SPRINGFIELD -- After 90 offensive plays and a series of special teams simulations, new Missouri State head football coach Dave Steckel says he saw some good things Tuesday morning at Plaster Stadium in the Bears' first intrasquad scrimmage of the season.

"We're not where we want to be, but I think we're better than practice seven or practice eight," Stec said. "We're going in the right direction, but we're not where we want to be."

The club's ninth practice of the fall saw four offensive touchdowns, including a 97-yard run from scrimmage on the second play of the day by sophomore Calan Crowder, an honorable mention Preseason All-MVFC selection. Crowder later added a 66-yard scamper to paydirt to steal most of the attention in scrimmage No. 1.

"He's a good football player," Stec explained. "We have a lot of good running backs back there, and Coach (Munir) Prince is lucky. He's got a whole stable of guys -- he's got like a horse barn."

Later, freshman quarterback Breck Ruddick found senior receiver Eric Christophel open in the end zone for a 13-yard scoring strike. Marcelo Bonani -- who was perfect on all four extra points -- tacked on the PAT.

The final touchdown of the morning came when Ryan Heaston capped a five-play drive in a short-field situation with a one-yard rush. His effort capped an 18-yard drive by the first-team offense behind what Stec termed "a really good job" by the MSU offensive line.

"I think they're getting better up front," he explained. "It always starts with the offensive and defensive line. I think they have to maintain their pad level, but I think Coach (Sean) Coughlin is doing a good job with them. We're going in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go."

Shelby Harris converted all three field goal attempts he took on Tuesday, including a long of 32 yards.

The Bears will have three more morning practices this week before returning to Plaster for their second scrimmage on Saturday morning at 8:15 a.m. The squad will then break for move-in weekend on Sunday before the fall semester and the team's regular weekly practice regimen begins on Monday.

#MSUBears