The Bulldogs close the regular season with three straight home games beginning with Alabama on Nov. 16.
Moorhead: "I love being home. ... Our fans are tremendous."
November 06, 2019 | Football
by Bill Martin, Senior Associate Athletic Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – A 640-yard offensive explosion in a 54-24 victory over Arkansas has carried into Mississippi State football's second open date on the calendar as the Bulldogs wrapped up another energetic practice Wednesday evening before turning their attention to Alabama.
Head coach Joe Moorhead met with members of the media before hitting the recruiting trail the next two days. Moorhead singled out the growth of the freshmen and newcomers and also discussed the squad's focus on fundamentals during this week's workouts.
"I could go through position by position but it's great to see we have a ton of talent in our true freshmen class," Moorhead said. "They did a really nice job competing this week and guys made a bunch of plays and saw a lot of improvement.
"[It's] focusing on the developmental aspect of it where normally the 1's and 2's get the most reps and then the younger guys and redshirts, they've been on scout team now but we flip that so it was great to see all of these true freshmen, redshirt freshmen and young guys get in there for a bunch of reps."
State (4-5, 2-4 SEC) returns to action the following Saturday when top-ranked Alabama (Coaches poll) visits Davis Wade Stadium for an 11 a.m. kickoff on ESPN. That begins a three-game home stand to close the regular season that culminates with the annual Battle for the Golden Egg on Thanksgiving night.
"I know our kids love being home," Moorhead said. "I love being home. It's an atmosphere and setting that is unique in college football, and I think provides us an unbelievable home field advantage. Our fans are tremendous, and I know that's something that really energizes our kids on game day."
Tickets for MSU-Alabama are available at HailState.com/tickets, by calling (662) 325-2600 or in person at the MSU Athletic Ticket Office on the first floor of the Bryan Athletic Administration Building (288 Lakeview Drive), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Head Coach Joe Moorhead Media Session
Nov. 6, 2019
Q: What's your plan for this opening week of practices?
JM: "We kind of gave them I don't want to say off on Sunday, but we let them lift and run and work out some of the kinks on Sunday. We come out of a game with a bunch of guys banged up. They were off on Monday. That's our normal off day. In the past two days we've had full practices, and they're off this week and come back Sunday, and then we hit the road recruiting Thursday and Friday."
Q: Have the practices been solely about refreshing or adjusting the evaluation or anything about the future opponents?
JM: "No Alabama work yet, we'll start that on Sunday. It's been a lot of fundamental and technique work, a lot of 7-on-7, a lot of 1-on-1's, and a bunch of team and special teams. Like I said, focusing on the developmental aspect of it where normally the 1's and 2's get the most reps and then the younger guys and redshirts, they've been on scout team now but we flip that so it was great to see all these true freshmen, redshirt freshmen and young guys get in there for a bunch of reps. It was real exciting."
Q: Is that, as a coach, you want to get out of a bye week is development, aside from staying healthy, is that the main goal of the bye week?
JM: "It's kind of a cliché thing is to rehab physically, recharge mentally. Make sure the older guys stay fresh and they're ready to go when we get back. I could go through position by position but it's great to see we have a ton of talent in our true freshmen class, and those guys, they did a real nice job competing this week and guys made a bunch of plays and saw a lot of improvement."
Q: Any young guys in particular stand out?
JM: "Garrett [Shrader] is a true freshman, you got to remember that. He did some nice things, but Jaylen Mayden also got a lot of work in. We kind of know about Lee [Witherspoon]. Kareem Walker has a chance to be really good. Veteran presence, older guy has been in the Power 5, but has kind of a presence of leadership to him and he really understands football, runs hard. Kind of a slasher. He did some real nice things. We know the young tight ends and the young offensive linemen. Obviously, we know Charles Cross. [Nick] Pendley has played a little bit. Brandon Cunningham is really coming along, Brevyn Jones, and then Cole Smith, he's going to be really good too. He plays with a lot of fire and a lot of intensity. De'Monte [Russell], Jack Harris, we know about Nathan Pickering. Collin Duncan, Dylan Lawrence… thing 1 and thing 2. We know about the corners. That's not even going into the redshirt freshmen, so it was really good to see those guys and I think there's a lot of talent."
Q: Coach, I know health has had a lot to do with it, but how do you know when a quarterback is ready to go in a particular week?
JM: "Normally, you get into that Thursday practice, and that's a review of what you've done Tuesday and Wednesday, which is first and second down, then third down and red zone. You're not full pads. You're put in positions where we're going to see what they're going to see in the game. Let's say by the end of the day Thursday you've got a good feel of how the quarterback has digested the game plan and been able to execute with precision."
Q: Special teams has had some breakdowns throughout the year. How do you get that unit back on track for these last few games?
JM: "We worked a lot of fundamental and technique stuff the past two days, so it wasn't so much about scheme. We had kickoff and kickoff return yesterday and punt and punt return today so kind of got back to the basics and worked on a lot of fundamentals and technique."
Q: You mentioned Kareem [Walker] as a guy who's obviously coming in his junior year, but how have you seen him embrace his role at practice now that he has that academic redshirt?
JM: "We finally got him on the field so that was a plus. Once we got that done and he went down to scout team, he's given those guys a heck of a look. He's running hard, challenging them, and I think if you don't get your pads down or if you don't square him up, you're going to bounce off of him. Being an older guy down there, and maybe some of the younger guys aren't accustomed to that speed of the game in that regard. For a guy who hasn't been here very long and hasn't played a down of football in the SEC, he's been a pretty good leader for us so far."
Q: Now that he's healthy and with the quality of his play on Saturday, has Tommy [Stevens] reclaimed the QB1 designation?
JM: "We watched yesterday's tape this morning and we'll watch tomorrow's tape as well. We've done two days of game-planning for Alabama, we'll sit down and talk personnel moving forward. We really didn't have anything Alabama-related the past two practices so we'll hit that Sunday."
Q: How is Garrett [Shrader] health-wise now?
JM: "Getting better."
Q: A couple of the guys like Stewart Reese, is he on track to be back for the Alabama game?
JM: "Yes, knock on wood."
Q: Are there any health concerns that come to mind right now?
JM: "[Cameron] Young will be out for the rest of the year with a lower body [injury], so that would be the most recent one. The rest are kind of bumps and bruises."
Q: How is [Cameron] Dantzler holding up post-Arkansas?
JM: "Pretty good. We cut his reps a little bit this week, which was planned anyway. I think with the bye week and the weekend to heal up, I think he'll be back to close to 100 percent starting on Sunday."
Q: Do you feel like you're on track with your long term plan for the team?
JM: "I do. I think a lot of it is fluid, and the ultimate goal is to win the SEC or win a national championship. Within that, we talk about being the best team in the state with Ole Miss and Southern Miss and the ceiling and floor for success. I think there have been a lot of circumstances probably outside of our control this year that maybe have kind of forced us to work around some issues and be a little more strategic in our plan. From an overall standpoint, we would obviously like to win every game and be undefeated, but I think from the big picture perspective, we're headed where we need to go."
Q: Will you take time to watch the Alabama vs. LSU game?
JM: "I've got an Armstrong Middle School hoops at nine and one. After that, we'll be freed up, so it'll be football for the rest of the day."
Q: Coaches always say that you can control what you can control. Do you think you've done a good job with that?
JM: "Control the controllable; I think we've done a good job with that. I think we've also done a good of reacting to and making plans for the things that have been out of our control."
Q: Besides taking a few days off for the players, is there a different air now coming off that win at Arkansas?
JM: "A little bit. I would say more 'pep in our step', but you get to name scout team players of the week, players of the week, get your helmet stickers, things like that. Team meetings on Sunday following a win are always a little more energetic. We play 'Celebration' by Kool & The Gang. Everyone stands up, shakes each other's hand and congratulates them on the win. What I would say from a focus and preparation standpoint, a guy once told me never too high, never too low. You want to keep that level of consistency in your approach whether you won or lost the game."
Q: How much do you feel that the bye week comes at the right time with the rest of the season ahead of you?
JM: "I think it was a good time. Coming off a win, not worried about Abilene Christian or Ole Miss or anything, but you're staring down Alabama. We're heading into that week. It was a good set up schedule wise because they're going to necessitate all of our attention."
Q: How excited are you to be back home for the final three games?
JM: "Another 28 days. That's great. I know our kids love being home. I love being home. It's an atmosphere and setting that is unique in college football, and I think provides us an unbelievable home field advantage. Our fans are tremendous, and I know that's something that really energizes our kids on game day."
STARKVILLE – A 640-yard offensive explosion in a 54-24 victory over Arkansas has carried into Mississippi State football's second open date on the calendar as the Bulldogs wrapped up another energetic practice Wednesday evening before turning their attention to Alabama.
Head coach Joe Moorhead met with members of the media before hitting the recruiting trail the next two days. Moorhead singled out the growth of the freshmen and newcomers and also discussed the squad's focus on fundamentals during this week's workouts.
"I could go through position by position but it's great to see we have a ton of talent in our true freshmen class," Moorhead said. "They did a really nice job competing this week and guys made a bunch of plays and saw a lot of improvement.
"[It's] focusing on the developmental aspect of it where normally the 1's and 2's get the most reps and then the younger guys and redshirts, they've been on scout team now but we flip that so it was great to see all of these true freshmen, redshirt freshmen and young guys get in there for a bunch of reps."
State (4-5, 2-4 SEC) returns to action the following Saturday when top-ranked Alabama (Coaches poll) visits Davis Wade Stadium for an 11 a.m. kickoff on ESPN. That begins a three-game home stand to close the regular season that culminates with the annual Battle for the Golden Egg on Thanksgiving night.
"I know our kids love being home," Moorhead said. "I love being home. It's an atmosphere and setting that is unique in college football, and I think provides us an unbelievable home field advantage. Our fans are tremendous, and I know that's something that really energizes our kids on game day."
Tickets for MSU-Alabama are available at HailState.com/tickets, by calling (662) 325-2600 or in person at the MSU Athletic Ticket Office on the first floor of the Bryan Athletic Administration Building (288 Lakeview Drive), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Head Coach Joe Moorhead Media Session
Nov. 6, 2019
Q: What's your plan for this opening week of practices?
JM: "We kind of gave them I don't want to say off on Sunday, but we let them lift and run and work out some of the kinks on Sunday. We come out of a game with a bunch of guys banged up. They were off on Monday. That's our normal off day. In the past two days we've had full practices, and they're off this week and come back Sunday, and then we hit the road recruiting Thursday and Friday."
Q: Have the practices been solely about refreshing or adjusting the evaluation or anything about the future opponents?
JM: "No Alabama work yet, we'll start that on Sunday. It's been a lot of fundamental and technique work, a lot of 7-on-7, a lot of 1-on-1's, and a bunch of team and special teams. Like I said, focusing on the developmental aspect of it where normally the 1's and 2's get the most reps and then the younger guys and redshirts, they've been on scout team now but we flip that so it was great to see all these true freshmen, redshirt freshmen and young guys get in there for a bunch of reps. It was real exciting."
Q: Is that, as a coach, you want to get out of a bye week is development, aside from staying healthy, is that the main goal of the bye week?
JM: "It's kind of a cliché thing is to rehab physically, recharge mentally. Make sure the older guys stay fresh and they're ready to go when we get back. I could go through position by position but it's great to see we have a ton of talent in our true freshmen class, and those guys, they did a real nice job competing this week and guys made a bunch of plays and saw a lot of improvement."
Q: Any young guys in particular stand out?
JM: "Garrett [Shrader] is a true freshman, you got to remember that. He did some nice things, but Jaylen Mayden also got a lot of work in. We kind of know about Lee [Witherspoon]. Kareem Walker has a chance to be really good. Veteran presence, older guy has been in the Power 5, but has kind of a presence of leadership to him and he really understands football, runs hard. Kind of a slasher. He did some real nice things. We know the young tight ends and the young offensive linemen. Obviously, we know Charles Cross. [Nick] Pendley has played a little bit. Brandon Cunningham is really coming along, Brevyn Jones, and then Cole Smith, he's going to be really good too. He plays with a lot of fire and a lot of intensity. De'Monte [Russell], Jack Harris, we know about Nathan Pickering. Collin Duncan, Dylan Lawrence… thing 1 and thing 2. We know about the corners. That's not even going into the redshirt freshmen, so it was really good to see those guys and I think there's a lot of talent."
Q: Coach, I know health has had a lot to do with it, but how do you know when a quarterback is ready to go in a particular week?
JM: "Normally, you get into that Thursday practice, and that's a review of what you've done Tuesday and Wednesday, which is first and second down, then third down and red zone. You're not full pads. You're put in positions where we're going to see what they're going to see in the game. Let's say by the end of the day Thursday you've got a good feel of how the quarterback has digested the game plan and been able to execute with precision."
Q: Special teams has had some breakdowns throughout the year. How do you get that unit back on track for these last few games?
JM: "We worked a lot of fundamental and technique stuff the past two days, so it wasn't so much about scheme. We had kickoff and kickoff return yesterday and punt and punt return today so kind of got back to the basics and worked on a lot of fundamentals and technique."
Q: You mentioned Kareem [Walker] as a guy who's obviously coming in his junior year, but how have you seen him embrace his role at practice now that he has that academic redshirt?
JM: "We finally got him on the field so that was a plus. Once we got that done and he went down to scout team, he's given those guys a heck of a look. He's running hard, challenging them, and I think if you don't get your pads down or if you don't square him up, you're going to bounce off of him. Being an older guy down there, and maybe some of the younger guys aren't accustomed to that speed of the game in that regard. For a guy who hasn't been here very long and hasn't played a down of football in the SEC, he's been a pretty good leader for us so far."
Q: Now that he's healthy and with the quality of his play on Saturday, has Tommy [Stevens] reclaimed the QB1 designation?
JM: "We watched yesterday's tape this morning and we'll watch tomorrow's tape as well. We've done two days of game-planning for Alabama, we'll sit down and talk personnel moving forward. We really didn't have anything Alabama-related the past two practices so we'll hit that Sunday."
Q: How is Garrett [Shrader] health-wise now?
JM: "Getting better."
Q: A couple of the guys like Stewart Reese, is he on track to be back for the Alabama game?
JM: "Yes, knock on wood."
Q: Are there any health concerns that come to mind right now?
JM: "[Cameron] Young will be out for the rest of the year with a lower body [injury], so that would be the most recent one. The rest are kind of bumps and bruises."
Q: How is [Cameron] Dantzler holding up post-Arkansas?
JM: "Pretty good. We cut his reps a little bit this week, which was planned anyway. I think with the bye week and the weekend to heal up, I think he'll be back to close to 100 percent starting on Sunday."
Q: Do you feel like you're on track with your long term plan for the team?
JM: "I do. I think a lot of it is fluid, and the ultimate goal is to win the SEC or win a national championship. Within that, we talk about being the best team in the state with Ole Miss and Southern Miss and the ceiling and floor for success. I think there have been a lot of circumstances probably outside of our control this year that maybe have kind of forced us to work around some issues and be a little more strategic in our plan. From an overall standpoint, we would obviously like to win every game and be undefeated, but I think from the big picture perspective, we're headed where we need to go."
Q: Will you take time to watch the Alabama vs. LSU game?
JM: "I've got an Armstrong Middle School hoops at nine and one. After that, we'll be freed up, so it'll be football for the rest of the day."
Q: Coaches always say that you can control what you can control. Do you think you've done a good job with that?
JM: "Control the controllable; I think we've done a good job with that. I think we've also done a good of reacting to and making plans for the things that have been out of our control."
Q: Besides taking a few days off for the players, is there a different air now coming off that win at Arkansas?
JM: "A little bit. I would say more 'pep in our step', but you get to name scout team players of the week, players of the week, get your helmet stickers, things like that. Team meetings on Sunday following a win are always a little more energetic. We play 'Celebration' by Kool & The Gang. Everyone stands up, shakes each other's hand and congratulates them on the win. What I would say from a focus and preparation standpoint, a guy once told me never too high, never too low. You want to keep that level of consistency in your approach whether you won or lost the game."
Q: How much do you feel that the bye week comes at the right time with the rest of the season ahead of you?
JM: "I think it was a good time. Coming off a win, not worried about Abilene Christian or Ole Miss or anything, but you're staring down Alabama. We're heading into that week. It was a good set up schedule wise because they're going to necessitate all of our attention."
Q: How excited are you to be back home for the final three games?
JM: "Another 28 days. That's great. I know our kids love being home. I love being home. It's an atmosphere and setting that is unique in college football, and I think provides us an unbelievable home field advantage. Our fans are tremendous, and I know that's something that really energizes our kids on game day."
Players Mentioned
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