Bulldogs looking for more offense
The boo birds were out at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday.
At first they were intended for former head coach Dan Mullen but later turned towards current Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead as the offense continued to struggle for a second straight week.
“I appreciate the heck out of our fans,” Moorhead said.
“I know that they love the Bulldogs. Certainly they may not love what we’re doing right now, particularly on the offensive side. But I promise you it’s going to get fixed and it’s going to get better. The light at the end of the tunnel is an opening, not an oncoming train.”
The Bulldogs were averaging 587.7 yards and 50 points per game through the first three weeks but have produced 201 and 202 yards and only one touchdown in back-to-back losses to Kentucky and Florida.
As the offensive play-caller, Moorhead shouldered his share of the blame for the team’s shortcomings.
“I need to do a better job of putting kids in position to be successful, certainly on the offensive side of the ball,” Moorhead said. “When we do make good calls and it’s dialed up the right way then we’ve got to find a way to execute the plays.”
MSU running backs Kylin Hill (7.7) and Aeris Williams (7.0) are both averaging seven or more yards per carry this season. During Saturday’s 13-6 loss to the Gators, the duo combined for 72 yards but only had 12 attempts.
“Nick (Fitzgerald) is a very capable and accomplished runner and sometimes we want the ball in his hands,” Moorhead said.
“But certainly we are examining more and more ways to make sure when we call a run that it gets put in a running back’s stomach and he runs it as opposed to either a pull and quarterback run or pull and a throw.”
This weekend the Bulldogs will face an Auburn defense that has allowed just five touchdowns all year and only one on the ground.
