Football October 23, 2018

Bears Seek Bounceback Saturday Against Southern Illinois

Missouri State Bears (4-3, 2-2 MVFC) vs. Southern Illinois Salukis (1-6, 0-4 MVFC)
Date/Kickoff:	Oct. 27, 2018 \| 2:05 p.m. (CDT)
Location:	Springfield, Mo.
Site:	Robert W. Plaster Stadium (17,500) \| Bearfest Village
Radio:	KTXR (101.3 FM) (Art Hains, Dennis Heim) \| Listen Live \| Missouri State Football Radio Network
Watch:	ESPN+ (Don West, Corey Riggs)
Follow:	Live Stats \| Facebook \| Twitter \| Football Twitter \| Instagram \| YouTube
Game Notes:	Missouri State \| Southern Illinois \| MVFC \| Missouri State Media Guide
Series/Last Meeting:	Tied 20-20 \| MSU won 36-28 in Carbondale (Nov. 4, 2017)
Tickets:	MissouriStateBears.com \| Missouri State students admitted free with BearPass
Promotions:	Pink Game to Support Breast Cancer Awareness \| Free Hot Dogs for MSU Students on The Clif

THE GAME

Looking to bounce back from their first home setback of the season, the Missouri State Bears (4-3, 2-2 MVFC) will host the Southern Illinois Salukis (1-6, 0-4 MVFC) for a 2 p.m., Missouri Valley Football Conference game Saturday (Oct. 27) at Robert W. Plaster Stadium.

Saturday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, 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.

Despite their 31-14 setback to Western Illinois last weekend, the Bears are still receiving votes (11) in this week's STATS FCS Top 25 poll.
The Bears are 3-1 at Plaster Stadium this season; MSU has averaged 3.25 sacks per game and 230.2 passing ypg. at home this fall.
MSU is 4-1 both when scoring at least 20 points and gaining 20 or more first downs in a game this season.
Junior quarterback Peyton Huslig needs 18 rushing yards to crack the 1,000-yard mark for his MSU career; he also needs three additional TD passes to crack the Bears' all-time top 10 list.
In just 18 games as a Bear, Huslig has accumulated four 100-yard rushing games and seven 200-yard passing performances.
Missouri State's defense ranks second overall in the conference in team sacks (2.86 per game), led by Matt McClellan's 5.5 sacks, which ranks as the second-best individual total in the league.
Fellow Bear defenders Claudio Martin (4.5) and Skyler Hulse (2.5) also rate among the Valley's top 10 for sacks.

SERIES NOTES

The Bears and Salukis enter Saturday's game tied with 20 wins apiece in a series that dates back to 1965, representing MSU's longest-running rivalry among an MVFC foe.
MSU holds an 11-8 edge versus SIU in Springfield, but the Salukis have won five of the last seven games against the Bears at Plaster dating back to 2004.
The Bears have won each of the last two meetings, claiming a 38-35 victory in 2016 at Plaster, as well as a 36-28 decision last fall in Carbondale.
MSU's two-game win streak vs. SIU is its first in the series since winning three in a row from 2000-02.

THE BEARS

The Bears (4-3, 2-2 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 66 tackles to rank sixth overall in the MVFC, while Garbutt's 60 stops rates as the 10th-best total in the league.
MSU special teams have been among the best in the Valley, with the Bears leading the conference in punt return defense (1.33 ypc.) and field goal percentage (1.000), while MSU ranks second in net punting (41.03) and kickoff return average (24.9 ypc.).
The Bears rank fourth in the league in passing offense (224.8 ypg.) during Valley play, led by Peyton Huslig's 268.2 ypg. of total offense; MSU's offense has converted 42.9 percent (24-of-56) of its third-down attempts in MVFC play as well.

THE SALUKIS

Under third-year head coach Nick Hill, the Salukis (1-6, 0-4 MVFC) are coming off a 24-21 setback to Indiana State last weekend.
Quarterback Matt DeSomer turned in career-best totals for rushing (145) and passing (165) yards against the Sycamores last week.
The Salukis rank second overall in the MVFC in total offense (441.1 ypg.).

LAST TIME OUT...

The Bears dropped their first home contest of the season to Western Illinois last Saturday, as the Leathernecks turned in a complete performance en route to a 31-14 decision at Plaster Stadium.
WIU allowed only 283 yards of offense, permitted just one offensive touchdown, while limiting the MSU offense to a season-low 68 rushing yards on 24 attempts.
The Leathernecks' big day was marked by their ability to convert third-down opportunities, going 11-of-18 for the game; WIU's defense held the Bears to 1-of-10 third-down conversions and just 1-of-3 on fourth down.
Angelo Garbutt paced the Missouri State defense with a game-high 12 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for losses and two key fourth-down stops.
Jeremiah Wilson's 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter represented the first of his MSU career and the first by a Bear since Deion Holliman brought back a 91-yard return vs. Southwestern on Sept. 1, 2016.
McNeece Egbim's 11 tackles marked his third-straight double-digit effort and his fourth of the season overall
MSU dropped to 26-22 on Homecoming (since 1971) and 17-18-1 all-time versus Western Illinois.

MEETING OF THE MAROONS

Missouri State will meet is oldest Valley rival this weekend when the Bears entertain Southern Illinois for the 41st time. The series between the two maroon-clad programs began in 1965 and sits even with each team winning 20 games.

Missouri State, which has won three of the last five meetings, is averaging 31.8 points per game against SIU over the last five meetings. The Bears are also riding their first two-game win streak in the series since winning three in a row vs. SIU from 2000-02. MSU is 11-8 all-time against the Salukis at Plaster Stadium.

BEARS AGAINST THE LAND OF LINCOLN

The Bears will be playing their third-straight home game against Illinois teams this week. MSU began league play with a 24-21 home win over Illinois State, before dropping a 31-14 home decision to Western Illinois last Saturday.

This is the third time in program history (1990 and 1992) the Bears have played three straight home games against teams from the 'Land of Lincoln.' Ironically enough, MSU's only other home game this season was against Lincoln University.

GARBUTT GRINDING

Junior linebacker Angelo Garbutt has been the Bears' top tackler of late, registering double-figure stops in three straight ball games. Garbutt recorded a game-high 12 tackles last week against Western Illinois, including seven solo stops and 2.5 tackles for loss.

In conference games this fall, he is averaging 10.0 tackles per game with 4.5 tackles for loss, ranking eighth and fifth among all MVFC defenders, respectively. His 22 assisted tackles ranks third in the league in Valley contests.

THE JURY ON CURRIE

Junior receiver Tyler Currie, who had just seven receptions all last season, snagged seven passes for a career-best 113 yards and a TD at South Dakota on Oct. 6. That effort marked the first 100-yard receiving game by a Bear this season.

The Bears' breakthrough wideout has tallied 20 catches in MSU's last four games, and is tied for fourth among all MVFC receivers in receptions per game (5.0) during league action.

MAROON AND WHITE SPECIAL

MSU special teams have been a consistent force for the Bears during the Dave Steckel era, with the Bears ranking among the top five among all MVFC units in both punt average and punt return average each of the last three seasons.

The 2018 campaign has been no different, as Missouri State entered the week ranked fourth nationally in both net punting (41.0) and punt return defense (1.33). Missouri State's Brendan Withrow ranks 26th nationally in punting average with 42.0 yards per attempt, including 13 of his 33 attempts downed inside the 20. Furthermore, the Bears' kickoff return unit has averaged 24.9 yards per attempt, which is good for 14th nationally.

Last fall, MSU ranked second in punt return average (13.0), and fourth in net punt average (37.5), thanks to the leg of Withrow, who ranked 35th nationally with an average of 41.0 yards per punt. Additionally, the Bears kickoff return unit averaged 22.2 yards per return to rank third in the MVFC, behind all-time return leader Deion Holliman's third-consecutive All-MVFC performance.

SECOND-QUARTER SURGE

The Bears continue to dominate the second quarter, having outscored their opponents by a 76-22 margin in the 15 minutes before halftime this season. MSU has also converted 16-of-30 third downs in the second quarter, by far the team's most productive period, which translates to a 53.3 percent success rate before the intermission.

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.

HOME COOKING

The Bears dropped their first home game of the season last week vs. Western Illinois, but Plaster Stadium has proven to be a key asset in MSU's turnaround this fall. In their four home games to date, the Bears have averaged 32.5 points per outing, while limiting the opposition to just 21.0. Most notably, the MSU defense has allowed just 152.5 rushing yards per game and recorded 13 of its 20 sacks at Plaster.

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