SEC Football Media Days 2019: One big takeaway from each team

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BATON ROUGE, LA – OCTOBER 20: Head coach Joe Moorhead of the Mississippi State Bulldogs reacts during the first half against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Can the Bulldogs make the jump?

Joe Moorhead entered his first year in Starkville with all pistons firing. He told Nick Fitzgerald to make room on the shelf for a Heisman trophy, he asked for his players’ ring sizes, and exuded a ton of confidence as he entered the SEC.

2018 wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t what Moorhead wanted. The Bulldogs went 8-5, and lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Outback Bowl. However, as 2019 approaches, there is still confidence. It’s less cocky and reckless, but it’s still confidence.

Wrap it in Maroon & White. #SECMD19 pic.twitter.com/wWAC9DxLNz
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) July 17, 2019

Fitzgerald departs, but Moorhead is confident in quarterback Keytaon Thompson. He has 10 career rushing touchdowns and a career touchdown to interception ratio of 8-3. Thomspon has shown promise in spot duty, and if his accuracy improves, this offense is in good shape.

The difficulty for Moorhead is the same difficulty for every new coach that enters the SEC West. You can coach well, recruit well, and galvanize your team. You can do just about everything right. Still, upward movement is so extremely difficult.

For the Bulldogs to make a jump, they’ll have to eclipse LSU, Texas A&M, Auburn, and Alabama. Finishing fifth in this division is not unreasonable, but StarkVegas expects more.

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