STONEVILLE — Mississippi Head football coach Joe Moorhead was in Washington County Tuesday to give local Bulldog fans an update on the status of his program.
Moorhead, who will be entering his second season at the helm of MSU, gave autographs and answered questions during a relaxed evening at the Mississippi State Delta Research and Extension Center. The event was part of Moorhead’s Road Dawgs Tour and held by the MSU Washington County Alumni Chapter. Local alumni partaked in cocktails and hors d’oeuvres before the coach’s arrival.
Under Moorhead, the Bulldogs finished 8-5 last season. It was a mixed result for the coach as he got his first taste of life in the Southeastern Conference. MSU lost conference games to Kentucky, Florida, LSU and Alabama, but ended the regular season with a 52-6 victory over Arkansas and a 35-3 victory over Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl. MSU fell 27-22 to Iowa in the Outback Bowl.
“I learned a lot in my first year in coaching at Mississippi State,” Coach Moorhead said. “The SEC West is the toughest division in football.”
The most challenging aspect of his new job, said the coach, was in recruiting.
“We are all trying to recruit the same guys who are the best players in the same area,” Moorhead said. “You have to keep working at it, and you have to understand the process.”
Another bright note for last season’s MSU squad, along with the big wins over Arkansas and Ole Miss, were that five of his players were selected in last month’s NFL draft. These players included first rounders Jeffery Simmons and Montez Sweat, as well as Greenville’s own Gerri Green who was selected in the sixth round by the Indianapolis Colts.
The MSU coach said Green will be hard to replace.
“Gerri is a wonderful young man who has a great future,” the coach said.
