Joe Moorhead endears himself to Mississippi State football fans with Egg Bowl

Joe Moorhead’s actions in the Egg Bowl and the fact that he led the Mississippi State football team to a 32-point victory over Ole Miss will help Moorhead continue to build a relationship with fans of the Bulldogs.

Joe Moorhead did a lot to earn some goodwill with Mississippi State football fans last night. Obviously, winning the Egg Bowl by 32 points in Oxford, Mississippi will put smiles on the faces of MSU fans. But the head coach of the Bulldogs did more than just that last night against the Rebels. Moorhead’s actions after the game will go a long way in endearing him to Mississippi State football fans.

Many Mississippi State fans often criticized Joe Moorhead throughout the entirety of the 2018 season for a seeming lack of emotion in games. It was an understandable and valid complaint while the Bulldogs were losing games that they should have been significantly more competitive in (and a couple of games that the Bulldogs should have won).

There were several complaints from several MSU fans. And it wasn’t a completely unreasonable thing to ask for, but it’s not like Moorhead exists completely without any emotion. There were certainly times that it was visible throughout the year.

There was a pretty good example of it against Florida:

And it’s not like Mississippi State fans saw everything that was going on at all times:

But still, there was this notion that existed in the minds of Mississippi State fans that Joe Moorhead never displayed any emotion. More or less, that’s who the coach is, but Bulldog fans were hoping to see more of that at times throughout the year.

And last night, those Bulldog fans got their wish. After his team demolished the Ole Miss Rebels in a game raging with emotions, Moorhead openly defended his players during a postgame scuffle as an Ole Miss deputy athletic director was apparently acting as an agitator in the situation.

That kind of emotion paired with that kind of win will do a lot to help Moorhead find favor with Mississippi State football fans. If Moorhead can continue to throttle Ole Miss whenever the Bulldogs play the Rebels and he can show this kind of fire, then many MSU fans will forgive his shortcomings.

This rivalry means a lot to both fanbases involved. Winning the Egg Bowl won’t be able to mask every flaw or erase every issue that Moorhead has, but it will help him out. Winning this Egg Bowl the way that the Bulldogs did certainly won’t hurt his reputation amongst the Bulldog faithful.