Game 6  -  Missouri State Bears (1-4, 0-2 MVFC) at No. 14 Western Illinois Leathernecks (4-1, 1-1 MVFC)
Date/Kickoff:	Oct. 14  |  3 p.m. (CDT)
Location:	Macomb, Ill.
Site:	Hanson Field (16,638)
Radio:	Missouri State Football Radio Network/KTXR 101.3 FM
Watch:	ESPN3
Live Stats:	GoLeathernecks.com
Game Notes:	Missouri State  |  Western Illinois  |  MVFC
Series/Last Meeting:	MSU leads 17-16-1  |  WIU won 38-35 (Oct. 15, 2016)
Tickets:	GoLeathernecks.com

FIRST AND TEN

• The Missouri State Bears face off against their third-straight ranked foe when they travel to Macomb, Ill., for a 3 p.m. MVFC contest against the No. 14 Western Illinois Leathernecks Saturday at Hanson Field
• MSU holds a slight 17-16-1 edge in the series, despite WIU claiming its first win vs. MSU since 2008 last October in Springfield; MSU is 10-7 all-time against WIU in Macomb, including wins in its last three trips to Hanson Field
• With Saturday's matchup against the No. 14 Leathernecks, the Bears will have squared off against at least four ranked opponents in each of the last eight seasons; MSU has defeated three different ranked Western Illinois squads, including road wins in 1999 and 2001 
• The Bears and Leathernecks have combined to average 58 combined points per game over their last five meetings, with MSU outscoring WIU by a 194-113 margin 
• MSU ranks second among all FCS squads in fewest penalty yards per game (31.40) and fifth in fewest overall penalties (21) this season; the Bears have ranked among the top four MVFC squads in fewest penalty yards in each of head coach Dave Steckel's three seasons
• Senior receiver Malik Earl moved up to eighth on the Bears' career receptions chart with his five catches at North Dakota State (Sept. 30); with 114 career catches, he needs two more receptions to match Jeff Hewitt in the No. 7 spot and three more to reach No. 6, currently occupied by Cadarrius Dotson 
• Senior return specialist Deion Holliman broke not only Tony Gilbert's (2,219) Missouri State career kickoff return yardage record at North Dakota State, but also Carlos Anderson's (UNI) all-time MVFC mark of 2,318 yards; Holliman's 221-yard day ranks second in MSU history behind his own 238-yard performance vs. Southern Illinois in 2015    
• Holliman ranks sixth nationally in combined kick return yards (527) and 15th in punt return average (10.8); additionally, fellow special teams standout Brendan Withrow brings the No. 16 punt average (42.6) into Saturday's game
• Senior linebacker Kurran Blamey turned in a season-high seven tackles to lead the Bears at NDSU, surpassing the 100-career tackle plateau in the process
• Both Earl and senior tight end Erik Furmanek rate among the Valley's top 10 pass catchers in terms of yards per reception; Furmanek's 17.08 ypc. average ranks 41st nationally and fifth in the MVFC, while Earl's 15.70 average is 68th and sixth in the league

GAME PREVIEW
Despite suffering a pair of setbacks to ranked opponents to open the 2017 Missouri Valley Football Conference season, the Missouri State Bears enter their road contest with the No. 14 Western Illinois Leathernecks with plenty of reasons for optimism when the two clubs square off at Hanson Field in Macomb, Ill., this Saturday (Oct. 14) at 3 p.m. Winners of five of the last six meetings in the series, the Bears not only hold a 10-7 all-time edge over the Leathernecks on their home turf, but also have three victories over ranked WIU squads under their collective belts.

Two weeks ago in Fargo, Missouri State (1-4, 0-2 MVFC) engaged No. 2 North Dakota State in a competitive opening 30 minutes, holding the high-powered Bison ground game to 51 yards in the opening half. Deion Holliman surpassed Tony Gilbert's 29-year-old Missouri State career record for kickoff return yardage with his 25-yard return of an NDSU free kick following a second-quarter safety. As part of his 250 all-purpose yard afternoon, Holliman later eclipsed the Valley's career kickoff return marker, previously held by UNI's Carlos Anderson. But NDSU's stingy defense won the day, picking off three passes and stopping the Bears on eight of their 13 combined third and fourth-down attempts helping the Bison run off a string of 24 unanswered points down the stretch.

Thanks to four road wins, Western Illinois (4-1, 1-1 MVFC) is off to its second straight 4-1 start following a 38-29 road win over UNI last weekend. Led by senior wide receiver Jaelon Acklin, the Leathernecks are averaging over 40 points per contest. Acklin's 148.4 receiving yards per game leads the nation, while WIU's passing game (284.0 ypg.) ranks 18th nationally.

HISTORIC DAY FOR HOLLIMAN
In what is becoming a weekly habit, senior return specialist Deion Holliman added another prestigious honor to his resume in the Bears' setback at North Dakota State (Sept. 30). The Camden, Ark., product surpassed Tony Gilbert's 28-year-old Missouri State career record for kickoff return yardage with a 25-yard return in the second quarter, then topped Carlos Anderson's all-time Valley mark later in contest. 

Holliman, who now has 2,382 kickoff return yards, finished his day with 221 kick return yards—good for second on the Bears' single-game list behind his own 238-yard effort at SIU in 2015. Additionally, his 250 all-purpose yards versus NDSU ranks 12th all-time in the MSU record book, and netted Holliman the fourth MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week award of his career and his second this season.

HOLD THAT FLAG
The Bears have been one of the nation's most-disciplined teams in terms of penalty yardage under head coach Dave Steckel, ranking second among all FCS schools with an average of 31.4 team penalty yards per game and fifth nationally in fewest flags (21) garnered overall. The Bears pace the Valley in both categories after leading the conference in 2015 (39.9 ypg.) and ranking fourth overall last season with an average of just 45.8 penalty yards per outing.

WHAT A RUSH
For the second week in a row, junior cornerback Matt Rush delivered a big game to help the Missouri State defense hold one of the nation's top offenses in check. After matching his previous career-best tackle total with five in the Bears' MVFC-opening loss to Illinois State, Rush went right back to work against second-ranked North Dakota State, tallying a career-high six tackles—all solo stops—and the first sack of his MSU career to help stall a second-half drive deep in Bears territory. 

The Springfield, Mo., product played a particularly prominent role in MSU's first-half success, registering four stops to help the Bears hold the FCS's No. 2 ground attack to just 51 yards. In all, Rush's efforts contributed to the Bears limiting the Bison to a season-low 214 rushing yards overall.

RANKING THE BEARS
Several Bears factor prominently among the national leaders in individual statistical categories, including Deion Holliman, who ranks sixth nationally with his 527 combined (kickoff/punt) return yards. Holliman leads the Valley and ranks 15th nationally in punt return average (10.8), while his average of 23.9 yards on kickoffs ranks fifth in the Valley and 37th among all FCS players. Thanks to Holliman's efforts, Missouri State factors prominently in the national team rankings as well, checking in this week at No. 21 and No.  for kickoff and punt returns, respectively. MSU punter Brendan Withrow has turned in a strong start to the season after missing the final nine games of the 2016 campaign due to injury. Withrow's average of 42.6 yards per punt is the third-best in the MVFC and 16th overall nationally. As a result, the Bears are allowing jus 6.33 yards per punt return, good for 43rd among all FCS schools and third in the Valley. 

EARL CRACKS TOP 10 LISTS
With four catches for 73 yards in the Bears' MVFC opener with Illinois State, senior receiver Malik Earl moved past three Bears to move into MSU's career top 10 for receiving yardage. With 1,549 yards, Earl climbed to ninth on the chart, passing Anthony Pegues (1,445), Steven Rush (1,461) and Mark Marcos (1,486) with his performance vs. ISU and enters the week just 154 yards away from Jeff Hewitt in the No. 8 position on the chart.

AdditIonally, the Oklahoma City native continued his climb up the Bears' career receptions list with five catches at North Dakota State (Sept. 30), moving past Tom Hamilton (112) and Pegues into the No. 8 spot with 114 grabs as a Bear. Earl is within 36 receptions of Clay Harbor's school record of 150, meaning he must average six catches per outing over the Bears' last six regular-season contests to reach the mark.

BRANCH SET TO TAKE PLACE IN MO SPORTS HALL OF FAME
Former Bears head coach Jesse Branch (1986-94) will be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame as part of its annual football luncheon on Monday, Oct. 16 in Springfield. Branch, led the Bears to 55 victories and a pair of Gateway Conference titles (1989 and 1990) during his nine-year tenure at MSU, marking the Bears' last two NCAA postseason appearances. He guided MSU to a 27-3 home mark from 1988-93, a stretch that saw the Bears post five winning seasons and a 43-24-1 overall record.