Nov. 3, 2014 Missouri State Game Notes 
| Southern Illinois Game Notes
- Missouri State takes on its fifth ranked opponent in the last six weeks Saturday (Nov. 8) when it returns home to meet No. 24 Southern Illinois in a 2:05 p.m. (CST) game at Robert W. Plaster Stadium.
- The Bears and Salukis have evenly split their first 36 meetings, with MSU claiming 10 of the previous 18 games played in Springfield; SIU has won four of the last five contests at Plaster Stadium, however.
- With an average attendance of 15,380 through their first three games at the newly-renovated Plaster Stadium, the Bears rank 10th in the nation for home attendance; MSU needs to draw a total of 19,764 spectators over the next two weeks to eclipse the program's home attendance record (65,905) for a five-game schedule, set in 1996.
- Missouri State ranks third in the MVFC in scoring defense, allowing an average of just 19.8 points per game in conference play; the Bears' passing defense also ranks third in Valley play, permitting just 183.6 yards per outing.
- MSU's total of 18 takeaways, including 10 interceptions, is the third-highest in the MVFC; the Bears' 1.11 turnover margin is the fifth-best in the nation.
- Gannon Sinclair's six receiving touchdowns this season ranks third in the MVFC and is tied for eighth on the Bears' single-season chart; he needs two more to equal the MSU record, shared by Jeff Hewitt (1998), Steven Rush (2004) and Jermaine Saffold (2011).
- Calan Crowder leads the Bears with 520 rushing yards on the season, good for fifth on MSU's single-season freshman rushing chart; he needs just 20 more yards to move up to fourth and only 154 additional yards to match Kingjack Washington's rookie record of 674 yards.
- Kierra Harris ranks ninth nationally in total points responsible for (144) and enters Saturday's game tied for second in MSU single-season history with 17 passing touchdowns; Harris has had a hand in 24 of the Bears' 27 offensive touchdowns this season and a total of 50 for his MSU career.
- Caleb Schaffitzel is the active FCS leader in assisted tackles (201) and ranks third on the FCS's total tackles (354) list and fifth in career interceptions (10); the Fair Grove, Mo., product ranks ninth on the Bears' career tackles chart and needs 14 more stops to move up to eighth on the list.
- Julian Burton brings a streak of 29 consecutive games with at least one reception into Saturday's contest, which respresents the fourth-longest in school history; the senior has cracked the Bears' career top five in both receptions (133) and all-purpose yardage (3,537) since the start of conference play.
Missouri State returns to Plaster Field looking to stop a two-game slide this Saturday (Nov. 8), as the Bears host No. 24 Southern Illinois in a 2:05 p.m. contest. The series between the Bears and Salukis dates back to 1965 and is currently even, with each program claiming 18 wins apiece.
Despite leading in the fourth quarter each of the last two weeks, Missouri State is coming off a pair of narrow road losses. The Bears dropped a heart-breaking 20-18 decision on the road in Terre Haute last weekend, as the host Sycamores utilized a big kickoff return and a 38-yard Eric Heidorn field goal in the closing minute of play to squash MSU's bid for an upset. Eric Christophel enjoyed his best receiving day of the season, hauling in four catches for 40 yards, while quarterback Kierra Harris accounted for 256 yards of total offense in the setback.
After a 5-1 start, the Salukis come to Springfield trying to recover from three straight league losses. Dale Lennon's squad is led by Malcolm Agnew, who averages 6.0 yards per carry and 102.5 yards per game with 10 touchdowns. Mark Iannotti has also been big for SIU, throwing for 17 touchdowns and 1,849 yards on the season. His favorite target is All-America tight end MyCole Pruitt, who has scored nine times with a league-high 61 catches.
Salute to America's Heroes Day
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In celebration of the upcoming Veteran's Day celebration (Nov. 11), Missouri State University Athletics will offer a series of event discounts for first responders, military personnel and those who serve and protect our great nation as part of its Tribute to America's Heroes promotion at Saturday's game.
With a verified ID, active or retired military, police, firefighters, EMT or other first responders will receive discounts on tickets to the MSU-SIU game.
All active or retired military, police, fire, EMT personnel or other first responders may purchase discounted $5 reserved bleachers (upper and lower level) and $8 reserved bleacher-back seats. Children's ticket specials are also available at the time of purchase of first-responders' tickets.
An oversized American flag will be used during the National Anthem at Saturday's game with representatives of various military and first-responder groups on the field. Military vehicles will be on display at BearFest Village this Saturday with special unit flags in the south end zone at Robert W. Plaster Stadium.
The football Bears will also be wearing camouflage jerseys with sideline personnel wearing camouflage hats.
In this week's game against unmatched league rival Southern Illinois, the Bears will look to regain the all-time series lead in a contentious history that dates back to 1965.
Starting then, the Salukis won the first six meetings between the teams. The Bears then turned the tables when MVFC play began in 1984 and reeled off 10 wins in 11 years before an overtime loss in Carbondale in 1995. Missouri State recovered with six of the next eight wins, before another SIU stretch from 2003-2012 in which the Salukis won nine of 10. Last year's 37-27 win by Missouri State in Carbondale was its first there since 2001 and tied the rivalry at 18 games apiece.
MSU is 10-8 at home against the Salukis, while Terry Allen is 10-7 all-time against SIU (2-6 with the Bears).
Bears' head coach Terry Allen picked up his 17th MVFC victory at Missouri State on Oct. 25 vs. South Dakota, pushing him into sole possession of third place on the school's coaching list for conference wins. Only former MSU sideline bosses Jesse Branch (31) and Rich Johanningmeier (27) have compiled more league victories for the Maroon and White than Allen.
Allen enters Saturday's game just one win away from matching Howard Blair for the No. 4 spot on the Bears all-time coaching wins list. Overall, Allen is 132-120 (.524) in his 22nd year as a head coach and 37-61 (.378) in nine years at Missouri State. With a 65-44 record in 16 seasons as a head coach at Northern Iowa (1989-96) and Missouri State (2006-present) in league play, Allen trails only current UNI sideline boss Mark Farley (68 wins) in all-time conference victories.
Allen entered the 2014 season 13th in victories among active FCS head coaches and 32nd on the NCAA's all-time FCS victories list. Additionally, Allen sits in third on Missouri State's all-time conference wins list, trailing only Jesse Branch (31 wins) and Rich Johanningmeier (27). Allen's teams have scored 2,371 points overall in his 98 games in Springfield (24.2 ppg), the fourth-highest scoring average under any Bears' head coach.
A 38-yard field goal by Indiana State's Eric Heidorn with just six seconds left in the game secured an improbable 20-18 comeback for the No. 19-ranked Sycamores over visiting Missouri State at Memorial Stadium.
The game-winning kick by the left-footed sophomore hooked through the uprights left to right through a 15 mph crosswind and squelched a Missouri State celebration that began moments earlier when the Bears got a last-minute field goal of their own.
Marcelo Bonani gave Missouri State an 18-17 lead with 42 seconds remaining on a 41-yard kick into the wind to cap a 10-play, 47-yard scoring drive. The go-ahead drive was extended on a clutch 23-yard reception on fourth-and-10 by Eric Christophel that pushed the Bears into Indiana State territory. MSU quarterback Kierra Harris and Christophel later connected on a six-yard completion to the Sycamores' 34 that pushed the drive closer. And after a two-yard carry by Harris, Phoenix Johnson got MSU to the Indiana State 25 to get the ball in Bonani's range.
On the ensuing squib kick, Indiana State gathered around Aaron Killebrew at the 30, and then broke out in different directions. With MSU's kick coverage unit unsure who had the ball, Killebrew broke one tackle and raced down the Indiana State sideline to the Missouri State 38. A pair of pass completions by Mike Perish got ISU to the Bears' 20-yard line, where Heidorn eventually converted the game-winner.
Harris finished with a game-high 256 yards of total offense as he rushed for a career-high 97 yards on 19 carries for the Bears and completed 16-of-25 passes for 159 yards and a pair of scores. Christophel had a team-best four receptions for 40 yards, with Julian Burton extending his streak to 29 consecutive games with a reception with three catches for 17 yards for the Bears.
In a game that saw 13 punts through the first three quarters, the fourth quarter turned into a welcomed shootout with the two teams combining for five field goal attempts in the final quarter to decide the day. After Bonani gave Missouri State a 15-14 lead with 13:28 to go, Heidorn couldn't capitalize on good field position and missed a 37 yarder with just under five-and-a-half minutes remaining.
On the ensuing drive, one of Harris' few mistakes on the day saw the senior picked off by Travis Starks at the MSU 37. Starks returned to the Bears' only turnover of the day to the Missouri State 12. MSU's defense did not yield a yard on the drive, but Heidorn was close enough to boot through a 30-yarder to make it a 17-15 contest with just 2:06 left.
The Bears then took over on their own 28 and eventually set up the go-ahead kick by Bonani on fourth-and-one at the Sycamores 25. The junior overcame two Indiana State timeout attempts to freeze him, and looked to have his second game-winning kick of the season when he drilled the kick through with 42 ticks to go..
The Bears entertain three-time defending FCS national champion North Dakota State at Robert W. Plaster Stadium next Saturday at 2 p.m. on Senior Day. MSU has split the last two meetings at home against the Bison.
Top-ranked NDSU leads the all-time series, 4-2, and has won 33 games in a row, dating back to 2012.
