MISSOURI STATE BEARS (0-0) vs. Washburn Ichabods (1-0)

Thursday, September 4, 2008 - Plaster Field (16,300), Springfield

(Magnet Schedule Night)

Television - Mediacom Connections 

Radio - KTXR (101.3 FM) and Missouri State Bears Football Radio Network (LISTEN LIVE)

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Game Notes - MISSOURI STATE  -   WASHBURN

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GAME NOTES 

The Game: The Bears open their 97th season of intercollegiate football when they host the Washburn Ichabods (Topeka, Kan.) out of the Division II Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), on Magnet Schedule Night at Plaster Field.

    The Bears are coming off a 6-5 season in 2007, matching their best finish this decade and the team’s third-best season in a 15-year span. Missouri State returns 42 lettermen, 6 offensive and 9 defensive starters and 63 total squad members from head coach Terry Allen’s 2007 squad.

    The 2008 opener features the debut of the new BancorpSouth scoreboard at Plaster Field. The multi-million dollar board features a high-quality video system, enhanced graphics package, and live scoring and timing capabilities. The Daktronics Football ProStar LED Video Display has a 4.4 trillion color-capable display; 23mm pixel spacing and 153,600 total red/green/blue LED's. The top of the scoreboard is more than three stories from the field surface and extends 40 feet in width.

    MSU is a member of the newly-branded Missouri Valley Football Conference, formerly the Gateway Football Conference, which now includes nine schools. North Dakota State and South Dakota State are the two new league members this season.

    Washburn University, was an NCAA Division II playoff qualifier a year ago, finishing with an 8-4 overall record and 7-2 runner-up finish in the MIAA. MSU was a charter member of the MIAA Conference and played in the league from 1924-1980 before its transition to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) status in 1982. Washburn comes into the game with a 1-0 record after its 27-3 home win over Colorado Mines in its lightning-shortened opener on August 28. The Ichabods were picked fourth in the MIAA preseason poll and ranked 22nd in the D2Football.com preseason poll.

    The Bears are 426-425-40 (.501) all-time, including a 192-134-11 (.586) record in 66 seasons at Plaster Field, 60-81-1 (.426) mark in MVFC play, and 141-141-3 (.500) record at the NCAA Division I FCS level.

The Coaches: Missouri State head coach Terry Allen (Northern Iowa, 1976) is 103-73 (.585) overall in 15 years as a head coach and 8-14 (.364) in two previous seasons at Missouri State. Allen is 54-30 all-time in non-conference games, including a 5-4 mark at Missouri State. He is also 83-40 in Missouri Valley Football Conference (formerly Gateway) games, including his tenure at Northern Iowa (1989-96). He is 2-0 in home openers at Missouri State and 2-0 against NCAA Division II opponents at MSU. Allen’s teams have never played Washburn, but he is 1-0 against current MIAA schools (Emporia State).

    Coach Allen spent 10 years as an assistant coach at UNI (1979-88) before taking over the head coaching duties there in 1989 where he spent the next eight seasons (1989-96). He was 72-26 at UNI and five-time MVFC Coach of the Year, taking the Panthers to the NCAA FCS playoffs seven straight years. He took over the head coaching duties at Kansas in 1997 and was 20-33 in four years with the Big 12 Jayhawks (1997-2001). Prior to coming to MSU, he spent four seasons (2002-05) as associate head coach at Iowa State.

    Washburn head coach Craig Schurig (Colorado Mines, 1987) is entering his seventh season as Washburn’s head coach. He is 41-29 (.586) at Washburn and overall and has never coached against the Bears. He has helped the Ichabods reach the Division II playoffs twice along with the 2005 MIAA title and 2007 conference runner-up finish. In 2007, the Ichabods were 8-4 overall and 7-2 in the MIAA. The 2007 campaign marked the fourth straight winning campaign for the Ichabods and longest stint of winning seasons since 1904-07.

The Series: Missouri State leads the all-time series against Washburn, 4-2-1. The Bears are 4-1-1 at Plaster against the Ichabods, with MSU home wins in 1990 and 1992 in the team’s NCAA Division I FCS era.

    After going 0-2-1 against the Ichabods in 1953 (lost 27-7), 1954 (lost 14-6) and 1955 (tied 21-21), the series resumed on October 1, 1966 with the Bears pulling off a 21-6 come-from-behind win at Plaster. In that game, the Bears fell behind early, but the team’s defense held Washburn in check the second half. The MSU fourth-quarter scoring outburst by a quartet of MSU newcomers -- quarterback Tom Young, wingback Jay Cummings, tailback Tom Gould and fullback Mike Howell -- helped pace the win.

    On September 30, 1967, the Bears rolled up 458 yards total offense and erased an early 7-0 deficit en route to a 30-7 win in Topeka. Quarterback Tom Young completed 14-of-29 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for another score. On the receiving end of the Bears’ scores were tailback Lloyd Boutwell (3 yds.), wingback Jay Cummings (19 yards) and tight end Bob Journagan (29 yards).

    The Bears hosted the Ichabods on September 29, 2000 before a crowd of 9,528 and emerged with a 38-3 victory. MSU took a 31-0 lead into the locker room behind three rushing touchdowns in the half by quarterback DeAndre Smith and never looked back. Smith’s 134 passing and 42 rushing yards earned him Gateway Player of the Week honors. Eric Jenkins added a touchdown run, Richard Grote tacked on a 54-yard field goal, and backup QB Paul Carney had the Bears’ only touchdown of the second half. MSU outgained Washburn 420-226 in the game, and forced three turnovers.

    Missouri State won the most-recent meeting, 66-15, on September 12, 1992 before a crowd of 12,904 at Plaster. The Bears accumulated 532 yards total offense in that contest, with quarterback Cleveland Antoine passing for 191 yards, rushing for 59 more, and accounting for three touchdowns. The Bears’ defense forced four turnovers in the game and held Washburn to under 300 total yards. Kicker Richard Grote tied a school record with nine straight extra points in the ball game and finished with a total of 12 points.

Television: Today’s game will be shown on a tape-delayed basis on Mediacom Connections (Channel 14 locally). Don West will provide the play-by-play description of the game, while Mike McClure will provide color commentary. Replays will air at 7 p.m. on September 4 and 5, as well as September 6 at 11 a.m. This is Mediacom’s 19th year providing television coverage of the Bears.

Radio: Today’s game can be heard on KTXR, Springfield (101.3 FM), the flagship station of the Missouri State Bears Football Radio Network. Art Hains will provide play-by-play with second-year sidekick Scott Opfer providing color commentary. Hains first began calling Bears’ action in 1977 and is in his second stint and 29th season overall as the Voice of the Bears. He called Bears games from 1977-81 and returned to that post in 1985. The Washburn game is Art’s 299th MSU football broadcast.

    MSU football can also be heard on the 12-station, two-state Missouri State Bears Football Radio Network on the following affiliates: Ava - KKOZ (92.1 FM/1430 AM); El Dorado Springs - KESM (105.5 FM); Kansas City - KCWJ (1030 AM); Monett - KKBL (95.9 FM); Mountain Grove - KELE (1360 AM); Poplar Bluff - KLID (1340 AM); St. Louis - KSLG (1380 AM); Sparta, Ill. - WHC) (1230 AM); Springfield - KTXR (101.3 FM) (flagship); Washington - KSLQ (104.5 FM); Washington - KWMO (1350 AM); Willow Springs - KUKU (100.3 FM).

On-Line: Today’s game will be the premier broadcast on the new Bears Live! on-line video channel. Bears Live! is a new, premium broadband video destination for exclusive live and on-demand Missouri State streaming video & audio. This broadband video channel is the ultimate place for Bears fans on the web and can be accessed through www.MissouriStateBears.com, the official web site of Missouri State Athletics.

    Live Stats of the game, and a link to the MSU Bears Football Radio Network free live audio stream can be found on the MSU Athletics Web page -- www.MissouriStateBears.com.

Plaster Sports Complex: Home of the Missouri State Bears since 1941, 2008 marks football Bears’ 67th season in the facility since the school did not field teams two years during World War II (1943-44). MSU has a 192-134-11 (.586) record for 337 games in Plaster, including five undefeated and untied home seasons -- 1948, 1963, 1974, 1989 and 1992.

    The Bears were 5-1 at home in 2007 and are 7-5 at Plaster under Terry Allen.

    Originally named SMS Stadium (1941-70), the facility was renamed Briggs Stadium (1970-1991) in honor of former head coach and long-time athletic director Arthur Briggs. A four-phase expansion project that began in 1987 saw the addition of artificial turf (1987), all-weather track (1988), additional seating (1990), and second grandstand level and press box (1991) added. The facility was renamed Robert W. Plaster Sports Complex in 1991 at the conclusion of the expansion initiative. The new video scoreboard was added over the summer of 2008.

    One of the top FCS facilities in the nation, Plaster Field seats 16,300 spectators and features 24 skyboxes and a 40-seat University box. The complex includes 12 racquetball courts and locker rooms, as well as the Plaster Strength Center -- a 7,200-square foot weight room which is one of the largest in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

    Plaster is also home to the Missouri State men’s soccer, women’s soccer, field hockey, and women’s track & field squads.

2008 Rules Changes: The NCAA has approved several rules changes to be in effect for the 2008 season as follows:

  n A 40/25-second play clock system will be used in 2008 in an effort to standardize the pace of play. Unless the game is stopped for administrative reasons (for example, change of possession, injury, etc.), the offensive team will have 40 seconds to snap the ball after it is declared dead.

  n Additionally, there will be a change in the way the game is timed when a runner goes out of bounds. The game clock will initially stop, as is the case currently. However, except in the last two minutes of each half, the game clock will now start on a signal from the referee, rather than on the snap.

  n Also approved were changes regarding helmet contact, players who target a defenseless opponent, horse-collar tackling, and enhanced rules dealing with dangerous chop blocks.

  n When a kickoff goes out of bounds, the receiving team may accept the ball at the 40-yard line instead of the 35.

  n The incidental 5-yard face mask foul was removed. All face mask fouls (pulling, twisting or turning) will be a 15-yard penalty.

  n A yardage penalty (5 yards for first and second offense, 15 yards thereafter) for sideline control will be instituted.

Honors and Accolades: Despite a roster that features 70-percent freshmen and sophomores, the Bears are loaded with well-documented individual talent. Below is a summary of league and national awards given to Missouri State personnel:

    2008 Preseason All-American: Clay Harbor (Jr., TE, Dwight, Ill.) was named second-team preseason All-American by the College Sporting News.

    2008 Preseason All-MVFC: Earning preseason All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors this fall were Clay Harbor (Jr., TE, Dwight, Ill.), Cody Kirby (So., QB, Rogers, Ark.), and David Arkin (So., OG, Wichita, Kan.).

    All-America: Then-sophomore tight end Clay Harbor (Dwight, Ill.) was named Associated Press third-team All-America and Sports Network honorable mention All-American in 2007.

    2007 All-Conference: Returning players who earned postseason awards from the Missouri Valley Football Conference a year ago are: Clay Harbor (first-team All-MVFC tight end), David Arkin (second-team All-MVFC offensive lineman), Roger Wright (honorable mention All-MVFC safety).

    2007 MVFC Newcomer Team: Six current Bears were on the 23-member MVFC All-Newcomer Team a year ago: David Arkin (OG), Kevaughn Brown (OT), Cody Kirby (QB), Kingjack Washington (TB), Clayton Dickehut (DE), Derek Miller (CB).

    2007 MVFC Academic Team: Three current MSU players earned league academic honors in 2007: Chris Brehmer (DT, second team), Jared Emery (WR, second team), Chris Geisz (CB, honorable mention).

    MVFC Players of the Week: Cody Kirby was named league Offensive Player of the Week twice in 2007 (9/22 and 10/6), while the team earned four Offensive Lineman of the Week honors a year ago with David Arkin earning the award twice (9/1 and 9/22), and Seth Reichert (9/22) and Kevaughn Brown (10/6) claiming the honor once.

In the Trenches: The Bears return four of their starting five offensive linemen from 2007 in addition to All-American tight end Clay Harbor. Left tackle Kevaughn Brown (Sr., Port Arthur, Texas) and right guard David Arkin (So., Wichita, Kan.) were on the MVFC All-Newcomer team in 2007 with Arkin earning second-team all-league honors. Left guard Seth Reichert (Sr., Springfield, Mo.) and right tackle Mark Graf (Sr., St. Louis, Mo.) round out the O-Line returnees. All four players started in 11 games a year ago and combined to win the MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week award four times. The starting O-Line averages 6-4, 293.

Captains of Crunch: The five Missouri State co-captains for the 2008 season are: #13 Cody Kirby (So., QB, Rogers, Ark.), #43 Jeremy Dawson (Sr., LB, Grandview, Mo.), #44 Roger Wright (Sr., S, Grandview, Mo.), #76 Seth Reichert (Sr., OG, Springfield, Mo.), and #92 Chris Brehmer (Sr., DT, Rock Hill, Mo.). The quintet of four seniors and one sophomore were named to their posts by their teammates. Kirby is just the third sophomore since 1953 (Kevin Sears - 2005 and Corky Martin - 1999) to be named as Bears’ team captain.

Migration Patterns: The 85-man Missouri State roster includes players from 11 different states. More than half of the squad (48) hails from the Show-Me State, while 7 players came to MSU from Arkansas and Oklahoma. Kansas is home to 6 Bears, followed by Texas and Florida with 4 apiece. The remaining states are: California 3, Illinois 3, Georgia 1, Ohio 1, Tennessee 1.

Teammates Again: A number of players on the 2008 roster were high school teammates as well. Leading the way are the four Bears from Grandview (Mo.) High School -- Darius Blow (Fr.), Jeremy Dawson (Sr.), Jarrett Wright (Fr.) and Roger Wright (Sr.). Jeremy Dawson and Roger Wright are two of the team’s five co-captains.

    Likewise, local products Ian Starnes (Fr.) Nick Detelich (Fr.) and Seth Reichert (Sr.) all attended Glendale High School in Springfield.

    Lastly, three of the four Bears from Columbia, Mo., attended Rock Bridge High School. Former Bruins Jake Morse (Fr.), Johnny Wacker (Fr.) and Chase Mejia (Fr.) all played for Coach A.J. Ofodile.

Leading the League: Missouri State’s offense averaged 36.3 points and 414.3 yards a year ago, ranking second and third, respectively, in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in those categories. The Bears were also third in the league in passing offense (211.4) and fourth in rushing offense (202.9). The team’s 20.7 yards per return ranked fourth in the MVFC in kickoff returns a year ago.

    Individually, Cody Kirby (So., QB, Rogers, Ark.) was fifth in the conference in passing yards per game (158.4) and total offense (178.2), despite starting just eight games a year ago. Kirby was also fourth in the conference in passing efficiency (128.3) in 2007.

    Clay Harbor (Jr., TE, Dwight, Ill.) was third in the conference in receiving yards (58.8) last season and fourth in receptions per game (4.09), both tops among league tight ends.

    Kingjack Washington (So., RB, Owasso, Okla.) was eighth in the conference in rushing (61.3), despite averaging less than 10 carries per game a year ago. He also was third in the conference in all-purpose yards (122.9) and fourth in kickoff return average (22.3).

    On the defensive side of the ball, Cedric Alvis (Jr., CB, Columbia, Mo.) finished 10th among league leaders in passes defended (6), while Jeremy Dawson (Sr., LB, Grandview, Mo.) finished in the seventh position in the MVFC in total tackles (9.0).

Starting Lineups: The Bears return 15 regular starters from 2007, including six offensive returnees and nine defensive regulars. On the offensive side, linemen Kevaughn Brown (LT), Seth Reichert (LG), David Arkin (RG) and Mark Graf (RT) each started 11 times in 2007, while All-American tight end Clay Harbor (TE) saw 10 starts and quarterback Cody Kirby saw eight. Defensive starters Connor McDonough (LE), Chris Brehmer (LT), Mike Taylor (RT), Clayton Dickethut (RE), Tony Randolph (LB), Jeremy Dawson (LB), Chris Farrar (CB), Roger Wright (SS), and Derek Miller (FS) also return. All told, the Bears have 12 offensive players and 13 defensive players who have combined to start 208 career ball games for MSU.