The UO football team made it official on January 21: the new offensive coordinator for the Ducks is Joe Moorhead, a Rose Bowl participant and Fiesta Bowl winner with Penn State, who designed the record-breaking Nittany Lions offense that saw Saquon Barkley dominate the Big Ten.
Moorhead’s name was a late addition to the list of candidates for the vacancy that came open when Marcus Arroyo took the UNLV job prior to the Rose Bowl—Moorhead was the head coach at Mississippi State University until he was let go on January 3, two days after Oregon’s win over Wisconsin.
“I’ve admired Joe’s offensive philosophy and ability as a play caller from afar, and after meeting with him I was even more impressed,” said UO head coach Mario Cristobal. “He is a great teacher and communicator, and instills confidence and belief in his players. His offenses have been explosive, balanced, multiple, and creative. More importantly, he’s a great man, father, and husband who our players and staff will enjoy working with.”
Moorhead’s Bulldogs went 14-12 in his two years at the helm, and played in the Outback Bowl and the Music City Bowl, and his eight wins in 2018 were the most by a first-year head coach in MSU history. The Bulldogs finished the 2018 season ranked No. 18 in the nation, the program’s second-best finish in the College Football Playoff rankings.
His two top-25 recruiting classes included the first five-star offensive lineman prospect in school history, and in total he convinced 12 four- and five-star recruits to sign with the Bulldogs. That figure is the most since 2000, an impressive feat in its own right considering Starkville, Mississippi’s status as one of the harder places to recruit to in the Southeastern Conference; the town’s ironic, derisive nickname throughout the South is “Stark Vegas,” a reference to its lack of culture and nightlife.
Moorhead was hired by MSU after a stellar two years as Penn State’s offensive coordinator. During his tenure in State College, the Nittany Lions averaged almost 40 points per game and broke school records for total offense, passing yards, and points scored. In his final year at PSU, the team ranked seventh nationally in scoring offense, 17th in yards per play, and 19th in total offense. The Nittany Lions also averaged more than 38 points per game in conference play, during a two-year period in which seven different Big Ten programs finished in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense.
Under his tutelage, running back Saquon Barkley broke a number of Penn State records, including most all-purpose yards in a single game—358, against Iowa. Barkley was the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, after a junior season in which he scored 24 touchdowns (18 rushing, three receiving, two on kickoff returns, and one passing), and was named a consensus All-American. Barkley’s final game as a collegian was a Fiesta Bowl win over the University of Washington, where he rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
Prior to coaching at Penn State, Moorhead was the head coach at Fordham University. In his four years coaching in the Bronx, the Rams went 38-13 and made three appearances in the FCS playoffs. Moorhead won conference titles with the Nittany Lions (2016) and Rams (2014), to go with conference titles he won as an offensive coordinator at Connecticut (2010) and assistant head coach at Akron (2005).
“I’m extremely excited and very appreciative of Coach Cristobal for this opportunity,” Moorhead said. “I’m looking forward to helping build on the great success the program has already had and I can’t wait to experience game day in Autzen Stadium.”
- Damian Foley, UO Communications