FIRST AND TEN
- The Missouri State Bears wrap up the 2017 season with an 11 a.m. MVFC contest Saturday (Nov. 18) against the Youngstown State Penguins at Stambaugh Stadium in YoungstownÂ
- Youngstown State brings a 14-5 series advantage against the Bears into Saturday's game, including a 7-2 mark against MSU at Stambaugh Stadium; the Bears have won two of the last three meetings against YSU in Youngstown, however, picking up a 17-7 win in 2009 and a 38-34 victory over the Penguins to close out the 2011 season
- Missouri State ranks third in the Valley in rushing during conference play with an average of 186.1 yards per contest; Peyton Huslig's average of 72.0 rushing yards in MVFC play ranks sixth in the league, while his 243.3 yards of total offense per game ranks fifth overall among all MVFC players
- Huslig enters the final game of the season with 2,433 yards of total offense, which is sixth-best total in school history; he needs 97 yards to crack the top five and 335 yards to match Jay Rodgers' MSU single-season record of 2,768
- Huslig is also within striking distance of several MSU single-season top 10 lists, including completions (154), passing yardage (1,936), completion percentage (60.2) and touchdown passes (9); he needs just 64 passing yards to become just the second Bear QB to pass for 2,000 yards in his debut season (Jay Rodgers–2,741 in 1999)
- Zach Drake has successfully booted at least one field goal in seven straight games—a streak that ranks fourth in MSU history and the longest by a Bears kicker since 2005; Drake saw his string of eight consecutive makes come to an end in last Saturday's loss to UNI, before drilling a 25-yard kick in the third period to start a new one
- Malik Earl moved into the Bears' single-season top 10 for receptions Saturday vs. UNI and enters the season finale just 10 catches shy of Michael Sparks' MSU record of 62; he enters Saturday's game ninth in single-season receiving yards (737), just 176 away from Jermaine Saffold's Bears record of 913, set in 2011
- Earl ranks second overall in the MVFC in receptions per game (5.2) and third in receiving yards per game (73.7); he enters his final collegiate game ranked third all-time at MSU in receptions (143), just seven away from Clay Harbor's MSU career recordÂ
- Angelo Garbutt logged his third straight double-digit tackle performance with a Bears' season-best 17 stops Saturday vs. UNI to earn MVFC Newcomer of the Week honors; Garbutt is the second Bear to earn the honor, with Huslig claiming the same award on two occasions (Sept. 3 and Oct. 29)
- Colby Isbell's 4.0 sacks in conference play rank fifth among all MVFC defenders, while his 7.0 TFLs rank eighth; Isbell brings a string of 36 consecutive starts into his final game as a Bear as well
GAME PREVIEW
The
Missouri State Bears (3-7, 2-5 MVFC) will look to close out the 2017 season in style Saturday (Nov. 18) when they travel to Youngstown, Ohio, for an 11 a.m. (CST) kickoff against the defending national runner-up
Youngstown State Penguins (5-5, 3-4 MVFC) at Stambaugh Stadium.
Despite holding UNI to just 116 second-half yards, the Bears dropped their first contest in three weeks with a 25-10 setback to the Panthers on Saturday. UNI's defense limited the Bears to just 215 yards of total offense—their lowest single-game total in conference play this season—and 10 first downs for the game to claim their 12th straight win in the series.
Angelo Garbutt turned in a career game for the MSU defense, logging his third straight double-digit tackle performance with 17 stops. The sophomore transfer earned MVFC Newcomer of the Week recognition for his efforts, while
Malik Earl moved to within seven receptions of Clay Harbor's MSU career record of 150 catches.
Youngstown State enters its final regular-season contest on a two-game win streak after sustaining four consecutive October defeats. The Penguins bring the No. 2 rushing offense (216.3 ypg.) and the third-best scoring defense (20.0 ppg.) in the MVFC into Saturday's game. YSU has been tough against the pass all season, boasting the No. 2 pass defense (153.6 ypg.) in the conference. Junior tailback Tevin McCaster leads the Penguins with an average of 88.5 rushing yards per contest.
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Saturday's game will mark the final chapter of the 2017 season for the Bears, who have dropped each of their last five season finales since defeating Youngstown State by a 38-34 score at Stambaugh Stadium to close out the 2011 season. MSU has enjoyed its fair share of success in Youngstown, claiming two of its last three meetings with YSU at the Ice Castle since 2009. The Bears are 18-17 in regular-season finales as a Division I program, and 42-58-5 overall in season-ending games.
The number 30 has held a significant meaning for the Bears' offense throughout the MVFC season as well. MSU scored a grand total of 30 combined points in losses to Illinois State, North Dakota State and UNI, while the Bears topped the 30-point plateau in four straight outings vs. Western Illinois, South Dakota State, Indiana State and Southern Illinois.
METEORIC MALIK
Senior wide receiver
Malik Earl moved to within seven receptions of Clay Harbor's Missouri State career record of 150 catches with his performance this past Saturday against UNI. Earl also climbed into the Bears' all-time top five for receiving yardage, passing Harbor (1,906) and Jason Cannon (1,913) with his three catches for 27 yards against the Panthers. Entering his final game as a Bear, he needs three more catches to match Julian Burton (146) in the No. 2 position on MSU's reception list and 17 receiving yards to climb to the No. 4 spot—also held by Burton—on the yardage chart.
Earl registered a day to remember in the Bears' setback at Western Illinois (Oct. 14), breaking a Missouri State program record with his 14 receptions against the Leathernecks. The Oklahoma City native eclipsed Jeff Hewitt's single-game Bears record of 13 catches, set on Oct. 7, 2000 at Indiana State, and matched the fourth-best single-game reception effort in MVFC history. Earl, who also rushed for a 30-yard touchdown to help stake the Bears to a 21-13 halftime lead, finished his day with 145 receiving yards.Â
GARBUTT GOING STRONG
Sophomore linebacker
Angelo Garbutt has delivered in a big way for the MSU defense down the stretch, turning in double-digit tackle performances in each of the Bears' last three games.Â
The Iowa transfer, who logged a Missouri State season-high 17 stops in the Bears' loss to UNI last weekend, became the second Bear to top 10 tackles in three consecutive games in as many years. Dylan Cole accomplished the feat in each of MSU's final eight games last year, after recording double-digit tackles in the final seven games of the 2015 season as well. Garbutt leads the Bears with 77 total tackles, which rank sixth overall in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
OFFENSIVE RESURGENCE
In spite of an MVFC season low 215 yards of total offense against UNI, the Bears have enjoyed an offensive renaissance over the last five games. MSU has totaled 2,140 yards of offense—an average of 428.0 per game—while topping the 30-point plateau in four of those outings. From Oct. 14 through Nov. 4, MSU scored at a 38.8 point per game clip, marking its best four-game showing since October 2010, when the Bears averaged 42.0 points per outing over a six-game stretch from Sept. 25 through Oct. 30.Â
Since opening MVFC play, the Bears have fashioned the No. 3 rushing attack in the league, averaging 186.1 yards per contest. MSU is averaging 383.6 yards of total offense during MVFC play, which is good for the seventh-best figure in the league.
Peyton Huslig's average of 72.0 rushing yards and 251.3 yards of total offense per league outing both rank sixth among all MVFC players during league play.
HUSLIGÂ HAULING THE ROCK
Sophomore quarterback
Peyton Huslig enters the final game of the season with 2,433 yards of total offense, which is sixth-best total in school history. He needs 97 yards to crack the Bears' top five single-season chart and 335 yards to match Jay Rodgers' MSU single-season record of 2,768 yards. Huslig is also within striking distance of several MSU single-season top 10 lists, including completions (154), passing yardage (1,936), completion percentage (60.2) and touchdown passes (9). He needs just 64 passing yards to be come just the second Bear QB to pass for 2,000 yards in his debut season (Jay Rodgers–2,741 in 1999).
Huslig turned in his second 100-yard rushing game in a row Oct. 28 vs. Indiana State, breaking the Bears' single-game mark for rushing yards by a quarterback with his 174-yard performance. The Andover, Kan., product racked up 385 yards of total offense by completing 12-of-14 passes for 211 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while eclipsing DeAndre Smith's Bears rushing record by a quarterback. He also teamed up with
J.T. Granato to complete 14 straight passes in the first half, good for the second-longest streak in program history.Â
The previous week, Huslig led all rushers with 123 yards on 16 carries vs. South Dakota State, becoming the first MSU signal-caller to turn in a 100-yard rushing performance since the 2011 season. Huslig, who has logged career-best rushing days in five of the Bears' last seven outings, also passed for 189 yards, giving the transfer 312 yards of total offense for the day. Trevor Wooden was the last Bear QB to crack the 100-yard mark with his 121-yard day at Youngstown State on Nov. 19, 2011. Additionally, Huslig became just the third MSU quarterback to pass for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in a game during the same season. Mitch Ware was the first to accomplish the feat, passing for 313 yards vs. Pitt State and rushing for 141 against Arkansas Tech in 1979, before Jeremy Hoog followed suit in 1995, totaling 351 passing yards against Western Illinois and 109 rushing yards vs. SEMO.
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