Where does Mississippi State offense go from here? Joe Moorhead comments following loss to Tennessee
Mississippi State dropped a tough game on Saturday to a Tennessee team that entered the matchup as the only Power 5 team that had yet to beat an FBS opponent entering Week 7 of the season. As if the loss wasn’t bad enough, the Bulldogs were dominated throughout much of the contest, eventually falling by a 20-10 margin.
The loss dropped Mississippi State to 3-3 on the season and left Joe Moorhead having to answer some tough questions regarding his offense, which was overmatched on Saturday despite facing a Tennessee defense that had struggled through much of the season.
Compounding the loss in the eyes of many is the way Moorhead is selecting his quarterbacks. Senior Tommy Stevens started the game but was benched in favor of freshman Garrett Shrader at halftime.
Here are some of the comments Moorhead made after the game.
Opening Statement:
“Didn’t play well enough in all three phases for all four quarters to have an opportunity to beat an SEC team on the road. I thought we did well on defense for about three and a half quarters, had them pinned back there inside the 10-yard line and then gave up that nine-play, 91-yard drive. I thought we played well throughout the day creating some turnovers, but offensively we couldn’t get anything going in the second half. It’s my responsibility and I’ll get it fixed.”
On Garrett Schrader making a case to become the starting quarterback:
“He is. And we’ll look at that tomorrow. We went through a week of practice and both of them were a little bit nicked up and Tommy (Stevens) got a little bit healthier and had a good week of practice. After those two first-half turnovers we decided to make the change.”
On struggling to get the run game going with Kylin Hill:
“We tried to get it going and I think they were doing a good job holding their interior gaps, doing some line movements. We certainly made an effort, but the big thing is we just couldn’t find any offensive rhythm. When we’re rolling and getting him carries, he’s getting four, five, six yards a clip and we’re able to continue to use the pass game. The weird thing is we have 20 first downs and converted a decent amount of third downs, but it didn’t seem like we ever got in a rhythm, particularly in the run game.”
On the difference in Mississippi State’s offense with Garrett Schrader and Tommy Stevens:
“Tommy had been a guy that had made a lot of plays with his feet throughout his career, but I think Garrett’s ability to make plays with his feet by design and improvisation with scrambles.”
Where do we go? Hopefully to someone like Bill Clark or Rod Carey.
Spurrier or bust
While that would lead to some amazing memes, no thank you.
He ain’t goin nowhere, it’s Midway through his second year with “mullen’s team”. These guys were recruited for a run first, run second, run third, run QB draw every play, offense. It’s half way through year 2. He’s signed through ’22. He ain’t goin nowhere
I don’t get Coach M.
KT is a better QB than Stevens. If Stevens started against UK, Ms State would have another L in the record books. Coach M ruined a good run-first QB in Fitzgerald, ruined a decent up and comer in KT, and refuses to completely acknowledge how much better Schrader is than his PState golden boy Stevens. Ms State has a talented offense with a run-threatening QB who gets first team reps…it should be Schrader or KT.
Send the coach back to that other conference, I laughed at him last year when he ruined a good team and I’ll laugh on his way out the door.
These are exactly my feelings, Jdam.
Right there with you. I wasn’t impressed last year at any point. This guy is a joke.
I think I may have underestimated Nick Fitz last year. He produced pretty well despite this staff compared to the guy that’s supposed to be the expert in this system. Wish him all the best in the NFL. We miss you Nick!!
Yeah, Fitz actually ran it better with his limited time. Interesting to see.
Have to agree with you guys on the better QB based on my limited time watching him he just has some intangibles Stevens doesnt have and actually threw it pretty well for the most part.
The offense should go to da game with out him change the locks n deny access on the premises
Moorhead or Stevens? Or both?
I have no idea what Moorehead is thinking….this is not the low ranked ball he has coached….this is the big boy’s…..we are doomed back to the years of Croom.
How many times do I need to repeat my self? Coach Moorhead is in over his head. KT is the best QB on this roster for what this team is built to do. This team is constructed to pose a threat WITH the QB that has the arm strength to make defenses play the entire field. Shrader is a decent scrambler but lacks the arm strength and experience to scare any defensive coordinator. Next week and the coming weeks Shrader will be exposed that he is one trick pony during garbage times and his rushing totals will diminsh and his passing skill have already been proven to be anemic. The Windows will become tighter and narrower and what LSU’S A&M’S defense will do to him will be devastating for A young QB.
Imagine this if your answer to the
If Bulldog Nation thinks the answer to our problem is Garrett Shrader at this stage of his career, then we deserve everything Moorhead is doing to our program. When you have offensive lineman, the way the team is constructed, they cant hold blocks long; they are maulers. You need a QB that has twitch about him and can extend plays without the mistakes freshman QB makes. Again, everything I have predicted has been accurate.
What LSU, A&M, and even Arkansas and not to mention Bama is going to do to Shrader will be malpractice by Moorhead. What is wrong with playing KT? What’s wrong with alternating KT and Shrader over the next six games? What is Moorhead afraid of by playing KT? I will tell you why Moorhead won’t play KT. Moorhead knows that KT is the best QB ON THIS roster, and he doesn’t want to exposed as a liar and fraud!
I’d definitely be down with KT getting some reps at this point. It’s not like it can hurt anything. I’m not sure he’s still actually on the team, though. I think he may just be on the roster to practice with the team and come in if both Stevens and Shrader get hurt and he’ll transfer at the end of the year.
Moorehead has destroyed this team. I doubt KT will play for him now – unless he has no hope of transfering to a school that will let him start.
Let’s poach monken from the browns and give him free reign to hit assts
Hire
It’s going to be a long long year.
I’m not a Mullen fanboy but Mullen would’ve won this game easily.