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Report: Oregon coach Joe Moorhead expected to return for Week 7

Nikki Chavanelleby:Nikki Chavanelle•10/10/21•

NikkiChavanelle

Top candidates to replace Nick Rolovich Washington State Joe Moorhead Alex Grinch
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Oregon offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead could be back on the field calling plays for the Ducks in Week 7, according to CFB insider Bruce Feldman.

Moorhead returned to Eugene, Oregon, this week and is healing from surgery. After traveling with the team for last Saturday’s game against Stanford, he was taken to a Bay Area hospital to undergo surgery for a non-COVID related medical issue.

The Ducks had the weekend off due to a bye and are preparing to face Cal on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Moorhead missed the Stanford game and the Cardinal took down the Ducks 31-24 in overtime. They started the season with a massive win in Week 2 versus Ohio State 35-28. The Ducks have also beaten Fresno State, Stony Brook and Arizona. They’re fourth in the Pac-12 North. Arizona State and Utah are the only Pac-12 teams with no conference losses.

The Duck offense ranks 25th in the nation, scoring 35.8 points per game. Led by QB Anthony Brown, the rushing offense is 27th and the passing offense is 90th through five games.

Oregon is No. 10 in the nation in the USA Today coaches poll with their 4-1 record.

More on Moorhead

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. The record 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.