Saturday, October 5
Macomb, Ill. / Hanson Field
3:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
at
Western Illinois
Bears Open MVFC Season With Road Tilt Against Leathernecks
October 01, 2019 | Football
| Missouri State Bears (0-3, 0-0 MVFC) at Western Illinois Leathernecks (0-4, 0-0 MVFC) | |
| Date/Kickoff: | Saturday, Oct. 5 | 3 p.m. (CT) |
| Location: | Macomb, Ill. |
| Site: | Hanson Field (16,368) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â |
| Radio: | KTXR (101.3 FM) (Art Hains, Dennis Heim) | Listen Live |Â Missouri State Football Radio Network |
| Watch: | ESPN+ (Brendan Reidy, Michael Harms) |
| Follow: | Live Stats | Facebook | Twitter | Football Twitter | Instagram | YouTube |
| Game Notes:Â | Missouri State | Western Illinois | MVFC | Missouri State Media Guide |
| Series History/Last Meeting: | WIU leads 18-17-1 (MSU 10-8 in Macomb) | WIU won 31-14 in Springfield (Oct. 20, 2018) |
The Game
The Missouri State Bears open their 35th season of Missouri Valley Football Conference play Saturday (Oct. 5) afternoon with a 3 p.m. road game against the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Hanson Field in Macomb, Ill.
Saturday's game will be broadcast live online through ESPN+, with Brendan Reidy and Michael Harms 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.
Saturday's game will be broadcast live online through ESPN+, with Brendan Reidy and Michael Harms 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.
- The Bears are 15-19 in openers since joining the league in 1985, including an 8-8 road mark in such games.
- Saturday's game will mark just the second time in eight seasons MSU has opened its MVFC season on the road.
- MSU has gone 7-16 vs. ranked foes and 8-3 vs. non-ranked opponents in MVFC openers.
- Missouri State enters Saturday's game looking to halt an eight-game losing streak, which is tied for the third-longest in program history.
Series Notes
- The Leathernecks enter the game with a slim series edge, after claiming a 31-14 win over the Bears at Plaster Stadium last October; WIU holds an 18-17-1 overall advantage in the series, which dates to 1981.
- MSU has prevailed in 10 of the two squads' 18 previous meetings in Macomb, including three wins in four trips to WIU since 2009.
- The two teams have split their four previous meetings in MVFC openers, with WIU registering the most recent victory in a league opener with a 33-21 win over the Bears in Springfield to start the 2008 Valley campaign.
- The two clubs have combined to score 414 points — an average of 59.1 points per game — in their last seven meetings going back to 2010, with WIU claiming each of the last three games in the series.
- MSU was tabbed for 10th place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference's annual preseason poll.
- Led by preseason all-league selection Tyler Currie, the Bears offense brings back six starters, including quarterback Peyton Huslig, who passed for 2,113 yards last fall to rank fifth all time on MSU's single-season passing chart.
- Currie leads all MVFC receivers with his average of 5.3 receptions per game, while ranking third overall in receiving yards per game (63.0).
- Huslig enters the conference season second among all MVFC quarterbacks in passing yardage (236.3 ypg.); the senior also rates third in the league in total offense (242.7).
- MSU's defense welcomes back seven starters, led by two-time All-MVFC linebacker Angelo Garbutt and preseason all-conference picks McNeece Egbim and Matt McClellan.
- Garbutt's average of 1.75 tackles for loss per game ranks second among all Valley defenders.
- Picked eighth in the MVFC's preseason poll, WIU is also seeking its first win of the 2019 campaign under second-year head coach Jared Elliott, who led the Leathernecks to a 5-6 season last fall.
- Wide receiver Dennis Houston ranks second in the MVFC in receiving yards per game (75.5) to help spearhead a passing attack that is averaging 214.5 yards per outing.
- On the defensive side of the ball, the Leathernecks feature junior defensive back Marquis Smith, who leads the conference in passes defended with an average of 2.0 per contest.
After being held scoreless over the game's first 27 minutes, No. 6 Kennesaw State scored on three consecutive rushes to turn the tables on Missouri State in a 35-24 non-conference decision over the Bears on Sept. 21.
- The Bears suffered their first non-conference home loss under head coach Dave Steckel, who dropped to 5-1 in such contests.
- The setback stopped MSU's string of six straight non-league home wins, dating back to a Sept. 13, 2014 victory over North Dakota.
- The Owls wasted racked up 331 rushing yards on just 15 combined carries during the second and third quarters, including 213 on their six third-period rushes.
- In all, KSU topped the 400-yard rushing mark for the third time in four games this season and totaled 526 yards of offense for the afternoon.
- Titus Wall led the MSU defense with a season-high 10 stops.
- Peyton Huslig recorded a career single-game high with his 28 completions for 292 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Tyler Currie eight times (also a career best) for 67 yards.
- Huslig moved into sole possession of third place on a pair of MSU career lists, surpassing Kierra Harris on the Bears' all-time completions list and Mitch Ware for the No. 3 spot on MSU's total offense chart.
- The Bears' eight-game skid is tied for their second-longest as a Division I program and their third-longest losing streak overall.
Missouri State is 15-19 in MVFC openers since joining the league in 1985, including a 2-2 mark under head coach Dave Steckel in Valley openers.
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Saturday's game represents a rare road game to begin MVFC play for the Bears, who have started the conference slate away from home just one other time (2016) over the last eight seasons. Additionally, the Bears will be facing a non-ranked opponent to start the Valley season for the first time since 2012 and just the 12th time overall.
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Tough to Pass Up
Led by senior signal caller Peyton Huslig, the Bears have the second-best passing offense in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, averaging 236.3 yards per game through the air. Huslig also ranks second among the league's deep pool of talented quarterbacks in passing yards per game (236.3), which is good for 34th nationally among all FCS quarterbacks.Â
Leading the Sleuth
Maroon and White Special
MSU special teams have been a consistent force 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 three of the last seasons.
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The Bears begin league play with one of the best punting games in the FCS ranks. With a net punting average of 42.0, Missouri State ranks 22nd nationally — and second in the MVFC in that key category. Senior punter Brendan Withrow has a 43.8 punting average, which ranks 15th nationally, including eight (of 20) punts over 50 yards and six downed inside the 20. Last fall, Withrow ranked 40th nationally in punting average with 41.0 yards per attempt, including 22 of his 62 attempts downed inside the 20. Withrow's career punt average of 41.3 yards per kick rates third on the Bears' career chart as well.
Leading the Sleuth
A pair of repeat selections as team captains in senior quarterback Peyton Huslig and senior linebacker McNeece Egbim will help steer the Bears during the 2019 season. Huslig and Egbim filled the same roles last fall for MSU. Additionally, junior safety Titus Wall was chosen by his teammates for a team captain role and will help lead the Bears defense this fall.
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Huslig enjoyed another banner afternoon in his last outing against Kennesaw State (Sept. 21), completing a career-best 28 passes for 292 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His effort marked the 10th 200-yard passing performance in 25 games as a Bear and moved the Andover, Kan., product to within six TD's of the Bears' top five for career scoring passes.Â
Bears Strong in Non-Con
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Huslig Leaving His Mark
Peyton Huslig eclipsed several statistical milestones in 2018, including topping 4,000 career passing yards, 5,000 career yards of total offense and 2,000 passing yards for the season. The dual-threat signal caller ranked seventh on the single-season total offense list (2,479) and sixth on the Bears' passing yards list (2,113). For his career, he also ranks fourth on the Bears' career passing yardage (4,803) list and third in total offense (5,809).
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Huslig logged a career game against Southern Illinois last October, accounting for 419 yards of total offense, including a career-high 404 passing yards versus the Salukis. Both efforts ranked No. 3 all-time in Bears' single-game history and represent the best numbers by a Bears QB since A.J. Porter's 460 passing yards and 426 total offensive yards against Illinois State in 2003.
Huslig enjoyed another banner afternoon in his last outing against Kennesaw State (Sept. 21), completing a career-best 28 passes for 292 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His effort marked the 10th 200-yard passing performance in 25 games as a Bear and moved the Andover, Kan., product to within six TD's of the Bears' top five for career scoring passes.Â
Bears Strong in Non-Con
The Bears saw their six-game home win streak versus non-conference opponents come to an end with their 35-24 setback to Kennesaw State (Sept. 21). MSU outscored its six home victims by a combined 236-66 margin since kicking off the streak with a 38-0 victory over North Dakota on Sept. 13, 2014.
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Missouri State's win over Northern Arizona last September saw the Bears continue their recent non-conference surge. MSU has enjoyed a history of success in non-conference play at home since joining the Division I ranks in 1982, going 58-21 overall against non-league foes at Plaster Stadium, including a 5-1 mark in such contests under Dave Steckel.
Captain Consistency
Bears linebacker McNeece Egbim started his 20th consecutive game Sept. 14 at Tulane and celebrated the milestone by recording a game-high eight tackles in the contest. Egbim is in his second season as an MSU co-captain. The senior from Rowlett, Texas has recorded at least five tackles in 15 of MSU's last 16 games.
Captain Consistency
Bears linebacker McNeece Egbim started his 20th consecutive game Sept. 14 at Tulane and celebrated the milestone by recording a game-high eight tackles in the contest. Egbim is in his second season as an MSU co-captain. The senior from Rowlett, Texas has recorded at least five tackles in 15 of MSU's last 16 games.
Honoring No. 20
For the third straight season, Missouri State's players will be honoring former teammate Richard Nelson with his number "20" on their helmets.
Nelson was shot and killed in his hometown of Las Vegas, Nev., on Jan. 14, 2017, while attempting to intervene in an attack on his sister. Nelson, who was just 18 years old, was a tailback on the team and redshirted during his first and only with the Bears in 2016. He was a graduate of Chaparral High School in Las Vegas.
The team also has a standing memorial to Nelson in the MSU Football facility with the words "Always A Bear" over a large photo of Nelson.
Players Mentioned
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