joe-moorhead.jpg
USATSI

It didn't take long for former Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead to land on his feet after getting fired earlier this month. Oregon announced on Tuesday that the program has hired the former Bulldogs coach to serve as its offensive coordinator. Moorhead replaces Marcus Arroyo, who became the head coach at UNLV

Moorhead coached at Mississippi State for just two seasons, compiling a 14-12 record. He was relieved of his duties following a loss to Louisville in the Music City Bowl. The Bulldogs recently announced they were hiring Washington State coach Mike Leach as Moorhead's successor. In his two years in Starkville, Moorhead's teams scored just 28.5 points per game in 2018, and 27.6 points per game in 2019.

Though Moorhead may not have worked out at Mississippi State, he was a highly regarded offensive mind prior to being hired there. In his two seasons as Penn State's offensive coordinator, Moorhead led a pair of top-25 scoring offenses. Specifically, the 2017 Nittany Lions tied with Ohio State for sixth nationally in points per game (41.1). Moorhead was also the coach at FCS program Fordham from 2012-15 and compiled a 38-13 record with three Division I playoff appearances. 

Oregon is coming off a 12-2 season that included a Pac-12 Championship and a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin