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Why Joe Moorhead isn't worried about Mississippi State running back Kylin Hill

Tyler Horka
Mississippi Clarion Ledger

STARKVILLE – One month ago, Kylin Hill said something he'd probably love to find useful again at some point later this season. 

"Redemption always feels good." 

Hill, MSU's junior running back, said it after the Bulldogs had just beaten Kentucky 28-13 on Sept. 21. It was a revenge game for State, who lost to the Wildcats 28-7 a year ago. 

Now Hill could use some redemption of his own. After the Kentucky game, he was the third-leading rusher in the country with 551 yards through four games. He's since dropped to No. 33 nationally with 643 yards through seven games. 

After running for 100-plus yards in each of those first four games, Hill has less than 100 in the last three games combined. His yards per carry average has dipped to 4.8. He averaged 5.0 as a freshman and 6.3 as a sophomore. 

Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead still isn't worried about his starting running back's drastic decline in production. He said Hill's Doak-Walker type numbers in September probably set an unrealistic expectation for the rest of the season. 

"I want as much as anybody for him to be able to come out and rush for 150 or 200 yards a game," Moorhead said. "But when you're playing against the defenses in this league, in a line of scrimmage football league, there are going to be games when he doesn't hit 150 or doesn't hit 100. Maybe he hits 50." 

Oct 19, 2019; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Kylin Hill (8) hurdles Louisiana State Tigers  cornerback Kary Vincent Jr. (5) during the first quarter at Davis Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Hill hasn't hit 50 since the UK game. He went for 45 against Auburn, 13 against Tennessee and 34 against Auburn. The circumstances in each of those games worked against him. 

At Auburn, Mississippi State fell behind by three touchdowns in the first six minutes of the game. After averaging 25 carries in the previous two games against Kansas State and Kentucky, Hill got 17 against Auburn as the Bulldogs relied more on their passing game in hopes of trying to crawl back into the contest. 

Hill had a season-low 11 carries against Tennessee, and the result was a season-low 13 yards. Those abysmal numbers weren't all on Hill. Moorhead said MSU's offensive line, which allowed seven sacks against the Volunteers, was not up to his standard. 

"I don't think we were particularly physical in the run game against Tennessee," Moorhead said. "To get the run game back headed where we want it to be, we got to play with effort and create a little more push up front." 

When asked about Hill during his Monday press conference, Moorhead instead went on a tangent about the passing game. He said he's "most excited" about Mississippi State averaging more passing yards than rushing yards at this stage of the season. 

The Bulldogs still only have the 11th-ranked offense in the SEC in passing for 191.9 yards per game and rushing for 179.14. Last year through seven games, Mississippi State averaged 171.3 yards per game through the air and 235 on the ground for a total of 406.3. 

Moorhead thinks his offense is progressing despite the overall reduction in total offense. 

"When the run game gets slowed or shut down, and that happens sometimes in this league, you got to be able to throw the ball," Moorhead said. "And right now, I'm feeling much more comfortable if that gets shut down we're going to work to get it going, but you also have to be able to pass the ball with confidence, efficiency and effectiveness. I think we're growing toward that."

More:Why two-game road swing could define Mississippi State's football season

Maybe more important than anything concerning Mississippi State's running game is where Hill's head and health stand. The Bulldogs still have five games left in the regular season, and they need to win three of them to become bowl eligible. If they're to make it happen, Hill will need to be a huge part of it. 

Moorhead said Hill has been upbeat during his down spell. He was lively and energetic with his teammates during practices last week and even during the loss to LSU. He's also much healthier at this point of the season than he was last year. Hill had to sit out the Texas A&M game last year because of an injury. He should be a full-go this time around. 

"He kept the attitude positive throughout the entire game," Moorhead said after the loss to LSU. "It didn't necessarily go his way and it wasn't a 100-yard game, but he fought for the tough yards. We're going to continue to work to get him going."

Contact Tyler Horka at thorka@gannett.com. Follow @tbhorka on Twitter. To read more of Tyler's work, subscribe to the Clarion Ledger today!