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Missouri State

Game Week NDSU

Game Preview: Bears Brace for Clash with No. 3-Ranked NDSU

October 18, 2021

#17 Missouri State Bears (4-2, 3-1 MVFC) at #3 North Dakota State (6-0, 3-0 MVFC)
Date and Time Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 | 2:30 p.m. (Central)
Location Gate City Bank Field at Fargodome (18,700) | Fargo, North Dakota
Game Information Game Day at NDSU | Tailgating | Weather
Tickets Online Tickets | ( 701) 231-6378
Radio KWTO (101.3 FM) (Art Hains, Dennis Heim) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live
Television ESPN+ (Dom Izzo, Kyle Emanuel) | ABC North Dakota feed | Watch
Series North Dakota State leads 11-2 | Last Meeting: NDSU 25, MSU 0 (3/6/21) | Stats
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | North Dakota State | MVFC | MSU Media Guide
Follow Athletics Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Football Facebook | Football Twitter | Instagram | Bears Weekly Presser | #MSUBears | #BearsUnite | @MoStateFootball
Up Next The Bears return home to Plaster Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 30 to battle North Dakota (2 p.m.) | Tickets for UND Game

First and Ten
  • Fresh off a convincing homecoming win over Indiana State, Missouri State returns to the road this week for a matchup against No. 2-ranked North Dakota State at the fabled Fargodome. The opportunistic Bears enter the week tied for third place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and look to continue climbing up the FCS ranks against an undefeated Bison squad that has won eight of the last 10 national championships.
  • Missouri State head coach Bobby Petrino is in his 2nd season with the Bears and holds an 8-2 record in MVFC games, including a 4-1 ledger in conference road games. He earned 2020-21 MVFC Coach of the Year honors and holds a 76-44 record in all league games during his 16 seasons as a head coach.
  • Jason Shelley (QB, Frisco, Texas) is coming off his 6th straight 200-yard passing game and is the first Missouri State QB to do so in his first 6 games. Shelley needs just 91 yards of total offense to reach 2,000 for the season -- done just 13 times previously in school history -- and ranks 9th nationally in total offense (317.5).
  • The Bears high-octane offense ranks high nationally in a variety of categories, including 2nd in turnover margin (+0.83); 7th in 3rd-down efficiency (.473); 12th in red-zone percentage (.913); 13th in yards per completion (14.07); 16th in total offense (437.2); 16th in first downs (146); 18th in time of possessions (32:43); 20th in passing yards (281.5); and 21st in scoring (33.5).
  • Wide receiver Tyrone Scott (Estill, S.C.) had 3 receptions for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns in last week's win over Indiana State, his third 100+ yard performance in 4 MVFC games. Scott is averaging 104.3 receiving yards per game in conference play -- 2nd-best in the league -- and ranks 20th nationally in receiving touchdowns (5).
  • Bears punter, Grant Burkett (Joplin, Mo.) is 1st in the MVFC and 4th nationally in punting average (46.0), while helping the Bears rank 2nd in the nation in net punting (43.14). He has 9 punts this season of 50 yards or more with 10 downed inside the 20.
  • Jordan Murray (WR, Lee's Summit, Mo.) is just 4 receiving yards away from 1,000 for his career. He has 84 receptions in 36 career games and scored his 10th career TD at Illinois State (10/2/21). He would become just the 24th Bears player to reach 1,000 career receiving yards.
  • Jose Pizano (K, Lehi, Utah) leads the MVFC and ranks 2nd nationally in field goals per game (2.00) per game. He also ranks 11th nationally in scoring (9.5). He is 12-for-15 (.800) on field goal attempts this season, which ranks 21st nationally in FG accuracy, while his season FG total is tied for the 6th-best in MSU history.
  • Montrae Braswell (CB, Avon Park, Fla.) ranks 10th nationally in interceptions per game (0.50) and 6th in kickoff return average (29.1). He has 6 interceptions in 13 career games at Missouri State.
  • For his two forced fumbles on kickoff plays and pair of special teams tackles in last week's win over Indiana State, Steven Ward (Fr., Nixa, Mo.) was named MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Sunday. Ward is the eighth Missouri State player to be recognized with weekly conference awards this season.
  • The Missouri State defense ranks 21st nationally in third-down efficiency (.325) and 36th in rushing defense (132.0). The Bears have out-scored their MVFC opponents by a 80-31 margin in the second half this season.
  • Jason Shelley is a two-time MVFC Newcomer of the Week and has leaped into the mix among the Valley's top signal callers, ranking 7th nationally in yards per completion (14.21); 12th in points responsible for (102); 16th in passing yards (1,663); 17th in passing touchdowns (13); and 22nd in pass efficiency (143.2).
  • Tylar Wiltz (LB, Breaux Bridge, La.) was MSU's top tackler in its win over Indiana State last week with 9 total stops and posted a career-high 16 total tackles the previous week at Youngstown State.
  • NDSU is 170-27 all-time at the Fargodome, but the Bears own a 21-17 win over the Bison on 10/24/09 in their first of six previous trips there.

Coach Bobby Petrino
  • Bobby Petrino is in his second season as Missouri State's head football coach after joining the Bears program on January 16, 2020. He is currently 128-63 (.670) in his 16th season as a head coach and is 9-7 at Missouri State, including a 5-2 ledger in the spring of 2021. As Bears head coach, Petrino is 8-2 in Valley games, 4-5 on the road, and 5-2 at Plaster Stadium. He is 0-1 all-time against North Dakota State.
  • He picked up his 75th career conference victory on Oct. 2 at Illinois State.
  • During the 2020-21 season, Petrino helped lead the Bears to a 5-1 mark in Missouri Valley Football Conference play to earn a share of the MVFC regular-season title. His efforts not only landed him the prestigious Bruce Craddock MVFC Coach of the Year Award, but also led the Bears to their first NCAA FCS playoff appearance in 30 years.
  • ESPN recently named Petrino to its list of the top 100 college football coaches of the last 50 years, placing Petrino No. 77 on the list.
  • Petrino previously served as head coach in two stints at Louisville as well as Arkansas and Western Kentucky. He spent 14 seasons at the FBS level and led his programs to 11 bowl appearances with seven teams ranked in the top 25 at season's end.
  • The Helena, Mont., native is in his 33rd year of collegiate coaching overall, having guided his programs to AP top-six final rankings three times (2004, 2006, 2011) and directing some of the nation's top offensive programs along the way. His clubs have finished in the top five nationally in scoring offense three times, while his 2004 club at Louisville led the country in scoring (49.8 ppg). He has developed 34 NFL Draft selections during his illustrious career, including four in the first round, and Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson.
  • Petrino and his wife Becky have four children: Kelsey, Nick, Bobby and Katie — and six grandchildren. Nick Petrino is Missouri State's offensive coordinator, while sons-in-law Ryan Beard (defensive coordinator) and L.D. Scott (defensive line) are also on the MSU coaching staff this season.

Series History
  • North Dakota State leads the all-time series with the Bears, 11-2, in a fairly-recent rivalry that dates to the Bison joining the MVFC in 2008. The Bears are 1-5 all-time in Fargo and 1-6 at Plaster Stadium against NDSU. The Bison have won the last 10 meetings between the two clubs.
  • Last spring in Springfield (3/6/21), NDSU accounted for one-third of its offensive output on two big first-half plays and relied on its defense to take it from there in a 25-0 Bison win. MoState registered 14 first downs on the afternoon and drove into Bison territory four times. However, the 18 points in the second quarter by the visitors proved too much to overcome in MSU's Valley home opener. Bears QB Jaden Johnson was 13-of-21 through the air for 132 yards and no interceptions. Damoriea Vick caught 6 passes for 73 yards with Lorenzo Thomas snagging 3 catches for 28 yards.  On the ground, MSU's top ball carrier was Tobias Little who gained 46 yards on 8 touches. | Stats


 
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