Oregon offensive coordinator returns home following surgery

Oregon offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead returned to Eugene, Oregon, and is healing from surgery now, according to head coach Mario Cristobal, via Matt Prehm. Cristobal also announced former Oregon player and current analyst Nate Costa is currently working with the quarterbacks, part of Moorhead’s normal responsibilities.

After travelling with the team for Saturday’s game against Stanford, Joe Moorhead was taken to a Bay Area hospital to undergo surgery for a non-COVID related medical issue. It remains unclear when Moorhead could return to the team as he continues dealing with the issue.

It seems unlikely he will be available when the Ducks take on California at 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. They will have to continue their quest to a Pac-12 title without the coach for the time being, and pray there is still a chance at the College Football Playoffs.

More on Joe Moorhead

Joe Moorhead missed Saturday’s game against Stanford, which beat the Ducks 31-24 in overtime. The Cardinal now has beaten a ranked Oregon team five times since 2009. This was the third time that Oregon (4-1, 1-1) was ranked in the top three.

The Ducks were the final remaining unbeaten team in the Pac-12 and looked to be the only league team to have a legit shot at a CFP berth. There obviously has been a lot of chaos this season, but it’s hard to imagine a Pac-12 team getting enough traction in the eventual College Football Playoff rankings by beating only other league teams.

Moorhead spent four years as the head coach of his alma mater, Fordham, from 2012-15. From there he went on to become the offensive coordinator at Penn State before accepting the head coaching position at Mississippi State in 2018.

He led the Bulldogs to an 8-4 finish in his inaugural season, which tied the school record for most wins by a first-year coach. Then, 10 players received an eight-game suspension at the beginning of 2019 for allowing a tutor to take tests and do homework for them. The suspensions set the team back.

Mississippi State finished that season 6-7 and the school fired Moorhead. He then took the offensive coordinator job at Oregon shortly after.

The Ducks are averaging 421.2 yards and 35.8 points per game (27th in the country) under his direction. Oregon will hope Joe Moorhead can make a speedy recovery from his surgery and rejoin them soon.