Joe Moorhead must make adjustments with this Mississippi State football team

Joe Moorhead must do something to change the direction of this season after the Mississippi State football team failed on the road at Kentucky

The 2018 Mississippi State football season was supposed to be a special one. The Bulldogs were supposed to roll right through their first few foes right up to battle Auburn in a game that should have featured two highly ranked opponents. Joe Moorhead convinced fans in the offseason that the Bulldogs would play at a “championship standard” and they did everything but that last night against the Wildcats.

In the past decade, Mississippi State hasn’t lost to Kentucky by more than two points. That loss came in 2016, one of the worst years of Mississippi State football in the last decade. Last night, MSU lost by three touchdowns to the Wildcats. Mississippi State lost by a total of 21 points in Lexington. That loss went against everything that Moorhead preached about coming into this game.

The Bulldogs did not execute cleanly. Mississippi State committed 16 penalties and had far too many penalty yards. On top of all of that, MSU’s supposedly explosive offense sputtered throughout the evening.

Part of that slogging offense was due to penalty issues. Part of it was due to an offensive line that could not get past Kentucky’s defensive front. Part of it was due to a lack of adjustments up front to account for those issues.

Mississippi State was outplayed. Mississippi State was out-coached. Mississippi State was beaten in embarrassing fashion last night on ESPN2.

As Justin Strawn wrote, the honeymoon between Mississippi State football fans and Joe Moorhead is over. It’s done. Moorhead will receive plenty of scrutiny and criticism for last night’s game. And rightfully so. It was a horrific performance across the board and all of that responsibility sits with the Bulldogs’ head coach.

He knows that.

In what could potentially by a really good thing or a really bad thing, this Mississippi State football season isn’t over just yet. Yes, the Bulldogs lost horribly last night. Every single on of MSU’s flaws were exposed at some point or another by the Kentucky Wildcats. Every opposing team now knows how to beat MSU and to do so in dominant fashion.

Kentucky laid that formula out for the world last night. You can bet that other teams are going to try and take advantage of that.

Joe Moorhead has to get things under control and this team must find a way to make adjustments. This season isn’t done. Mississippi State will have a chance to respond. The Bulldogs can turn things around. Joe Moorhead has seen horrible losses like this before and has helped teams bounce back in incredible ways.

In 2016, Penn State lost on the road to Pitt by a score of 42-39. Two weeks later, the Nittany Lions lost again on the road, falling apart and dropping their game against Michigan by a score of 49-10.

Pitt finished the season at 8-5. Michigan went 10-3 in that same year. Penn State ended 2016 with an 11-3 record and an appearance in a Rose Bowl.

No, this Mississippi State football team isn’t that Penn State team. The Kentucky Wildcats aren’t Michigan or Pitt. It’s still undetermined just how good the Bulldogs and the Wildcats are this year. And this season isn’t done just four weeks in. Moorhead has been a part of incredible turnarounds and huge improvements that teams have made in the midst of their seasons.

He is going to have to do that again with the Bulldogs this year.

Last night’s game was Moorhead’s first taste of SEC play. It’ll only get more difficult from here on out. The Bulldogs face Florida next week. If MSU couldn’t control their emotions against Kentucky, then it’ll be in deep trouble against the Gators. And the Auburn Tigers. And the Alabama Crimson Tide. And the Texas A&M Aggies. And Ole Miss.