Upset fans target Joe Moorhead following horrific first half for Mississippi State
Mississippi State had a forgettable first half as Auburn scored on its first five drives of the game, and led 42-9 at halftime.
Auburn opened the scoring less than three minutes into the first quarter, and led 21-6 at the end of the first quarter. The Tigers began 3-for-3 on third down conversions, while Mississippi State stumbled to a 2-for-7 start. The Bulldogs also lost a fumble. A missed extra point attempt late in the first quarter only added to the frustration.
When it appeared Mississippi State developed some momentum, QB Garrett Shrader fumbled at the Auburn 5-yard line with less than three minutes to go in the first half. Then Erroll Thompson was ejected on a targeting call late in the first half.
It was all too familiar for State fans, who openly wondered if the program has lost any ground made up when Dan Mullen left for Florida. At least two fans thought the Bulldogs were completely unprepared in all phases of the game, and that’s been a theme that dates to last season.
Joe Moorhead gets ripped every game, but Bob Shoop is untouchable. I don’t get it.
— Dear Old State (@DearOldState) September 29, 2019
It’s a damn shame Joe Moorhead is ruining everything Mullen built at Miss St.
— William Norris (@William_Norris3) September 28, 2019
Joe Moorhead is just helping solidify us as a Basketball/baseball school. Thanks Joe.
— No better place (@TheStarkvegas) September 29, 2019
State looks completely lost to start a game on the road? Maybe Joe Moorhead is just 50% off Dan Mullen
— cristilmethod (@cristilmethod) September 28, 2019
Completely unprepared on offense.
Completely unprepared on defense.
Completely unprepared on special teams. #HailState fans should not accept this and it lies squarely on Joe Moorhead.
— Hind Leg, WSU Fan (@hind_leg) September 28, 2019
You can be a worse team than the opponent. You cannot accept being completely unprepared to play. This crap show is on Joe Moorhead.
— Hind Leg, WSU Fan (@hind_leg) September 28, 2019
The nightmare start to this game is vintage Joe Moorhead. He is in over his head. It was abundantly clear last year, and it’s showing up this year in a major way without a star studded defense. What Mullen started to build has already been destroyed in a year and a half.
— Chunky Little (@TogeySprings) September 28, 2019
Joe Moorhead is really going to let us get embarrassed on prime time television?
— J.S. (@JonJ_07) September 28, 2019
Rough start for you Joe Moorhead supporters out there
— Austin Myers (@MathmanMyers) September 28, 2019
You’re completely overlooking how inept Joe Moorhead is as a head coach. He’s down there with Morris, Luke, Mason, And Muschamp
— Reid Bankston (@reid_bankston) September 29, 2019
I’d like to see how many Mississippi State fans noticed that the boys on the roster played very well but made costly mistakes not caused by the coaching staff?
Don’t say that man. Those fumbles, missed blocks,missed tackles, missed XP, bad throws, and kylin hill only getting, what, 17 touches for just over 2 ypc, is not on the players at all. Heaven forbid we hold anyone responsible but coach Moorhead.
Some of the guys played very well. Others, not so much. And I attribute a lot of the not so much to coaching. Take the poor tackling. That’s been the case from the first game this year and it hasn’t improved. That’s on the coaches if they don’t take the players that are not wrapping up and teach them proper technique. You almost never see the first MSU defender to a ball carrier make the tackle and it’s because they don’t wrap up. When that’s going on this far into the season, it’s on the coaches. The team was completely unprepared to start the game. Unfortunately, that seems to be a calling car for Coach JoMo and road games. He needs to figure out how to adjust his road pre-game plan so the players don’t sleep walk through the first quarter. Lack of discipline is obvious with all of the BS penalties, including an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the head coach that cost us a first down to keep a drive alive when we desperately needed it. Yes, the players made some mistakes that are not on the coaches but the coaching staff has generally been underwhelming as well. When I can sit on my couch and tell you from the formation what play is coming the offensive genius JoMo is not doing a very good job and Shoop’s defense can’t stop the run or cover anyone. Bama will hang 80+ points on us unless they just get tired of running up and down the field. Yesterday was a complete bust from the top to the bottom for MSU football.
Come on, we have to understand that one of our key LB was out. You don’t understand what Willie GJ means to States defense! State isn’t like Alabama, Auburn, LSU or even State D from last season. We dont have the backups this year. These guys playing are young and need to be developed into 5 stat players! If we were not being penalized for the test taking BS, and all our starters were on the field, it would have been a different game! In my opinion, someone out there made the league aware of the test taking BS because they knew State had a chance this season to cause chaos in college football! Not saying that cheating on test are right, I’m just saying that Mississippi State University is not the only college that has someone taking test for star athletes!
I keep telling everyone, Moorhead’s not a good coach, he’s more of a con artist. He doesn’t have a clue about what to do. By the end of the year MSU fans wil be used to losing again. To be perfectly honest, watching MSU football now embarrasses me. He’s not halfway thrugh his 2nd year and already we are on probation for academic fraud and the team looks like a Chinese fire drill. The team’s every action screams they are not being coached even on a basic level. Ya’ll tell me, is the team getting better or worse?
On November 29, 2017, Coach Joe Moorhead outline some of his goals in his introductory press conference. Three things he said that impressed me was (1) “Accountability begins with the details, all the little things…We will not be a football team that cuts corners.” (2) “We want teams to know when you step onto the field with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, you’re in for a 15 round fight.”(3) “Ultimately, football is a game of precision and execution. We are going to be the most precise team in the country.”
So I wonder who he will hold accountable for this beat down tonight. How many rounds did the Auburn football team and their fans think we lasted tonight? I wonder how many MSU faithful’s think we were anything less than horrific, unimaginative on offense, (lack of game planning and schematically play calling). Coach Moorhead was supposed to be an offensive genius and he wanted a signal caller who could produce explosive plays and complete a minimum of 60 % of their passes. Coach Moorhead recruited Tommy Stevens to be the Engineer and leader of his explosive offense. Where is Tommy Stevens? Injuries is a part of football. Did Coach Moorhead cut corners into convincing himself that Schrader would wow and be competitive within the SEC West as s freshman signal caller (in the event Stevens became injured.( who is and has always been injury prone) ?
Some on this site say I am not a true faithful Maroon and White fan because I have been critical of Coach Moorhead? As I have said over and over we are not a good football team and yes we are young and are missing key players due to Tutor Gate. That said, I just do not see this team improving offensively and do see other teams like Arkansas. Oxford High School and even Tennessee improving each week but not State. Coach Moorhead has been labeled as this offensive genius in producing explosively offensive juggernauts and all I am asking is where are the chunk offensive plays ? Where are the downfield passing plays? Where are the 10 yards plus passing completions and 65% completion percentages? Perhaps not now but at some point Dr Keenum and John Cohen will be asking the same questions. My hope is sooner rather than later!
65% is better than 60%, which some QBs have in the country. If we want to talk semantics, then point out every negative from every team, INCLUDING Auburn, and then make valid arguments. You blame the coach on year 2, yet you forget most of the recruits are not his. To top that, you blame the coach and forget that maybe the players lacked the discipline, regardless of how much the coaching staff tried to enforce it. I am an Army soldier AND veteran of war. We were taught to be disciplined. It was easy for us when things went awry, but lives are not on the line here and these are just kids. Quit trying to act like a backseat coach and understand it isn’t so easy. I think Moorhead is doing well considering that he has 10 personnel out for 8 games. Do I agree that he kept them out this game? No. But I also think he knows why he does and doesn’t share it with the public. We won last year, we lost this year. Don’t be a person that is happy when we win but pissed off and calling for the coach’s head if we lose. Be a good sport, not an ass.
Well said. It just cracks me up. Blew out auburn last year. They blew us out this year. Same coaches, different players. I’m assuming coaching principles haven’t changed just personnel
Let’s see one team held a 7 point lead at halftime. The other side had a 33 point lead at halftime. So one ignoramus uses deductive reasoning to conclude the results are similar. No wonder our kids have not been competitive with the world when it comes to math and sciences.
That’s it bad dawg? You got math out of my comment? Well ok
I understand judging by your comments you have a limitation: Reading and comprehension. Let’s try again from the mouth of Joe Moorhead ” (1) “Accountability begins with the details, all the little things…We will not be a football team that cuts corners.” (2) “We want teams to know when you step onto the field with the Mississippi State Bulldogs; you’re in for a 15 round fight.”(3) “Ultimately, football is a game of precision and execution. We are going to be the most precise team in the country.”
Read it slowly and try over and over again until you can comprehend it okay! I recommend a remedial reading class for you.
One final point: Who gets paid to instill discipline on the football team?
All these state fans falling into the same culture of expectations that is plaguing college football where you bring a new coach in and expect him to win 10 games within 2 years.
For those people that say Moorhead is destroying what Mullen built, Mullen had an overall win percentage of .600 at State. In his 9 seasons there, he had one 10 win season and only two 9 win seasons. He also had two losing seasons. Yes, he improved a program who under Croom went 21-38.
Moorhead has already shown that States offense is becoming more versatile than under Mullen. First off, a freshman QB would have never played under Mullen. This is a young team who had a lot of bad things happen quickly in this game which just snowballed. The potential is there, it just hasn’t tied together yet but that comes with time.
For all those “true” state fans, lower your expectations for now and hope for the future. Remember the croom years and realize this is way better. Don’t think Mullen was some championship machine (remember the orange bowl against GA Tech). And finally if you can’t do any of that, go be a D1 coach in the SEC for a season. If you can’t do that, you have no idea what it’s like so shut your mouths.
I agree. These”fans” some how think we will be able to compete every year with Alabama auburn LSU and A&M while having only about a third of their budgets, alumni support, recruiting areas, state population, facilities and did I mention their budgets. You know what, we are competitive most of the time and even better. Just ask A&M.
If this was an investment you would be getting a heck of a lot more for your money with State than the other guys.
On another note, if they allow these kids to make money on endorsements while in school then you can kiss college football goodbye. It will only be about 10 schools that will be able to compete.
“Goals are what you aspire to as a team and expectations are levied based on a confluence of circumstances,” Moorhead said. “Our ceiling for success is winning the SEC, getting in the playoff and competing for a championship. Our floor is six wins and qualifying for a bowl game. “Joe Moorhead”
“lower your expectations for now and hope for the future.” The world turns on an axis that demands results. Your statement tells me you are a follower and not a leader. The metrics for a head football coach in the SEC is to win, period. The more you verbalize your vintage opinion, the more you reveal your ignorance about the demands and expectation placed on a highly paid overrated football coach. Moorhead inherited a championship team last year and underachieved with a stacked roster.
Now argue with this quote “I am not saying I’m changing what our goals are, but the approach of coming off the plane (with) guns blazing, talking about ring sizes and Heisman Trophies — and the expectation level of the team entering the season, before me even getting there … without knowing the kind of history and the context of how difficult it is to win in this league,” Moorhead said.
Any TRUE leader knows Rome wasn’t built overnight. Why do you think it takes so long to build a road or home, the structure and foundation must be built perfectly. As soon as the finished product is complete, people forget about the foundation and structure and look at the glamour of the final product. State is in the foundation period and people only want the finished product.
Last years defense was championship caliber and they played that way. The offense, it wasn’t because of the cast.
Mississippi State is a family and we support each other. Yeah the season isn’t going like we hoped, but insulting our coach during the middle of it is in no way a path to build success. Followers jump ship, leaders go down with it. I don’t insult you because thats not what family does so please don’t insult me when you don’t know me.
No ill will from your opinion, just respect mine.
Try and convince Vic Schaefer Rome wasn’t built overnight. If I had to make a conjecture you probably weren’t born back in 1979. We had a coach named Emory Bellard that took a stacked defensive team in his second year and beat the mighty Bama who had won 29 consecutive games and two NCAA FB CHAMPIONSHIPS! Coach Moorhead took a stacked team and finished 8-4. His offense had nothing to do without the success of the team last year.
No get Joe Moorehead to go be a D1 coach, just go somewhere else other than MSU. Be Gone
I don’t blame the coaching staff when players make mistakes. I don’t really even blame the coaches for the way the team got blitzed in the first six minutes. Sometimes that just happens in spite of good preparation. But I do blame the coaching staff for things like these unsportsman-like, personal fouls for late hits WAY out of bounds, pre-snap penalties etc. that we see every week. Those things show a lack of discipline for which the coaching staff is responsible. Worst part? I don’t even think they know it.
It was astounding to me when I couldn’t watch the start of this game only to rush home and find a 21 – 0 1st quarter score. I wanted to know how many turnovers had we already committed only to find that AU just marched down the field 3 times in a row. No defense success, some same players, suspensions, and coaches. All of the above, a, b,…..ultimately this coach has to take some responsibility for what’s not happening and I cannot understand why this fan base is so nonchalant about this coaching issue. Keenum, Cohen, and powers to be either want to sink back into the cellar abyss of SEC football or they are full of pride that they made a bad hire and to save their necks, they’ll let the program and school suffer. Rutgers made a move yesterday, and I know it may hurt recruiting some, but MSU will have to make a change.
I haven’t liked Coach Joe from day one! Not to mention lack of preparation for each game, 12 men on the field, personal fouls, targeting, bad play calling and lack of enthusiasm, why does an SEC coach award players with a Bulldog (puppy) sticker to put on their helmet as a reward for making a good play or whatever? This is not high school or the per wee league Joe, it’s the SEC and a “Team” sport! Oh Billy, here is your puppy dog sticker for finally sacking the QB! What a joke! Does Alabama have little baby elephants on their helmets? Hell no! You go down as a Team win or lose! And finally, if I was Keaton I would be transferring out to another team too! He deserved and earned the starting QB position! But no, Coach Joe had better plans! And I agree with other comments, we are going to get spanked soundly, not only by Bama, but LSU and for sure the Ole Miss Rebels (formerly the Black Bears)! Maybe Rutgers will work out for Coach Joe!