STARKVILLE — As Joe Moorhead sat behind the podium in the underbelly of Kyle Field last Saturday, a look of defeat graced his face.
Rather than a fiery sermon or an anecdote regarding fans’ choice words toward him or his family, Moorhead was calm, almost stoic. One by one, he fielded questions regarding Mississippi State’s 49-30 loss to Texas A&M in College Station.
In short, he was tired. Tired of losing.
“At the end of the day we didn’t get the thing done,” Moorhead said. “It’s the same thing we talk about all the time — not the ability, but the consistency, explosive plays and turnovers — and you’re not going to beat a team like that giving up explosive plays defensively.
In the matter of five weeks, the MSU football program has gone from a dark horse New Year’s Day bowl bid-stealer to a team on the precipice of a nightmare. Stumbling through the middle portion of the year, a string of injuries and suspensions coupled with failing to live up to lofty expectations in 2018 have put Moorhead squarely on the hot seat heading into Saturday’s contest against Arkansas.
Conversely, Razorbacks coach Chad Morris, now in his second year on the job in Fayetteville, finds himself in a similarly precarious situation. He boasts an 0-13 record against Southeastern Conference competition and losses to San Jose State and North Texas.
Both standout coordinators at past stops, Moorhead (Penn State) and Morris (Clemson) have noticeably failed to live up to fan base expectations as they both near the end of their second campaigns in charge.
But how have two ace offensive minds suddenly stumbled in SEC head coaching roles? The numbers begin to tell the fuller story.
Upon their respective arrivals in Starkville and Fayetteville, both Moorhead and Morris were billed as luminary offensive talents.
Moorhead headed into his first season at the helm at MSU having guided Penn State to historic offensive output numbers — including the nation’s 19th most prolific unit at 460.3 yards per game in 2017.
As for Morris, he had taken an SMU program from the depths of FBS football and closed out his tenure with a 7-5 season — helping the Mustangs to the No. 15-ranked total offense at 478.5 yards per game.
And while both coaches’ resumes backed up their billing as offensive gurus, their respective SEC tenures have been anything but prolific.
In Moorhead’s case, the one-time Nittany Lion and former Fordham head coach has watched his offense sputter for two straight seasons. Chalking up last year’s deficiencies to a quarterback — Nick Fitzgerald — who didn’t fit the system, the Bulldogs were expected to improve on last year’s No. 71 national ranking in total offense with graduate transfer Tommy Stevens under center.
But after injuries and inefficiency forced Moorhead to replace Stevens with freshman Garrett Shrader — a player he spent over three years recruiting — the offense has yet to find its stride, as it sits at No. 88 in the country in total offense and No. 90 in scoring offense nationally.
“Part of it is trying to do too much, and a little bit of it is the defense showing us new stuff that they hadn’t done all year,” Shrader said of what has caused the offense’s recent struggles. “So we’re just having to adjust to what they’re running.”
And while Moorhead’s offenses have been deficient at best, Morris’ offensive prestige at SMU has turned to dust at Arkansas. The Razorbacks are ranked a meager No. 98 in total offense this season — though they’re up from No. 118 last season — and No. 106 in total scoring offense.
Granted, a number of the issues can be chalked up to poor quarterback play from SMU transfer Ben Hicks and Texas A&M import Nick Starkel, but the sparkling offensive prowess Morris brought with him to Arkansas has been dimmed.
Further, while neither Moorhead or Morris considers himself a defensive coach, their respective defensive coordinators haven’t exactly helped the offenses this season.
Moorhead was handed the keys to perhaps the best defense in program history following Dan Mullen’s move to Florida. With future first-round NFL draft picks Jeffery Simmons, Johnathan Abram and Montez Sweat, the Bulldogs ranked No. 1 in the nation in total defense.
MSU defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, who struggled during his previous stop at Tennessee, looked to have found a groove in Starkville — until this season.
With the vacuum of talent and leadership leaving the room, MSU has stumbled to the No. 73-ranked defense in the country — one that is allowing 402.3 yards per game, up from 263.1 yards per game last season.
Like Shoop, Arkansas defensive coordinator John Chavis entered his tenure at Arkansas with past SEC experience at Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M. And also like Shoop, his defenses have left plenty to be desired heading into this weekend’s matchup.
In Chavis’ two seasons leading the Arkansas defense, the Razorbacks ranked No. 79 and No. 89, respectively, while allowing an average of 415.9 yards per game over that span.
This isn’t to say Moorhead and Morris were expected to bring stout defenses when signed, but the poor-performing units have exacerbated their offensive issues.
Beyond the offensive and defensive numbers, the staunch realities of SEC head coaching tenures come down to wins and losses.
In both cases, neither coach has been particularly successful in the win column.
Riding last season’s widely acclaimed defense, Moorhead finished his inaugural campaign at 8-5 with a loss to Iowa in the Outback Bowl — though doubters remain steadfast the Bulldogs should have been a 10-win team.
Lacking last season’s defensive stars, the Bulldogs have stumbled to a 3-5 start with losses to middling Tennessee and Texas A&M teams while sitting at 1-4 in the SEC and 0-3 on the road.
Morris hasn’t fared much better. After finishing last season 2-10, his squad sits at 2-6 with wins over FCS Portland State and Mountain West opponent Colorado State and a 13-game SEC losing streak still alive.
Perhaps more pressing, reinforcements are not necessarily on the way — not in Fayetteville, at least.
For all the issues Moorhead has faced, he’s performed admirably on the recruiting trail by MSU standards.
Piecing together the first recruiting class of his tenure, he secured the nation’s No. 24-ranked 2019 class per 247Sports.com’s rankings — good for eighth in the SEC.
Moorhead’s 2020 class also currently sits at No. 20 nationally. For context, Mullen’s second class at MSU in 2010 sat at No. 30 nationally.
Morris, who was brought to Arkansas for his recruiting roots — particularly in Texas — as much as his on-field exploits, boasts classes ranked No. 23 and No. 44 for 2019 and 2020, respectively.
Recruiting rankings only tell so much, but for MSU, Moorhead has gotten the ball rolling in a way his predecessor did not this early in his time in Starkville.
“I think in the past two years we have really demonstrated how committed we are to recruiting in the state of Mississippi and the surrounding states and our footprint with having the willingness and the ability to go nationally for a player that has a reason to come to Mississippi State,” Moorhead said of next year’s class in early October.
Saturday, both Moorhead and Morris have chances to buy themselves time. In Moorhead’s case, a win would offer an outside shot at a bowl game should the Bulldogs handle business against Abilene Christian and Ole Miss. It would help quell the swirling rumors connecting him to the vacant head coaching job at Rutgers.
As for Morris, a win over an SEC foe would do wonders in maintaining some kind of upward trajectory heading into the offseason.
But regardless of the lingering uncertainties of hot seats and buyouts, the sentiment remains — Moorhead and Morris are far from the hot-shot coaching commodities they were just 18 months ago.
“You understand what you sign up for when you become a head coach in this league — the good, the bad and the ugly,” Moorhead said Wednesday. “People are entitled to their opinions and what they think is reality, and I’m entitled to mine as well. So I’m excited about what we did last year, I’m excited about the current state, and I’m excited about the future.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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