Big month ahead for Moorhead, Bulldogs
The Bible, in the book of Matthew, tells the story of the wise and foolish builders.
The wise man built his house on the rock. The foolish man constructed his on the sand. When the storms came, the house on the rock didn't budge. Meanwhile the house with a foundation made of sand came tumbling down.
Over the next few weeks, now that Mississippi State has begun its preseason training camp, head coach Joe Moorhead will do his best to make sure the Bulldogs have a foundation made of solid stone. For MSU'S fortunes this season and perhaps for Moorhead's future in Starkville, the choices made in the next several days could have long-range implications. It's an important month to say the least for both Moorhead and the Bulldogs.
To be clear, this isn't saying Moorhead's job is currently in any danger. He's coming off a debut season in which he won
eight games. Some considered the year a disappointment because of the amount of talent State boasted, but historically, winning eight games at MSU – particularly in a coach's first year in town – is nothing to scoff.
Still, there were problems a year ago that will be under the microscope this season. If Moorhead wants to maintain the trust of the fanbase in the long run, he'll likely need to light up the scoreboard a bit more this season than he did in 2018.
Moorhead came to Starkville heralded as an offensive guru, then, his offenses went out in big games and fell flat. State scored just 16 total points in losses against Kentucky, Florida, LSU and Alabama. MSU scored more than 28 points in only two league games, those coming against the Southeastern Conference Western Division's two worst teams – Arkansas and Ole Miss. The explosive Moorhead offense oftentimes looked instead more like a dud of a bottle rocket on the Fourth of July. Maybe the biggest question Moorhead faces this season is can his history of orchestrating highpowered offenses start to fully make its way into SEC play? The decisions Moorhead makes over the next four weeks could well decide the answer to that question.
Of course the biggest decision Moorhead has to make in this regard is determining his starting quarterback. Moorhead and the Bulldogs insist it's an open competition with Bulldog veteran Keytaon Thompson and graduate transfer Tommy Stevens being the frontrunners. Personally, I'll be shocked if Stevens isn't calling the shots when MSU opens up play in the Superdome in New Orleans on August 31. Stevens – a former pupil under Moorhead at Penn State when Moorhead was the offensive coordinator there – could have went to any number of schools and easily started in what will be his final collegiate season. I doubt he'd be in Starkville without having a good idea the quarterback job was his to lose.
If that's the case, the main handicap of Moorhead's offensive style a year ago will be fixed. Former quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, for all of his talent running the football, struggled to be consistently accurate in the passing game. Fitzgerald also had the unenviable task of trying to master Moorhead's offense in one year after multiple years of guiding the offensive scheme of former MSU head coach Dan Mullen.
Stevens is likely to have none of those issues. He's completely used to the Moorhead offense. His reputation is that of a guy that is ultra-talented with his arm, as well as his feet. He's expected to be more accurate throwing the football than Fitzgerald, and likely Thompson too for that matter because for as much talent as Thompson has displayed in his time as a Bulldog, he's still been inconsistent in the passing game.
We'll see how it all shakes out. Like I've written, I expect Stevens to start, but there is the chance for Moorhead to surprise me and go with Thompson. Who knows? If there's an injury or two, maybe Jaylen Mayden or Garrett Shrader somehow works into the quarterbacking discussion.
It'll be interesting to see what Moorhead does in the days to come. His decisions aren't relegated to just the quarterback position either. Receivers are vying for playing time. There are battles all over the football field.
I don't envy Moorhead. None of these decisions are easy to make. They'll be scrutinized all year long by fans and those who cover the team. However the fact of the matter is that Moorhead was hired to make these calls. He was brought in to – in his own words – take MSU from good to great.
Moorhead's choices the next month will go a long way towards getting the Bulldogs on the right path. When times get tough in the season ahead, Moorhead and the Bulldogs can only hope the decisions made in camp create a foundation that's rock solid instead of one that slips away into turmoil.
Joel Coleman is the Mississippi State beat writer for The Starkville Daily News. The opinions in this column are Coleman's and do not necessarily reflect the views of The SDN or its staff.