Football October 02, 2018

Bears Look to Extend Win Streak Saturday at South Dakota

No. 24 Missouri State Bears (3-1, 1-0 MVFC) at South Dakota Coyotes (2-2, 1-0 MVFC)
Date/Kickoff:	Oct. 6, 2018 \| 2:05 p.m. (CDT)
Location:	Vermillion, S.D.
Site:	DakotaDome (10,000)
Radio:	KTXR (101.3 FM) (Art Hains, Dennis Heim) \| Listen Live \| Missouri State Football Radio Network
Watch:	ESPN3 (Adam Seidel, Danan Hughes, Kelly Burke)
Follow:	Live Stats \| Facebook \| Twitter \| Football Twitter \| Instagram \| YouTube
Game Notes:	Missouri State \| South Dakota \| MVFC \| Missouri State Media Guide
Series History:	Tied 2-2 (MSU 0-2 in Vermillion) \| South Dakota won 40-10 (Oct. 24, 2015)

THE GAME

After garnering their first Top 25 ranking in four years, the Missouri State Bears embark on a two-game road swing this weekend when they visit the South Dakota Coyotes for a 2 p.m. Missouri Valley Football Conference contest at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D.

Saturday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN3, with Don West and Corey Riggs describing the action. The game will also be carried on the Missouri State Radio Network, as Art Hains and Dennis Heim will once again have the call.

Fresh off back-to-back wins over nationally-ranked foes, Missouri State earned the No. 24 spot in this week's STATS FCS Top 25 poll.
The Bears are riding their first three-game win streak since 2013, when they recorded a string of four-straight victories (Oct. 19-Nov. 9), which began with a 35-21 win over South Dakota.
MSU has averaged 212.0 rushing yards per outing, while allowing just 116.7 yards during its win streak.
The Bears defense has limited its last three opponents to 11-of-43 third-down conversions (26%)
MSU is 40-23-1 all time as a ranked team at the Division I level, including a 5-10 mark against other ranked opponents.

SERIES NOTES

The Bears and Coyotes have split their previous four meetings, with the home club winning each game.
USD claimed a 40-10 victory over MSU in the most-recent contest in the series (Oct. 24, 2015).
USD racked up 529 yards of total offense, while permitting just seven first downs and 155 yards in the 2015 meeting with the Bears.
The Coyotes have allowed just 24 combined points in the previous two meetings in the series at the DakotaDome.

THE BEARS

The Bears (3-1, 1-0 MVFC) return 36 letterwinners and 15 total starters from last year's 3-8 squad.
MSU's defense, which welcomed back nine starters, is led by first-team preseason All-MVFC pick Angelo Garbutt and second-team choice Darius Joseph.
McNeece Egbim paces the Bears with 32 tackles through the first four contests, while Matt McClellan shares the MVFC lead in sacks (4).
Jason Randall tallied his fifth rushing touchdown of the season in the Bears' win over Illinois State; which ranks second in the MVFC and 18th nationally; he has scored at least one touchdown in seven of MSU's last eight games overall, dating back to Oct. 28, 2017 vs. Indiana State.
The MSU defense leads the MVFC in total takeaways (10), thanks to six fumble recoveries (which rank ninth in the nation); the Bears' average of 3.5 sacks per game also ranks ninth among all FCS defenses.
With 284 yards of offense against ISU, Peyton Huslig (3,590) moved into the Bears' career top 10 for total offense and is 226 yards behind Austin Moherman in the No. 9 position on the chart.
Parker Lacina has converted all five of his field goal tries, including a career-best 42-yarder last weekend against ISU; the freshman ranks fourth in the conference in scoring (7.8 ppg.) and third in field goals per game (1.25).
Brendan Withrow is averaging 42.2 yards per punt this season to rank third in the Valley, while the MSU punt coverage unit ranks fifth in the nation, posting a net average of -0.83 yards per return.

THE COYOTES

South Dakota (2-2, 1-0 MVFC) is coming off a 31-24 road victory over Southern Illinois in its MVFC opener last Saturday in which head coach Bob Nielson picked up his 200th career win.
Quarterback Austin Simmons leads the MVFC and ranks second nationally in passing (315.5 ypg.) and total offense (323.5 ypg.).
Safety Andrew Gray was named Valley Co-Defensive Player of the Week following Saturday's win at SIU, in which the senior recorded 14 tackles and an interception.

LAST TIME OUT...
Missouri State locked up its second straight home win over a Top 25 opponent with its 24-21 decision over No. 9 Illinois State in the MVFC opener for both clubs.

MSU's win marked its third straight, giving the Bears their first three-game win streak since 2013.
Illinois State represented the Bears' highest-ranked victim since a home decision over No. 6 UNI (also by a 24-21 score) on Oct. 8, 2005.
The MSU defense held ISU to 128 yards rushing and just 3-of-13 on third-down conversions for the afternoon; additionally, the Bears kept James Robinson — the Valley's second-leading rusher — in check with just 54 rushing yard on 13 carries.
McNeece Egbim led the Bears in tackles for the second time in three games, while MVFC Co-Defensive Player of the Week Darius Joseph recorded a season-high eight tackles.
Eric Johnson and Matt McClellan teamed up to wreak havoc on the ISU offense, combining for nine tackles, five quarterback hurries and two sacks.
Damoriea Vick turned in career-best totals for catches (7) and yards (99) to lead all receivers.
With 232 yards through the air, Peyton Huslig recorded his fifth 200-yard passing game as a Bear, completing 22-of-32 passes for 232 yards.

RANK AND FILE

For the first time since the 2014 season, Missouri State boasts a Top 25 football program, checking in at No. 24 in Monday's STATS Division I FCS Top 25 poll. In the other weekly FCS poll, coordinated by the AFCA, Missouri State remains unranked but is receiving votes.

The Bears were last ranked on Sept. 29 (No. 23) in the FCS Coaches Poll. MSU had not been ranked in the STATS (formerly The Sports Network) poll since 1996, which is also the last time the Bears were ranked in the month of October.

QUEST FOR FOUR

With the club's first back-to-back wins over ranked foes since 1989, the Bears capped a perfect three-game home stand with last week's win over Illinois State. Missouri State now seeks to win four games in a row for the first time since Oct. 19-Nov. 9, 2013, a stretch the Maroon and White kicked off with a 38-21 home win over South Dakota.

Since its move to Division I in 1982, Missouri State has won four straight games on eight previous occasions, but just twice since the 1997 season. In addition to their four-game MVFC win streak in 2013, the Bears won six games in a row from Oct. 27, 2001 through Sept. 9, 2002.

SCORING IN BUNCHES

The Bears' 133 points through four games (33.25 ppg.) is the club's highest four-game scoring total since 2010. That total represents an improvement of 13.25 points per game from its 2017 total through the first four games of the season.

MSU ranks fifth in the MVFC in scoring offense, as well as sixth in rushing offense (186.5 ypg.). Peyton Huslig ranks sixth among all Valley players in total offense (247.0), while freshman kicker Parker Lacina is fourth in the league in scoring (7.8 ppg.). Additionally, Jason Randall's five rushing TD's rank second in the MVFC.

KEY DOWN SHAKEDOWN

Over the course of their three-game win streak, the Bears have held the opposition to a 25.6 percent conversion rate on third down. In weeks 2-4, Missouri State foes are a combined 11-for-43 on third down opportunities, allowing just three third-down conversions apiece to its last two opponents. Conversely, the Bears offense is 15-for-34 — 41.2 percent — on third down in that span.

JOSEPH HONORED BY MVFC

Darius Joseph became the second Bear in as many weeks to earn MVFC Defensive Player of the Week honors Monday, when the junior cornerback was recognized as a co-recipient of the award by the league office.

The Oklahoma City native finished the game with a season-high eight total tackles and six solo stops in his 19th career start. Joseph is the third MSU player to earn Valley weekly honors this season, joining Marquis Prophete (Offensive Lineman of the Week on Sept. 10) and Tyler Lovelace (Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 17).

SECOND-QUARTER SURGE

Missouri State has been dominant in the second quarter throughout its current three-game win streak, outscoring its opposition by a combined 48-6 margin.

In particular, the Bears' 28 points in the second quarter against Lincoln (Sept. 6) matched the program record for offensive production in the second period, previously set on Sept. 9, 2006 vs. Southwest Baptist. The Bears posted 150 yards of total offense in the quarter to go with eight first downs and a conversion on their only third down of the period. MSU's high-scoring quarter featured three rushing TD's — two by Jason Randall — and a 27-yard fumble recovery by Darius Joseph.

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