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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – A four-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Huslig to Lorenzo Thomas with 16 seconds left in the game lifted visiting Missouri State (4-2, 2-1 MVFC) to a 29-26 victory over Indiana State (2-4, 0-3 MVFC) here Saturday.
 
It was Thomas' first career touchdown reception that lifted the Bears, who led 21-10 at the half, to their first road win of the year. Jeremiah Wilson grinded his way through the Sycamore defense for a two-point conversion moments later to give MSU the three-point lead.
 
Indiana State managed 10 yards on its final three plays before the final horn sounded.
 
Huslig finished 21-of-33 for 169 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. In fact, neither team committed a turnover on the afternoon in Missouri State's third straight victory in the series.
 
Donovan Daniels led MSU's rushing attack, carrying 15 times for 62 yards and a pair of scores in his first start, while Wilson carried 14 times for 61 yards. The Bears racked up 352 yards of total offense, including 183 on 41 rushing attempts.
 
The Bears' game-winning, 86-yard scoring drive came on the heels of a stellar MSU goal-line stand late in the game to hold ISU to a field goal. The Indiana State drive covered 84 yards to the MSU one-yard line before Angelo Garbutt and Tyler Lovelace stuffed ISU running back Chris Covington for no gain on third down. Covington was carried off the field with an injury after the play, forcing the Sycamores to settle for a Jerry Nunez 19-yard field goal that gave ISU a 26-21 lead with 4:04 remaining.
 
Missouri State's winning drive was almost halted before it got started on the ensuing possession. On fourth-and-five from his own 37, Huslig had to scramble out of the pocket for a nine-yard gain to sustain hope. Indiana State was also whistled for defensive holding on the play to move the Bears into Sycamore territory.
 
Later in the drive, Huslig connected with Tyler Currie on back-to-back plays for 19 and 9 yards to the ISU 17. From there, Huslig called his own number again on third-and-five from the ISU nine to set up first and goal from the four. But the Sycamore defense made things difficult on the ground, and the Bears netted no yards on three straight rushing plays to set up a fourth-and-goal from the four and Huslig's fade into the left corner for Thomas.
 
Murray led seven MSU receivers with six receptions on the day, while Currie and Thomas each hauled in four catches.
 
The victory pushed the Bears to a 4-2 start for the first time since 2007.
 
Missouri State wasted little time getting on the scoreboard early in the contest, marching 87 yards on 17 plays on their opening possession to take a 7-0 lead. Daniels' one-yard rush capped the Bears' longest scoring drive of the season by all measures, consuming seven-and-a-half minutes in the process.
 
Huslig was 5-for-5 on the opening drive while Daniels and Wilson combining for 39 yards on the ground.
 
The Bears' defense held ISU to three-and-out possessions on its first two opportunities, but on Indiana State's third possession, the Sycamores broke through. ISU marched 78 yards on seven plays for the tying score with Ja'Quan Keys' 47-yard scamper to pay dirt just 10 seconds into the second quarter to knot the score, 7-7.
 
Keys finished with a game-high 141 yards on 23 carries with three touchdowns.
 
Huslig then led the Bears down the field with urgency, retaking the lead eight plays later on an option pitch to Daniels from 10 yards out for his second score of the day. Nick Masoner helped set up the Daniels scoring play with 19 yards on the previous two attempts to set up the first and goal from the 10. Daniels then took the pitch from Huslig with a full head of steam to put the Bears up 14-7 and a cap a 65-yard scoring drive.
 
The Sycamores chipped away with a 48-yard field goal by Nunez with 6:31 left in the opening half to draw within four. But once again, the Bears were up to the task, engineering a long scoring drive on their next possession to extend their lead to 21-10.
 
The critical first-half possession covered 85 yards in 12 plays with Wilson scampering 18 yards on a first-down play for the score.
 
Missouri State was 8-of-10 on third down in the opening half and racked up 15 first downs in all with 238 yards of total offense in the first 30 minutes.
 
Indiana State capitalized on its first possession of the second half, going 73 yards with a sustained ground attack. On the 12^th play of the drive, Keys pounded it in again from two yards out to make it a 21-17 contest with 8:15 left in the third.
 
The home side rallied again later in the third period, utilizing the ground attack again to march 85 yards for the go-ahead score. Keys' seven-yard touchdown run to the left side with 14:28 to go in the game, put the finishing touches on the 14-play drive and gave ISU a 23-21 advantage after the failed extra point.
 
Indiana State ended its 16-0 run with the 19-yard field goal by Nunez with four minutes left in the game to extend its lead to 26-21.
 
The Sycamores tallied 440 yards of total offense with 288 yards on 54 rushing attempts. Quarterback Ryan Boyle contributed 81 ground yards, but he was also efficient through the air, completing 82 percent of his passes -- 18-of-22 -- for 152 yards.
 
Missouri State's defense was led by Titus Wall and Garbutt with 11 tackles apiece, while McNeece Egbim contributed 10. The Bears racked up seven tackles for loss, including three sacks for 22 yards.
 
The red-hot Bears look to resume their winning ways at home next Saturday when they entertain Western Illinois at 2 p.m. at Robert W. Plaster Stadium on homecoming in Springfield. The WIU game kicks off a two-game MVFC home stand that also includes an Oct. 27 matchup with Southern Illinois.