registered one of his finest performances as a Bear Saturday vs. No. 12 Western Illinois, finishing the day with career highs for both passing yards (290) and touchdowns (5). The Arlington, Texas native also equaled the top single-game performance by a Valley quarterback this season with his five passing TD's, three of which occurred in the fourth quarter as part of a 21-0 scoring outburst that saw the Bears rally from a 17-point deficit to take a 35-31 lead with just over four minutes left on the clock.
Lambert, who went 24-of-43 through the air, matched a Missouri State single-game record with his five scoring tosses, each of which went to a different receiver. That effort marked just the third time in program history four different players have recorded a receiving touchdown in the same game.
Several Bears enjoyed career days Saturday in addition to Lambert's notable performance vs. Western Illinois. Not only did
Erik Furmanek haul in the first scoring reception of his MSU career, but the junior tight end also recorded personal bests of five receptions and 47 yards.
LeMarcus Stewart entered the game with just three receptions on the season, but matched a single-game high with four catches for a career-high 95 yards, as well as his first receiving touchdown in more than two years.
Deion Holliman caught two scoring passes in a game for the first time as a Bear, while
Zac Hoover's team-high six receptions also represented a career best total for the senior.
Jason Randall also logged a pair of career milestones, with his 63-yard run in the second quarter representing his longest rush as a Bear, while his 91 rushing yards for the day marked a new career high as well.
On the defensive side of the ball, both
McNeece Egbim (14 tackles) and
Kurran Blamey (10) completed career-best performances, while
Cameron Price matched his personal high with six stops to go along with his fourth-quarter interception.
ICE COLE
Senior linebacker
Dylan Cole recorded a season-high 16 stops in Saturday's match-up with No. 12 Western Illinois, continuing a recent string of double-digit tackle totals for the preseason All-American. Saturday's effort marked the 17th time in Cole's MSU career he finished with at least 10 tackles in a contest, including his 11th such performance in the Bears' last 13 games dating back to Oct. 10, 2015.
Cole ranks third among all active NCAA Division I FCS defenders — and tops in the MVFC — in career tackles (381) and needs just four more stops to match the total of Bill Walter in the No. 7 position on the Bears' all-time list. Additionally, Cole is fourth nationally in forced fumbles per game (0.5) this season and paces the Valley in tackles per game (11.0).
One key to Missouri State's hot start to the 2016 season has been its play on the road, with three of the Bears' first four games taking place away from Robert W. Plaster Stadium. MSU, which entered the season on a 10-game road skid, is a perfect 2-0 on the road against FCS competition this season.
The Bears' Oct. 1 win at No. 24 Indiana State represented their first victory over a ranked foe since Oct. 19, 2013 (vs. No. 15 South Dakota State) and MSU's first win vs. a Top 25 squad on the road since an Oct. 20, 2012 decision over No. 11 Illinois State in Normal.
A FORCE UP FRONT
Junior defensive end
Colby Isbell has been a key figure in leading a Bears defense that ranks 29th in the nation in total defense (347.5 ypg.) and 37th in team sacks (2.17) through the first half of the 2016 season. Isbell's average of 0.92 sacks per outing is good for the 15th-best mark in the nation, while his 1.7 TFL's per contest is 20th among all FCS defenders this fall. An anchor on the Bears' defensive line since his arrival on campus in 2014, Isbell has started 21 consecutive games for MSU and needs to record one more stop to reach the 100-tackle mark for his career.
SECOND-HALF STRANGLEHOLD
MSU's win over Indiana State featured another strong stretch drive, particularly by the Bears defense, which held the Sycamores scoreless and limited their high-octane offense to just 116 yards of offense and seven first downs in the second half.
That effort continued a second-half trend for the MSU defense, which has allowed just 44 combined points in the third and fourth quarters this season. In the five games in which MSU has played past intermission, it has allowed an average of just 60.4 rushing yards and 8.8 points, while forcing a total of 12 turnovers in the second half alone.
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 six games, MSU has already recorded 15 takeaways to surpass its 11-game total from last fall. So far, MSU leads the MVFC in total takeaways, ranking 12th in the nation, while its eight interceptions is second in the Valley and 24th 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 both Cole's 0.5 forced fumbles per game and Hulse's two fumble recoveries ranking fourth in the country.
