Game 1  -  Missouri State Bears (0-0) at Missouri Tigers (0-0)
Date/Kickoff:	Sept. 2  |  11:01 a.m. (CDT)
Location:	Columbia, Mo.
Site:	Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field (71,168)
Radio:	Missouri State Football Radio Network/KTXR 101.3 FM
Watch:	SEC Network  |  ESPN3
Live Stats:	MUTigers.com
Game Notes:	Missouri State  |  Mizzou  |  MVFC
Series/Last Meeting:	MU leads 1-0  |  MU won 10-0 in Columbia (Oct. 6, 1923)
Tickets:	MUTigers.com
MSU Watch Party:	Buffalo Wild Wings (900 E. Battlefield Rd., Springfield)

FIRST AND TEN

• The Missouri State Bears kick off their 106th season of football Saturday (Sept. 2) when they travel to Columbia, for an 11:01 a.m. non-conference contest against the Missouri Tigers at Memorial Stadium
• The Bears and Tigers will be meeting for the first time in varsity action since 1923, when MU logged a 10-0 victory over MSU in the only previous varsity contest between the two Show-Me State institutions; the Bears have squared off against Mizzou's JV squad on three occasions as recently as 1952, with all three resulting in MU wins
• MSU is 51-51-3 all-time in season openers, including a 15-20 mark since its move to Division I in 1982; against FBS competition, the Bears are 1-12 in season openers over the same timeframe
• Saturday's game will be a homecoming of sorts for the majority of the Bears' coaching staff; head coach Dave Steckel spent 14 years on the Tigers' coaching staff under Gary Pinkel, while eight of his nine full-time assistants either played or coached at Mizzou; former All-Big 12 safety Kenji Jackson (2008-11) was a two-year starter for the Tigers, while Munir Prince (2008-09) and Jason Ray (2003-07) each contributed on three bowl teams during their time in Columbia 
• MSU returns the majority of its offensive skill performers from last fall, including its top four rushers and 82.7% of its overall rushing production from a year ago; preseason All-MVFC choice Malik Earl also returns to lead a receiving corps; that includes eight of the Bears' top 11 pass catchers in 2016
• Sophomore left tackle Coleman Clanton, a preseason All-MVFC pick, leads a contingent of four returning offensive linemen who have logged double-digit starting assigments for their MSU careers; the Bears' offensive line allowed just 16 sacks last fall to rank second in the Valley and 31st nationally among all FCS clubs
• Senior return specialist Deion Holliman earned preseason All-America recognition after ranking among the nation's top home run threats over the last two years; Holliman is the lone FCS return man to bring back both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in each of the last two seasons and enters the 2017 campaign second on the Bears' all-time lists for return TDs (4) and kickoff return yardage (1,952)
• Senior defensive lineman Colby Isbell was another preseason All-MVFC pick for the Bears; he brings MSU's longest active streak of consecutive starts (26) into the new season
• The Missouri State defensive line combined on 15.0 of the Bears' 17.0 total sacks in 2016, led by Isbell's 6.5, which ranked sixth in the Valley
• Senior Erik Furmanek, a second-team All-MVFC choice in 2016, leads a deep tight end group that accounted for six TD receptions last fall; Furmanek caught 27 passes for 245 yards and four touchdowns to lead the group 

GAME PREVIEW
The Missouri State Bears kick off their 106th season of college football Saturday (Sept. 2) when they renew their in-state rivalry with the Missouri Tigers in the first varsity meeting of the two schools since the 1923 season. Kickoff from Faurot Field in Columbia is slated for 11:01 a.m. (CDT) in a game that will be televised live on the SEC Network.

MSU is coming off a 4-7 campaign which saw the Bears log a three-win improvement in head coach Dave Steckel's second season at the helm. The Bears will return 41 lettermen and 16 total offensive and defensive starters, including returning All-MVFC performers Coleman Clanton, Malik Earl, McNeece Egbim, Deion Holliman and Erik Furmanek. Holliman was a preseason All-America selection after totaling 950 combined return yards and 1,316 all-purpose yards last fall. Earl enters his senior year looking to continue his climb up the MSU career charts as well, ranking 16th on the Bears' all-time list for receiving yards, just 56 yards shy of the No. 15 spot.

Mizzou will also be looking to build on a four-win season a year ago. Second-year head coach Barry Odom will have 10 returning offensive starters at his disposal, led by junior signal-caller Drew Lock, who passed for 3,399 yards and 23 touchdowns last year. Sophomore running back Damarea Crockett also enjoyed a banner 2016 season, rushing for 1,062 yards as a rookie.

SEASON'S GREETINGS
Missouri State will kick off its 106th season of varsity football Saturday (Sept. 2) when the Bears travel to Columbia for an 11 a.m. non-conference contest against the Missouri Tigers at Memorial Stadium. 

The Bears and Tigers will be meeting for the first time in varsity action since 1923, when MU logged a 10-0 home victory. MSU is 51-51-3 all-time in season openers, including a 15-20 mark since its move to Division I in 1982. The Bears will be gunning for their first win over an FBS opponent since opening the 1990 season with a 31-24 decision over UNLV.

HAPPY HOMECOMING
While Missouri State may find the confines of Memorial Stadium a bit unfamiliar after a 94-year break in its series with Mizzou, several members of the Bears' coaching staff know Columbia quite well. Saturday's game will be a homecoming of sorts for the majority of the Bears' staff. Head coach Dave Steckel spent 14 years on the Tigers' coaching staff under Gary Pinkel, while eight of his nine full-time assistants either played or coached at Mizzou. 

Former All-Big 12 safety Kenji Jackson (2008-11) was a two-year starter for the Tigers, playing on bowl-qualifying MU teams in each of his four seasons. Additionally, Munir Prince (2008-09) was a two-year letterwinner as a 
defensive back, and Jason Ray (2003-07) captained the Tigers' 2007 Cotton Bowl team that ascended to a No. 1 national ranking and matched a program record with 12 wins. Additionally, Bears defensive coodinator Marcus Yokeley and offensive coordinator Mack Brown each completed graduate assistantships with the Tigers, as did linebackers coach Peter Badovinac and defensive line coach Chris Morton. Tight ends and special teams coach Justin Kramer spent three seasons on Pinkel's MU staff as a defensive analyst and assistant director of recruiting.

FIVE BEARS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-MVFC
Led by first-team selections Malik Earl, Deion Holliman and Colby Isbell, Missouri State placed five players on the Missouri Valley Football Conference Preseason Team. Additionally, Coleman Clanton and McNeece Egbim picked up honorable mention recognition from the league's coaches, media and sports information directors.

After earning second-team all-conference laurels in 2016, Earl was named a first-team wide receiver and Isbell picked up top preseason honors as a defensive lineman. Holliman, a two-time first-team All-MVFC honoree, garnered the same distinction as a return specialist. Clanton and Egbim picked up honorable mention spots on the Valley's distinguished list as an offensive lineman and linebacker, respectively.

HISTORIC HOLLIMAN
Senior Deion Holliman earned preseason All-America recognition after ranking among the nation's top return threats over the last two years. Holliman is the lone FCS return man to bring back both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in each of the last two seasons and enters the 2017 campaign second on the Bears' all-time lists for return TDs (4) and kickoff return yardage (1,952).

Holliman owns the top two single-season totals for return yards in MSU history. In 2015, the Camden, Ark., native paced all of FCS football in combined kick return yardage. Holliman's 1,049 kickoff return yards eclipsed Todd Speight's (Western Illinois) MVFC record, set in 2009. Last fall, Holliman logged 869 kickoff return yards, and enters his final collegiate campaign needing just 494 additional yards to match Tony Gilbert's career MSU record (2,446) for kickoff return yards.

CHUNK THIS
Missouri State's propensity for big plays was on display throughout the 2016 season, with the Bears logging 25 offensive plays of 25 yards or more last fall. That figure easily  surpassed the total of the 2015 Bears, who registered just 15 such 'chunk' gains for their entire 11-game season. 

Additionally, MSU produced 17 scoring drives of 75 yards or more, as well as 15 different scoring series extending at least nine plays, up from 2015 totals of just seven and 11, respectively.

LEADING THE SLEUTH
The Missouri State players have elected four co-captains to represent them throughout the 2017 season. Senior Colby Isbell and junior Jared Beshore will represent the defense as captian, while seniors Malik Earl and Erik Furmanek will lead the offense this fall.