Saturday, October 15
Springfield, Mo.
2:00 PM
Missouri State University
vs
Western Illinois
Bears Set to Host Leathernecks in Homecoming Showdown Saturday
October 10, 2016 | Football
| Missouri State (3-2, 1-1 MVFC) vs. Western Illinois (4-1, 1-1 MVFC) | |
| Date | Oct. 15 | 2:04 p.m. (CDT) |
| Location | Springfield, Mo. |
| Site | Robert W. Plaster Stadium (17,500) |
| Radio | Missouri State Football Radio Network/KTXR 101.3 FM |
| Watch | KOZL-TV | ESPN3 |
| Live Stats | MissouriStateBears.com |
| Game Notes | Missouri State | Western Illinois |
| Promotions | Homecoming |
| Tickets | Missouri State TIX |
FIRST AND TEN
- The Missouri State Bears enter Saturday's match-up with the 12th-ranked Western Illinois Leathernecks looking for their fourth homecoming victory in five years, as well as their first second MVFC win of the season
- The Bears are 25-20 in homecoming games since 1971; Saturday's game will mark the fifth homecoming match-up for MSU vs. WIU, with the Bears winning three of the four previous meetings, including their two most-recent homecoming meetings in 2010 and 2012
- Western Illinois will be the third-consecutive ranked opponent for the Bears, who have now faced 15 top 25 squads in their last 24 contests; MSU is 22-85 all-time against ranked foes
- Thanks to five-straight wins over the Leathernecks, Missouri State holds a 17-15-1 edge in its all-time series with Western Illinois; the Bears have averaged 31.8 points per outing during the win streak and have won two in a row vs. WIU in Springfield after winning just five of their first 13 meetings with the Leathernecks at Plaster Stadium
- Missouri State's defense has allowed an average of just 65.8 rushing yards and 5.8 points in the second half this season; the Bears have forced 10 of their 13 turnovers in the third and fourth quarters as well
- MSU's offense has scored a touchdown or a field goal on its opening drive in four of the Bears' five games to date; the Bears have posted two of their longest scoring drives of the season (11 and 13 plays) on their opening drives the last two weeks against Indiana State and North Dakota State
- Junior Colby Isbell has been a key figure in leading a Bears defense that ranks 20th in the nation in total defense (324.8 ypg.) and 25th in scoring defense (21.6 ppg.); Isbell's average of 1.0 sacks per outing is good for the eighth-best mark in the nation, while his 1.8 TFL's per contest is 16th among all FCS defenders
- Preseason All-America linebacker Dylan Cole is coming off a season-high 15-tackle performance vs. NDSU, giving the senior 16 double-digit tackle totals in his 40 career games, including 10 in the Bears' last 12 contests
- Cole is third among all active FCS defenders in career tackles (365), which is good for 10th on the Bears' career list; he currently ranks second in the MVFC and 22nd nationally in tackles (10.0) and third nationally in forced fumbles (3)
- Junior Malik Earl has reeled in 18 receptions in MVFC play, which ranks third in the conference; Earl's 53 receiving yards vs. NDSU moved him into the No. 20 spot on MSU's career chart and within five yards of the 1,000-yard mark
GAME PREVIEW
Honoring a campus tradition that dates back to 1921, the Missouri State Bears (3-2, 1-1 MVFC) will entertain the nationally-ranked Western Illinois Leathernecks (4-1, 1-1 MVFC) Saturday (Oct. 15) afternoon at Robert W. Plaster Stadium. The contest marks the first meeting of the two programs in three years and continues a challenging stretch for MSU that could see the Bears match up against as many as seven potential top 25 opponents in their final eight games of the regular season.
Missouri State will be looking to bounce back from its first MVFC setback of the season last weekend, when No. 1 North Dakota State claimed a 27-3 victory at Plaster Stadium. All-America candidate Dylan Cole recorded a season-high 15 tackles, as well as his third forced fumble of the season, but it would not deter the five-time defending national champions from posting their sixth-straight win over the Bears. The Bears enter the week with the No. 20 overall defense (324.8 ypg.) in the nation, thanks in part to Colby Isbell, who ranks among the FCS leaders in sacks and tackles for loss.
Western Illinois enters Saturday's game on the heels of a 36-35 home win over Indiana State last weekend. The Leathernecks overcame an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit behind a big game from senior receiver Lance Lenoir, who hauled in 11 catches for 204 yards and a pair of touchdowns. WIU features the top rusher and receiver in the MVFC in Lenoir (123.4 ypg.) and Steve McShane (117.4 ypg.), respectively, as well as the No. 4 passer in Sean McGuire (247.2 ypg.).
WELCOME HOME
Missouri State will be looking to claim its fourth homecoming victory in the last five years Saturday vs. Western Illinois. MSU has won six of its last nine homecoming games, a campus tradition in Springfield that dates to 1921. MSU is 25-20 in homecoming games since 1971.
In their last nine homecoming games, the Bears have averaged 32.9 points and over 415 yards of total offense per outing. Saturday's game will mark the fifth homecoming match-up for MSU vs. WIU, with the Bears winning three of the four previous meetings, including their two most-recent homecoming meetings in 2010 and 2012.
STREAKING TOWARD SIX
In dominating their series with Western Illinois in recent years, the Bears have received balanced all-around performances from both sides of the line of scrimamge. MSU has averaged 31.8 points per outing during its current five-game win streak vs. the Leathernecks, while the Bears' defense has allowed averages of just 338.6 yards of total offense and 18.2 points per game.
The Bears have been equally effective at home and on the road as well. MSU has won two in a row vs. WIU in Springfield after winning just five of their first 13 meetings with the Leathernecks at Plaster Stadium. In their two home wins during the streak, the Bears have outscored WIU by a combined 73-31 margin and rollled up more than 800 yards of total offense.
ICE COLE
Senior linebacker Dylan Cole recorded a season-high 15 stops in Saturday's match-up with No. 1 North Dakota State, continuing a recent string of double-digit tackle totals for the preseason All-American. Saturday's effort marked the 16th time in Cole's MSU career he finished with at least 10 tackles in a contest, including his 10th such performance in the Bears' last 12 games dating back to Oct. 10, 2015.
Cole also registered his MVFC-leading third forced fumble, which is tied for third nationally entering the week. Cole ranks third among all active NCAA Division I FCS defenders — and tops in the MVFC — in career tackles (365) and needs just three more stops to match the total of Cornelius Blow (368) in the No. 9 position on the Bears' all-time list.
LOVE THE DRAKE
Redshirt freshman kicker/punter Zach Drake continues to ease into his role as the Bears special teams utility man. This past Saturday, Drake converted a career-best 50-yard field goal to stake the Bears to an early 3-0 lead over No. 1 North Dakota State and finished his day with a net punting average of 42.8 yards. His boot represented the second-longest by a Valley kicker this season and the first 50-yard field goal by a Bear since Sept. 20, 2014, when Marcelo Bonani kicked a game-winning 53-yarder at Central Arkansas. Drake, whose previous career long was a 24-yard field goal in MSU's season opener vs. Southwestern, has converted 2-of-3 field goal attempts and averaged 40.5 yards per punt in the Bears' two MVFC games.
The Lee's Summit, Mo., native also logged a pair of 50-plus-yard punts — including a career-long 59-yarder — and pinned the Bison inside their own 10 yard line on two separate occasions. Since assuming the punt duties in week two of the season, Drake has averaged 40.6 yards on his 17 kicks, including eight punts inside the opponent's 20 yard line.
THE EARL OF TERRE HAUTE
Junior receiver Malik Earl turned in a career performance to help the Bears knock off Indiana State (Oct. 1), hauling in a career-best 11 catches for 161 yards and two critical touchdowns. Earl did all of his damage in the first three quarters before the Bears built a double-digit lead early in the fourth period. His final catch — an eight-yard TD reception from Brodie Lambert with 1:44 left in the third — put the Bears in front to stay and moved him into a tie with Jason Cannon (Oct. 21, 1995 at Western Illinois) and Clay Harbor (Nov. 14, 2009 at Southern Illinois) for the second-best single-game reception total in program history.
Earl, whose second-quarter 69-yard scoring catch marked the longest MSU play from scrimmage this season, finished just two receptions shy of Jeff Hewitt's (Oct. 7, 2000) school record of 13 catches, while his yardage total ranked 16th on the Bears' all-time single-game list. Additionally, Earl's 53 receiving yards vs. NDSU (Oct. 8) moved the Oklahoma City native into the No. 20 spot on MSU's career receiving yardage list, just five yards from the 1,000-yard mark.
RANK AND FILE
Several Bears also factor prominently among the national leaders in individual statistical categories, including junior Deion Holliman, who ranks 15th among all FCS kick returners with his total of 399 combined kick return yards. Holliman also ranks 24th in average kick return yardage (25.9) and 67th in all-purpose yards per contest (110.8).
On the defensive side of the ball, Colby Isbell ranks among the top FCS defenders in both sacks per game (1.0) and tackles for loss (1.8 per game). Finally, Dylan Cole is second in the Valley and 22nd nationally in total tackles per game (10.0) and tied for third in the FCS ranks with his two three forced fumbles.
BIG-TIME D
With three victories in five games to kick off the 2016 season, the Bears have received sizable contributions from both sides of the line of scrimmage. In particular, the Missouri State defense enters the week ranked among the nation's stingiest units.
The Bears have allowed an average of just 21.6 points per outing — good for the No. 4 mark in the MVFC and the 25th-best scoring defense in the country — while their rush defense (115.0 ypg.) is also fourth in the league and ranked 19th among the 122 FCS teams. Furthermore, the Bears' total defense (324.8 ypg.) ranks 20th in the nation, while their total of 81 first downs allowed is the 16th-best in the FCS ranks. MSU has been solid on 'key downs' as well, allowing opposing offenses to convert just 30 percent of their third-down attempts to date. That figure is the No. 2 mark among all Valley defenses and the 15th-best in the nation.
TAKE THAT
In Missouri State's Oct. 1 victory at Indiana State, the Bears forced five turnovers in a game for the first time since Sept. 29, 2012, when they picked off three passes and recovered a pair of fumbles at South Dakota State. That effort followed a four-takeaway contest Sept. 10 at Murray State.
Through five games, MSU has already recorded 13 takeaways to match their comeplete 11-game total from last fall. So far, MSU leads the MVFC in total takeaways, ranking ninth in the nation, while its seven interceptions is second in the Valley and 23rd nationally. Last year, the Bears picked off six passes for the season and didn't log their 11th takeaway until the 10th game of the season.
Both Dylan Cole and Skyler Hulse are among the top-rated FCS players in takeaways, with Cole's 0.6 forced fumbles per game ranking third, and Hulse's two fumble recoveries ranking fourth.
THE EARL OF TERRE HAUTE
Junior receiver Malik Earl turned in a career performance to help the Bears knock off Indiana State (Oct. 1), hauling in a career-best 11 catches for 161 yards and two critical touchdowns. Earl did all of his damage in the first three quarters before the Bears built a double-digit lead early in the fourth period. His final catch — an eight-yard TD reception from Brodie Lambert with 1:44 left in the third — put the Bears in front to stay and moved him into a tie with Jason Cannon (Oct. 21, 1995 at Western Illinois) and Clay Harbor (Nov. 14, 2009 at Southern Illinois) for the second-best single-game reception total in program history.
Earl, whose second-quarter 69-yard scoring catch marked the longest MSU play from scrimmage this season, finished just two receptions shy of Jeff Hewitt's (Oct. 7, 2000) school record of 13 catches, while his yardage total ranked 16th on the Bears' all-time single-game list. Additionally, Earl's 53 receiving yards vs. NDSU (Oct. 8) moved the Oklahoma City native into the No. 20 spot on MSU's career receiving yardage list, just five yards from the 1,000-yard mark.
RANK AND FILE
Several Bears also factor prominently among the national leaders in individual statistical categories, including junior Deion Holliman, who ranks 15th among all FCS kick returners with his total of 399 combined kick return yards. Holliman also ranks 24th in average kick return yardage (25.9) and 67th in all-purpose yards per contest (110.8).
On the defensive side of the ball, Colby Isbell ranks among the top FCS defenders in both sacks per game (1.0) and tackles for loss (1.8 per game). Finally, Dylan Cole is second in the Valley and 22nd nationally in total tackles per game (10.0) and tied for third in the FCS ranks with his two three forced fumbles.
BIG-TIME D
With three victories in five games to kick off the 2016 season, the Bears have received sizable contributions from both sides of the line of scrimmage. In particular, the Missouri State defense enters the week ranked among the nation's stingiest units.
The Bears have allowed an average of just 21.6 points per outing — good for the No. 4 mark in the MVFC and the 25th-best scoring defense in the country — while their rush defense (115.0 ypg.) is also fourth in the league and ranked 19th among the 122 FCS teams. Furthermore, the Bears' total defense (324.8 ypg.) ranks 20th in the nation, while their total of 81 first downs allowed is the 16th-best in the FCS ranks. MSU has been solid on 'key downs' as well, allowing opposing offenses to convert just 30 percent of their third-down attempts to date. That figure is the No. 2 mark among all Valley defenses and the 15th-best in the nation.
TAKE THAT
In Missouri State's Oct. 1 victory at Indiana State, the Bears forced five turnovers in a game for the first time since Sept. 29, 2012, when they picked off three passes and recovered a pair of fumbles at South Dakota State. That effort followed a four-takeaway contest Sept. 10 at Murray State.
Through five games, MSU has already recorded 13 takeaways to match their comeplete 11-game total from last fall. So far, MSU leads the MVFC in total takeaways, ranking ninth in the nation, while its seven interceptions is second in the Valley and 23rd nationally. Last year, the Bears picked off six passes for the season and didn't log their 11th takeaway until the 10th game of the season.
Both Dylan Cole and Skyler Hulse are among the top-rated FCS players in takeaways, with Cole's 0.6 forced fumbles per game ranking third, and Hulse's two fumble recoveries ranking fourth.
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