bowl fight would have gotten any coach fired. According to them, that’s well within an athletic director’s right to fire a coach after 2 years.
Cohen wanted to change the narrative of his program. He waffled. Clearly. He used what happened in Nashville as the final straw, and he had enough fan and booster support to make that happen.
But pulling the plug after 2 years was premature. It could easily blow up in MSU’s face and remind fans that life can get far worse than what the past 2 years have been in Starkville under Moorhead.
This was a botched, reactionary move, and one that Cohen was wrong to make … no matter how much public support he just won back for himself.
I’m all for it…but extremely bad timing. Who in the hell are we gonna get this time of year?
And Cohen should’ve went with him…
I don’t understand the Cohen dislike? Is it just his Moorhead decision? Because, every other sport he’s been great!
I’m a Ron Polk fan. Big reason I beef with Cohen
I thought they made up.
No, they just play nice in public
Clark and Napier are still on the table. And I bet a certain former SEC HC might like to bring his reality show to StarkVegas.
Just on Finebaum – Napier has no interest in the MSU job.
Is that legit? I figured he would jump at MSU.
I hope we aren’t able to do very well at all, it will serve Cohen right! Make stupid decisions you often get Stupid results!!!!
Horrible timing, should’ve been fired next year but it is certainly not going to harm us as bad as some people say.
Not really, while not optimal its not doom and gloom either. Moorhead brought this on himself. Its not just him not being a good fit, he wasn’t ready to be a HC in the Power5.
Tenn-dawg…I’m with you on this one. to me, he just did not seem like a good fit for MSU. He may…or may not be a good OC but not ever a Head Coach. Being the CEO of a major program is more about hiring good coordinators/assistants and installing the right culture into the program. He took a decent program(as left by Dan Mullen) and ran it into a ditch. That’s my thinking on this one.
Not only not a good fit, but he got super arrogant and acted entitled at times, and he literally asked them their ring size when he stepped foot into Starkville.
The guy set himself up for failure so badly and raised the bar well above his own head.
He’s an idiot and deserved this, and no writer can make a case that deals with his lack of meeting basic reqs of a football coach.
I don’t mean this a slam on MSU, but if they think they are going to hire a coach who is a silver-bullet solution who immediately begins competing for division and conference championships, they are delusional.
Heck, even Mullen couldn’t win the division, and the best MSU can hope for at this point is someone NEARLY AS GOOD as him.
Moorhead was not going to overcome the perception that he botched a chance to compete for the division. We’re not delusional that his replacement will be the next Saban. Ya’ll can bash State for “expectations” but Joe did enough foolish talk about that on his own. He set his own bar that he didn’t reach.
Glad Mullen was here, but it’s past time to move on and Joe wasn’t the guy to get it done.
I supported him and wanted it to work. I didn’t believe what my eyes told me. Slow starts to games, even after a bye week to get ready. The other team always looking faster. Receivers not progressing. Poor adjustments in game. A great assistant coach is not always a good head coach.
There is absolutely no MSU fan claiming to have the next Saban in waiting. We just knew what we had wasn’t cutting it.
No claiming we will see UGA in the next SEC championship.
All we have said is we needed a new coach.
Dawg! Spoken like a true bell ringer. It just may be Mullen in the next SECCG but a Starkdog could never utter those words!
None of us believe that so it’s a straw man argument. What we DO want and EXPECT is a Head Coach who’s competent and experienced enough to know that discipline, toughening, and accountability matter – not some ridiculous idea of “outsmarting the competition in the SEC. (“Outsmarting” Sabin, Orgeron, Mullen,et al – what a joke.)
Also how are they going to convince a decent coach to come there after giving this guy only two years?
Heavens sake, guess we’ll be stuck hiring someone that’s not decent.
Prior to this firing:
Mullen – 9 years
Croom – 5 years
Sherrill – 13 years
Felker – 5 years
Bellard – 7 years
Tyler – 6 years
Shira – 6 years
One has a winning overall record. Giving guys the “necessary time” has not worked out for us.
No one wanted Moorhead fired because we expect to be in the SECCG and CFP every year. MSU fans aren’t the stupid, ignorant folks everyone keeps implying. Moorhead has fell into 14 wins as much as he has coached to 14 wins.
Most fans wanted Moorhead fired because his team was dysfunctional and there was a clear lack of progression. How long does it take to resolve unsportsmanlike penalties? How many false starts before you clean it up?
Mullen didn’t win 10 games every season, but his teams consistently played hard and had a chance against a lot of good teams.
How do you take the top defense and a team that returned almost every offensive player and manage to finish near the bottom of the NCAA in offense plus win only 8 games?
O’Gara then you have never watched a single Miss State game with Joe Moorhead as HC. And your forgetting our HC couldn’t run a disciplined program, there were too many off the field issues, and too many times where players were caught on national TV ignoring or dismissing our staff. Oh and that pre-bowl fight was totally botched by our HC…and a more serious incident than you get. You need to stop being a fanboy with a crush on Joe Moorhead and start acting like a sports journalist. The metrics are all there as to why Joe Moorhead was fired…you just chose to ignore all of it and take a pot shot at our AD.
I have to believe you’re correct, as it’s otherwise hard to justify the timing and reasoning. I think coaches may be hesitant to take a job at a place that’s trigger happy. You have to give a guy 3 years, minimum – UNLESS there are extraneous unforgivable issues.
State is far from trigger happy
If I were a coach, I wouldn’t take this job. The expectations are too unrealistic. Mullen was to Miss State what Spurrier was to SC-a once in a century hire that is extremely unlikely to be repeated.
You realize that off the field and team discipline issues are what caused his dismissal. What happened to Schrader wasn’t boys being boys and there were 3 levels of reporting requirements that it looks like weren’t followed. As if they had been Willie Gay wouldn’t have been in Nashville for our bowl game. Gay got no punishment for breaking the orbital bone of our QB in a fight, played the entire bowl game. Additionally we came into Nashville with more players banged up and injured than we had after the Egg Bowl. This isn’t about unrealistic expectations on Wins, rather its about a program in disarray because of the actions/inaction of the HC that allowed chaos to reign supreme both on and off the field.
Word is from a writer for 247 in the know said that Schrader and Gay were both equally to blame for the fist Acuff’s and that both have openly said they wish they had handled it differently. Suspensions would have gotten both disqualified. So, blaming Gay alone is just wrong.
Its not about equal quilt. Both should have been punished…neither were…and bad signal to send to the rest of the locker room. However there are reporting requirements when a fight causes injury. You realize Gay is on probation for tutor gate. So the fight should qualify as a violation under his university probation. More using Gay as indicator that reporting protocols weren’t followed by our HC.
When I saw that apparently NOBODY was disciplined — indeed Moorhead tried a cover-up, even saying he was possibly “doubtful” for the game after team arrived in Nashville w/out him — after Shrader was seriously injured by his own teammate, I thought OK, maybe Cohen can finally fire him for cause and avoid paying buyout money, or negotiate the buyout down under threat of a for-cause firing. I told my gang that if it happens, Gay vs. Shrader would go down in history as the Immaculate Altercation. Today AD Cohen stated at his press conf., “And we will identify somebody who will hold all of our student-athletes In football accountable.” Perfect.
He had zero discipline on his team…none. “lost control of the program” entirely. It was past time for him to go away.
Unless we hired Spurrier…
You’re being sarcastic right?
That’s not even on the table and you’re naive if you actually think it is.
I’m not against most has-been coaches. Same thing as Bruce Arians retiring to Tampa bay: he’s there as a figurehead while other young coaches get a shot at developing.
I don’t want Chizik though. That’s different.
There aren’t enough golf courses or bars around Starkville to attract the Ol’ Bourbon Coach. Not to mention he’d probably quit halfway through the season.
Right after he beat UGA…again.
Spurrier ain’t going to coach anywhere he doesn’t have a squad that can reliably beat UK. That isn’t happening as MSU blows up recruiting classes with the coaching carousel and UK steadily improves.
This is all true. Cohen deserves the heat for this whole ordeal because he made the hire in the first place. But please calm down about how unfair the move is. It’s the first time in decades that State hasn’t given a coach TOO MUCH time. I agree he deserved more time historically, but our appetite for a slow steady decline just isn’t there.
If only Auburn would fire Gus Malzhan. It would be the happiest day of my life.
I’ll take Gus.
No. Gus needs to stay exactly where he is.
Agreed. He uses his magic horseshoe every once in awhile. It cost us a playoff spot this year but it guarantees that Auburn will always be a “B” player as long as he’s there.
Roll Tide and long live the Gus Bus
Gus to Starkville…not in your wildest dreams. He’s got way too much $$$ to even consider that.
Man that sucks for all the recruits that signed early.
They can leave under a new NCAA rule that allows true freshman to transfer with immediate eligibility if there’s a head coaching change.
Oh I didn’t know that. That’s good for them then.
100% of them have said theyre not going anywhere.
O’Gara has lost it. In his “A bright spot for every SEC team this bowl season” article for Miss State he wrote we should celebrate the pre-bowl injury to Garrett Shrader. Talk about sick, sick mind.
O’Gara you’ve always been a Moorhead apologist. I remember you writing about how he’d take MSU to a 10-2 record his first year because he ‘saved James Franklin at Penn State’. When he went 8-5 with arguably the most talented roster MSU has ever had, you made excuses for him.
Firing Moorhead is ultimately the right move. Mullen proved you can get 8 wins and be consistently competitive at MSU.
I pretty much agree that it was the right move from a timing standpoint. I would be against it if there was any sign that next year would be better but it just wasn’t there. I have been very outspoken on social media about the way he has been treated by the fan base all the while stating he may not be the answer for moving the team forward. I have really come to really dislike a large part of our fanbase because of the negative personal attacks. I get that they make a lot of money and should be held responsible but should still be treated with some dignity.
Timing was rough. But, it’s clear the team wasn’t going to get better next year. Why wait?
Every fan base has trolls. Ours are as bad as any.
Spot on. Miss State was the second best team in SEC West in 2018 if Mullen was there but they completely underachieved. Moorehead sucked. Miss St can do better.
Arkansas didn’t lose to Portland State. We might as well have though
You know these hack jobs that work for SDS don’t proof read shat or back up their so called facts. SDS employees I imagine work from their parents basements. I won’t even call them reporters or writers because those are professional people that proof read their articles.
Eh, I disagree. It happens and they corrected it.
Been on SDS about 6 years now I believe. Happens alot.
Moorehead lost the team is what it sounds like. The fight was the last straw IMO. But who do you go after? Signing period is over till February. All the good coaches have been signed or signed extensions with their current schools. Only coach that would take it right now is a young coach that wants to make a name for himself or someone that is chasing a retirement check. Both are rolling the dice.
Yall’s bowl game didn’t help him out any either. As it highlighted what a coach should do to try to get a W…vice the do little to nothing approach during our bowl game.
He lost his job way before the bowl game. Like I said, that fight was the last straw. They could of won the bowl game and I believe he would still be gone. No discipline.
ole miss fan here, wish miss st well in the coaching search i know they will find a good coach that can take back control of the team. ole miss had the same problem with luke not sure kiffen is the right guy but what do i know any way good luck with the search.
This is a B1G mindset applied to an SEC West situation. So O’Gara’s misread is understandable.
It isn’t about the loss to Louisville or the 6-7 season. And it isn’t about all us clowns who wax wise on the Internet. It’s about a few big buck supporters who obviously had enough of the lack of team discipline and effort by some players. The fight was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The timing isn’t great but it was dictated by events and frankly, isn’t the disaster many are saying.
Regarding expectations…I (and I suspect those big money supporters) don’t expect MSU to compete year in and year out for the SEC championship. But when we hit a year where we happen to have one of the two best defenses in the country, I do expect on such rare occasions that we grab a brass ring while the grabbing is good. As for most years, I expect winning seasons and bowl appearances along with teams that play hard from top to bottom, a strong running game, decent and efficient passing, and players who exhibit personal discipline on and off the field. Give me all that and I will be delighted with seven or eight wins, with double digits in the rare special season.
We did have realistic expectations. We expected a tight run ship with disciplined play. We expected tough, hard nosed, and smart play from our team. We expected development of our players. We expected preparation and game planning. The problem is Moorhead couldn’t meet those basic expectations. Had he met all of the above, even with the 6-7 season, he would have gotten his third year. That isn’t a single fans or boosters fault at all. Only 1 person is responsible and he just got fired for it.
Exactly.
^This. 8-4 and 6-7 didn’t get him fired. The way they played and the way they carried themselves off the field is why he got fired. Discipline – goes all the way back to Nick Fitzgerald’s suspension all the way to the recent team fight. There was so much drama in the organization between coaches and players on the field. The in-game discipline was just as bad. The amount of giving up on the field, playing down to competition, and stubborn coaching decisions was a stark contrast. He didn’t have to be Dan Mullen, but he did need to be early Dan Mullen. Dan famously ran out on the field to teach his QB before halftime. Moorhead yelled at refs and opposing players.
Irenaus it’s why I tend to believe the Louisville players when they said our HC saying negative things about UL during the joint banquet.
Never trust anyone associated with Loserville athletics, whether it be coach, players, or fans.
That being said, it’s better to get shed of Moorhead now rather than suffer through another year of mediocrity.
I just had this same conversation with another friend of mine, and completely agree with what you have said.
Connor O’Gara: “Moorhead deserved a 3rd year in Starkville. He deserved a chance to fight for his job with another season, and not just in a bowl game in which he was without several key players.”
You’re sooooo right, Connor. Cohen should have waited until we looked like a clone of Arkansas and State couldn’t even sign a 3-Star Tackle. And since you’ve been consistently WRONG about Moorhead why should we give a pinch of monkey dung what YOU think?
I’ve literally never read the words, “pinch of monkey dung” until today.
I will definitely use that though
And the winner for appropriate and creative swearing replacement…
I wonder if Hugh “The Freezer” Freeze has contacted John Cohen about the position. I thought that Moorehead should have been given one more year to right the ship. He made some mistakes, he came up snake eyes with the the Tommy Stevens decision.
We don’t want or need Mr. Tasty Freeze. He sank his ship with the handling of the Shrader incident.
didn’t take this idea long to pop up
Terrible idea.
“Terrible” isn’t adequate to describe the idea of hiring Hugh Freeze. Insane would be a better description.
Mississippi State is going through a crisis in the football program presently, and it started with a journalist being a sycophant for Joe Moorhead and abandoning the investigated and objective role of what sports reporting should be. The biggest and most obvious example was the writers(not David Murray) that drank all of Joe Moorhead Kool-Aid.
For instance, they never questioned some of his theories about the QB competition, the results of his decisions on the QB positions, and how it divided the locker room. They assumed his ostensible assumptions about Tommy Stevens and Garrett Shrader and never in the slightest even remotely questioned Moorhead. So, resentments became festered in the locker room amongst individual players on how Stevens continued to play without accountability and exemplary results that are consistent with earning the right to play.
I wish the program nothing but success and but I will say the men that run 24-7 had better understands that all MSU ALUMNI (are educated )to quote Cohen and diverse. We all have diverse opinions, and different views are welcome here and not on 24-7. What a shame!
And, finally, Coach Moorhead, I wish you the best of luck going forward being one of your biggest and loudest detractors and critics. I hope you can forgive me for allowing my passion for becoming unhealty and disresptful. Happy New Year, everyone, and Praise MSU WBB!
Bring on Rich Rod! The Head Coach in waiting!
Mississippi State deserves better than Rich Rod. He had a successful run at West Virginia, but since then…????? None.
Notice this article couldnt explain Moorhead’s continual regression, insists it’s a bad idea, cant explain really why and cant explain the off-the-field issues.
Truthfully, I feel like Moorhead is probably feels relieved.
You are probably correct about that.
Seems so from his response
Whether it was good decision or bad can be debated with every coaching change (even Odom at Mizzou). This one may not be ideal timing, but MSU is only one of two SEC jobs in the state, they’ll find a good coach willing to jump at the opportunity. I feel bad for Moorhead much the same as I did Odom it might be a raw deal, but like Odom, Moorhead will land on his feet somewhere, he appears well liked and these guys have friends all over the coaching landscape.
It’s gonna be really tough to find a Dan Mullen type again. This is a harder place to win than at Carolina. They just don’t have the $$$ and resources. Starkville is a place you would have to want to go to. Good luck.
Virginian here who spent six months in Starkville not very long ago. Hear me out.
You guys are part of the most isolated fan base – for that matter, the most isolated town of any note – I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve been in a lot of towns. Yours is the only town I’ve been in where people were actively trying to call me an outsider every conversation I had. Every one. For six months. Mind you – I’m from rural VA, not Philly or Boston or San Fran.
You didn’t like this guy from the beginning. This much was clear. But the reason you didn’t like had absolutely nothing to do with his pedigree, his record, what he could do for the program, or anything like that. You didn’t like him because he wasn’t a national name and was from outside the bubble. Plain and simple. Believe me, I’ve been there.
Then his ol’ QB transferred down. And then you latched on to the “no discipline” trope (laughable; LAUGHABLE, for y’all), and you were home free.
Who you got now? Top 25 recruiting class? LOL. Now you’re ready to lose the Egg Bowl for the foreseeable future. Now you’re ready to lose to Arkansas every other year. But that’s OK. Because you’ll be able to go down to City Bagel, or the Applebees out on 12, or wherever the heck, and nod and reaffirm to yourself how nobody else understands it down here. Don’t matter if a big name (Stever Spurrier?!?) ever gets down ‘ere. Nobody else gets it.
Do some reading about things he said, did, didn’t do, and allowed. Do some research. Discipline issues weren’t a reach by any stretch. Lots of Miss State fans were excited about the hire…I wasn’t one of them. However, I thought we made a hasty hire over 2 years at Penn St. I also felt his schemes wouldn’t translate in the SEC like they did in the Big3…really what the Big 10 is year in and year out. Oh by the by, his replacement at PSU who had never been a coordinator before…year 1 posted as good of numbers as Joe and year 2 bested Joes numbers at Penn St. Actually your ramblings show you didn’t have enough exposure to our program to get what was going on and why he got canned.
“Actually your ramblings show you didn’t have enough exposure to our program to get what was going on and why he got canned.”
What a surprising response.
I feel for you, but quit personifying. Moorhead was fired for both inaction and actions. He handled few situations well. I don’t care where he was from…..Mullen was from New Hampshire or somewhere. Are you sure you didn’t imagine the attitude you say you experienced? I’ve been to over half the states and out of the country a few times and I’ve found everybody about the same with the same basic expectations. I watched Moorhead give some speeches prior to the first season and his structure of language and body language screamed insecurity and deception. I got the same vibes as from a con-artist. We need to move forward now.
Nothing represents SDS on a Friday night better than “Virginian here…”
Welcome, I guess.
6 months makes a Virginia hillbilly an expert on all things MSU. Thanks for shedding enlightenment on us isolated pagans.
Prior to six months ago we did in fact lose the egg bowl and to Arkansas regularly. It’s only fairly recently that we have overcome Arkansas (but maybe not anymore).
Moorhead had no ties to the school, so support for his hiring was going to depend on his teams performance. Maybe the people “outside the isolated tribes of Starkville” didn’t think State had teams capable of competing for the division when he arrived, but for anybody actually watching the timing was right. Bama had the only obvious team between State and Atlanta then considering talent and experience. He did not perform, even by his own expectations. No performance, no connection, no discipline (which should really fall on the players), and a sense from the fans that he was out of touch all led to a horrible downward spiral when things even slightly fell below expectations (argue what you will about them being too high, the rare conditions were there for Moorhead’s teams). It was win big or bust for him.
For what it’s worth the lack of discipline was seeping in near the end of Mullen’s tenure.
First off, no tow in Ms is particularly isolated. Its not like it’s the middle of the frickin desert a hundred miles from the nearest town. Second, I don’t think you know what isolated means, as filling a nearly 60000 seat stadium in a town of about 20000 means a bunch of people are pouring in from somewhere else. Third, I lived for years in Starkville and relatively few people I knew were originally from Starkville, so I have to assume you were either a teenager in one of the schools in Starkville, or a liar. Not to mention the general inaccuracy of the things you said. By the way, didn’t city bagel, one place I don’t think I ever tried, didn’t it close. I’m sorry you apparently had a bad experience, but all you basically did was slam starkville, msu and the Golden triangle with nothing to really justify your slam.
I agree that in a way Cohen botched this, but better late than never. Moorhead should have been fired last year and Cohen obviously doesn’t like to admit a mistake. He doesn’t even like to admit his unwillingness to see things as they really were was beginning to become part of the problem. Simple cognitive dissonance? We need to start going forward since this fiasco has squandered some of the progress Mullen made.
If an institution fires a coach before his 3rd year is over, they didn’t check out his resume and references very well.
Mullen was a tough act to follow and it’s possible he left knowing his success curve was about to hit a dip, before improving again.
I’m guessing Mississippi State ends up paying for this timing move for about 3 years, even if they hire the best available, but I don’t expect Mississippi or Arkansas to skyrocket either.
“They did not check out his resume and references very well…Not exactly true. Chad Morris was a successful High School Head Coach in Texas, a Successful Offensive Coordinator at Tulsa, a Very Successful Offensive Coordinator at Clemson(installed their fast-tempo offense and began recruiting the long & tall,fast receivers) and was successful at SMU, then a bust at Arkansas. It depends upon how bad the new coaching situation is & at Arky Bret Bielema left a really big mess. Each situation is quite different when a new HC is hired. How much talent is there & is that talent suited to the new coach’s offensive scheme ? Lots of factors in play here.
Hey Wandering Jersey: Dawg fans have not forgotten the awesome Ron Polk, who as you know spent some years in Athens. Immensely popular, very successful, Everybody loved him. We were just sick to lose him back to you guys.
Ron Polk was a DGD
I promise you they still love him at Ga Southern too
God bless Ron Polk. And you too.
Connor…Miss St had an unbelievable roster in 2018. Moorhead can afford a shoe shine and doesn’t need your bootlicking.
This was a reaction against Mississippi hiring Lane Kiffin. They do not even have a list and one possible candidate at La Lafayette has already said nyet. Imagine turning down a SEC jo ton remain there. State is in big trouble.
State won the Egg Bowl in the most meh fashion. A 35 yd botched extra point saved JoMo’s job. Then the fight and Monday’s debacle happened. So you’re supposed to wait 11 months to make everyone happy? Unfortunate timing, but an unfortunate end to the season.
And it wasn’t Kiffin envy. Would not want Kiffin as a HC, though he may well be successful. If it doesn’t work for him, there’s a job in professional wrestling for him somewhere. IO’m on Coach O’s side on this. Hes’ not a fit for Oxford, though winning may solve that issue.
Really bad timing. Cohen just dug a hole for himself. They’re not gonna be able to get anyone truly good at this time of year. MSU if they really wanted him to go should’ve done it before the Music City Bowl. Now will they promote someone in-house, or what? Who are they going to get? No good GO5 coach will really want to go there because of the timing. They might be able to get a coordinator but they would be lucky. MSU is inflicting damage on themselves with this.
I didn’t think Moorhead would work, but he lost control of the program. Coming from Penn St. and watching that team contend with OSU for Big 10 supremacy, no wonder he thought he could do it all. Definitely did not know enough about the SEC. Expectations at MSU are different than they are at Bama or UGA. He somehow did not know that. And I know that you want your guys to believe in the culture and program, but you need to have success to build from first. He didn’t have that.
I think every SEC hire so far this cycle has been at least OK, but Moorhead was probably the best MSU could get.
It’s not crucial to hire away a head coach from somewhere. Our last three coaches were assistants prior to being hired.
Got to disagree on Moorhead not having a successful program to build on. Maybe not championship success, but things were good. Cue the trolls, but for MSU he had a tremendous foundation to start. Easy to poke fun at our conference record the last decade, but how many losses were to national championship teams in that stretch? Joe said himself that not having a winning conference record was unacceptable.
Joe is better off leaving now. He leaves with a winning record and a good chance to rebound somewhere because we cut his chance short. Had he stayed another year or two and continued down then he might not get a second chance at a head coaching job.
thats fair they did have a talented team
He’s leaving a two year gig with millions of dollars in the bank. Who wouldn’t be happy with that?
I hoped to see him get another year. I was afraid that it wouldn’t improve much but I don’t like firing early.
One main reason I feel this way is because of this fact. I haven’t heard anyone say this, but State didn’t have the on field talent this year that they have had for the last few years. Admit it. We had some really good talent in some places but weaker in others. Just not a complete package team this time and not absolutely lights out in one area like years past. Think about it. The Dak years were strong on offense and helped the weak defense. Except his senior year where the parts came together. Then the last couple years very strong on defense and an average offense.
For that I wish that the awesome man, and decent coach could have had at least a half year longer at the least.
Joe Judge.
every kid that signed an LOI should be able to reconsider.
Frankly a coaching change should release all the players. That might not cool the heels of the idiots who think a football program can be built in 2 years, but it might give the ones making the decisions pause – in any event it would keep kids options in case the incoming coach has no intention of playing them.
Such a rule change would require the NCAA to view the players as people. It doesn’t. It views them as slaves.
They are able to reconsider.
I wonder where LSU would be if they fired Orgeron after 2 years? Stay bad MSU, stay bad.
Really? There are very few teams we have a winning record against. What’s worse, til 1990 y’all had a pretty big advantage, since 19-10 state. Y’all lost to our crappy team this year. Kentucky is one team whose crap we don’t have to take.
Going to be tough to get a solid replacement knowing you have two years and must win Egg Bowl , get to a bowl , and have 8+ wins. I get it though losing is frustrating .
You are a condescending twerp. It’s ok to tell a coach who held your program together he’s fired while he is at a recruits house, but wrong to wait til after all games were played to fire an obviously incompetent head coach. Just stop.
Right Bulldog! And remember a lot of inside stuff goes on in programs that have very little discipline. All of the penalties for things like unsportsmanlike conduct and starting off the season with 6 players suspended for 6 games, then you add a fist fight that injures your starting QB ??? This program was trending downward not upward and I think like you , It was time to nip it in the bud before it reached the point of no return.
10 players for 8 games, but more to the point, I hope we didn’t mess up on the timing. One fairly connected alum told me before the egg bowl that he was out the door and Napier was a done deal (salt, anyone). But almost immediately afterward, said alum was dejected, said somehow that joke of a game was enough to turn the decision. If it’s accurate, it might explain Napier allegedly turning us down, since we apparently tried to screw him once already. On the other hand, I personally think that either they were going to wait til next season, or Cohen simply waited til the powers that be had had enough. If I were to guess, i would say that Cohen has known this was inevitable but had to wait. I just hope we don’t make it worse, I’ll take a bandaid if it is effective.
Need to contact Finebaum for direction. His history in building a successful college football program is amazing.
I agree with you, 100%. Apparently those of us who liked Moorhead were outnumbered and the ones who didn’t like him “ASSume” that we’ll stick around to watch the dumpster fire that is destined to be the Mississippi State 2020 football season. I was taught to never ASSume as ALL decisions have consequences! I liked the Coach we had, they fired him, so I may keep the money I usually give to the booster club and for season tickets and spend it on something else!
I ASSume you didn’t watch us play the past two season. I ASSume we are better off without you. I ASSume you though Croom was a good head coach and that you ASSume we can’t possibly hope to have sustained success. I ASSume you didn’t not the dumpster fire that was the 2019 Mississippi State football season, otherwise you would ASSume we are better off. The whole play on the word ‘assume’ is just tired some of your statement is a bit contradictory and the bit connecting assuming to decisions and consequence didn’t seem have any point, so it is possible I misunderstand your comment. I don’t think so, but possible.
It seems weird that sports writers would not know more about football and the inner workings of a real team, instead of slathering on about about how much time a coach should be given to completely destroy a program just starting to get it’s head above water! The lack of discipline on and off the field, the fight between two starting players before the bowl game resulting in an injury to your starting QB. I wish Coach Moorhead all the best … but he will have to handle the discipline much differently in order to have a class program.
Dingdingdingdingding!!!!