Mississippi State fired head coach Joe Moorhead after two seasons on the job.
Formerly the offensive coordinator at Penn State, Moorhead was 14-12 with the Bulldogs — 6-7 this season.
His final game on the sideline was the Music City Bowl on Monday, in which Mississippi State squandered a 14-0 lead to Louisville and lost 38-28.
After a 3-1 start to the season, the Bulldogs lost four straight and were 3-5 in Southeastern Conference play. Mississippi State posted just its second losing season in the decade.
“In consultation with President Mark Keenum and after a thorough review and evaluation of all aspects of our football program, I have decided that a change in leadership is in the best interest of our team and university,” athletic director John Cohen said in a statement. “I want to thank Coach Moorhead for the hard work he has done with our football program.”
Associate head coach Tony Hughes will serve as interim head coach.
Keenum expanded on the initial statement.
“It is clear the time has come to change the leadership of our football program,” Keenum said. “Coach Moorhead is a good man, and I have nothing but respect for him. I sincerely wish the very best for him and his wonderful family.”
Cohen said he will lead a national search to find Moorhead’s replacement, and Keenum said the new coach will demonstrably reflect our shared expectations for a consistently competitive football team that displays discipline, pride, and preparation in all facets of the program.”
Discipline could be a key word. Ten Bulldogs players served eight-game suspensions this season due to academic fraud involving a tutor, and the end Moorhead’s tenure was marred by an incident on Dec. 20 when starting quarterback Garrett Shrader and a teammate reportedly engaged in a post-practice scuffle. Shrader suffered a broken orbital bone and was unable to play in the bowl game.
Mississippi State was the first FBS head coaching job for the 46-year-old Moorhead. He was the head coach at his alma mater, FCS program Fordham, from 2012-15 before moving on to Penn State. He previously worked as an assistant at UConn (2009-11), Akron (2004-08) and Georgetown (2000-03).
Moorhead succeeded Dan Mullen, who left to accept the head coaching position at Florida.
