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Missouri State

Game Week SIU

Game Preview: Football Bears Face Key Road Test at SIU

November 02, 2021

#17 Missouri State Bears (5-3, 4-2 MVFC) at #7 Southern Illinois (6-2, 5-1 MVFC)
Date and Time Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021 | 12:05 p.m. (Central)
Location Saluki Stadium (15,000) | Carbondale, Illinois
Promotion Military Appreciation Day
Game Information Weather
Tickets SIUSalukis.com | (877) SALUKIS
Program Digital Game Program
Radio KWTO (101.3 FM) (Art Hains, Dennis Heim) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live
Television ESPN3 (Scott Warmann, Danan Hughes) | Watch
Series Southern Illinois leads 22-21 | Last Meeting: MSU 30, SIU 27 (3/27/21) | Stats
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | Southern Illinois | MVFC | MSU Media Guide
Follow Athletics Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Football Facebook | Football Twitter | Instagram | Bears Weekly Presser | #MSUBears | #BearsUnite | @MoStateFootball
Up Next Missouri State returns to Plaster Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 13 vs. UNI (2:00 p.m.) | Tickets

First and Ten
  • After reeling off their sixth straight home win with last week's win over North Dakota, the Bears will face a pivotal road test this week at No. 7-ranked Southern Illinois with a 12 p.m. kickoff Saturday in Carbondale (ESPN3). Missouri State has won three of the last five meetings between the two clubs, including its most-recent victory in Carbondale in 2017.
  • Jason Shelley (QB, Frisco, Texas) is coming off his 8th straight 200-yard passing game to start his Missouri State career, which ties a Bears single-season record (Jay Rodgers, 1999). He ranks among the nation's leaders in nearly every passing category -- 9th in yards per completion (13.91), 10th in total offense (313.9*), 14th in points responsible for (128*), 12th in passing yards (2,254), 13th in passing yards per game (281.8), 18th in passing TDs (16), 25th in passing efficiency (144.9) and 26th in completions per game (20.25). *Leads MVFC
  • Wide receiver Tyrone Scott (Estill, S.C.) posted his 5th 100+ yard receiving performance of the season last week vs. UND, which breaks an MSU single-season record. In Valley play, he leads all conference wideouts with 111.3 receiving yards per game. Overall, he is averaging 90.0 receiving yards per game, which ranks 14th nationally, while his 720 receiving yards ranks 11th, and his 6 receiving TDs ranks 20th.  
  • The Bears have logged 6 fourth-quarter, game-winning scoring drives under second-year head coach Bobby Petrino, including 3 this season with Jason Shelley at QB. This season, the Bears have 8 scoring drives of 90 seconds or less and 13 drives of two minutes or less.
  • For the first time since 2013, the Bears have scored 30 or more points in 6 different games. The last time the Bears hit 30 or more points 7 times was in 2010. MSU has hit the 30-point plateau in 4 of its last 5 games vs. SIU.
  • Missouri State's high-octane offense ranks 12th nationally in first downs (187), 16th in passing offense (285.0), 19th in 3rd down efficiency (.443), 22nd in red zone offense (.879), 24th in total offense (426.5), 25th in passing efficiency (142.41), 26th in time of possession (31:48), and 27th in scoring offense (31.6).
  • Bears punter, Grant Burkett (Joplin, Mo.) ranks 1st in the MVFC and 3rd nationally in punting average (46.7), while helping the Bears rank 2nd in the nation in net punting (43.53). He has 12 punts this season of 50 yards or more with 10 downed inside the 20. He is sitting at 99 career punts with a 44.3 average and 26 kicks of 50+ yards.
  • Jose Pizano (K, Lehi, Utah) leads the MVFC and ranks 4th nationally in field goals per game (1.88). He also ranks 13th nationally in scoring (8.9), which is 3rd-best in the MVFC, while his .833 field goal accuracy (15-for-18) ranks 18th among all FCS kickers. His season FG total (15) is tied for the 3rd-best in MSU history.
  • The Missouri State defense ranks 3rd nationally in takeaways (20), 9th in interceptions (11) and 10th in turnover margin (+0.88). The Bears have outscored their foes by a 109-69 margin in the second half of MVFC games.
  • Tylar Wiltz (LB, Breaux Bridge, La.) is averaging 11.6 tackles per game over the Bears' last 5 contests. The club's top tackler (71) ranks 4th in the MVFC in total stops per game (9.0) and 30th nationally.
  • Jason Shelley is this week's MVFC Offensive Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week after engineering two late-game scoring drives in MSU's 32-28 win over UND. His TD pass with 15 seconds remaining secured his third game-winning, fourth-quarter drive of the season. He was 29-for-42 for 349 yards and 3 TDs. Shelley is a three-time MVFC Newcomer of the Week and leads all Valley players in total offense.
  • In last week's win over UND, Tobias Little (Atlanta, Ga.) became the first Bear since Jeremiah Wilson (10/17/20) to rush for 100 yards in a game. Little finished with 15 carries for 111 yards and currently leads the squad with 6 rushing touchdowns and 55.5 ground yards per game this season.
  • Jason Shelley will be playing in his 30th career game and needs 121 passing yards to reach 4,000 for his career.
  • The Bears and Salukis are playing as ranked foes for the first time since 10/5/91. A pair of Paul Carney touchdowns led the 19th ranked Bears to a 17-13 win over No. 15 SIU, despite SIU outgaining the Bears, 339-244.
     
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 129-64 (.668) in his 16th season as a head coach and is 10-8 at Missouri State, including a 6-2 ledger at Plaster Stadium and 4-6 road record. As Bears head coach, Petrino is now 9-3 in Valley games (5-1 at home). He is 1-0 all-time against Southern Illinois (0-0 at Carbondale).
  • 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
  • In a rivalry that dates back to 1965, Southern Illinois leads the all-time series, 22-21. The Bears are 9-12 all-time in Carbondale (also 12-9 in Springfield and 0-1 in St. Louis [1968] vs. the Salukis).
  • The Bears have won three of the last five meetings, including a "walk-off" 30-27 victory in Springfield this spring (3/27/21) on Jose Pizano's 33-yard field goal as time expired. | Stats
  • MSU has scored 30 or more points in four of the last five contests between the clubs.




 
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