Final Stats | Season Stats | Postgame Presser
 
ST. GEORGE, Utah – Missouri State (8-3) closed out the regular season in impressive fashion here Saturday, rolling up a season-high 574 yards of total offense in a 55-24 non-conference win over Dixie State.
 
The MVFC runner-up Bears got 251 passing yards from quarterback Jason Shelley, who extended his club record past the 3,000-yard plateau in the game. He completed 13-of-24 passes with a touchdown and also rushed for a score in the third quarter.
 
Kevon Latulas also stood out, rushing for 162 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries, while Tyrone Scott caught eight passes for 174 yards, becoming Missouri State's single-season receiving yards record holder.
 
After leading 27-3 at the half, Missouri State scored four times in the second half, including a defensive touchdown, a special teams score and three offensive TD drives.
 
Shelley's 13-yard touchdown run on Missouri State's first drive of the second half chewed up five minutes of clock to make it 34-3. Two plays later, Lemondre Joe snagged a Kobe Tracy pass and returned it 38 yards for another Bears touchdown on his third pick of the season.
 
The Trailblazers (1-10) put a dent in Missouri State's lead late in the third on a 16-yard TD run from Tracy to make it 41-10, but Shelley and the Bears were game for the scrap, responding with an efficient 75-yard drive in just over three minutes. Shelley finished the drive on six-yard strike to Naveon Mitchell to make it 48-10 at the 13:25 mark.
 
Late in the fourth quarter after Dixie State mounted a pair of scoring drives to get within 48-24, including a 96-yard interception return by Devyn Perkins, a Trailblazers onside kick was fielded by MSU's Steven Ward who sprinted 57 yards down the sideline for the final TD of the night.
 
Dixie State's Kobe Tracy was 24-for-49 for 307 yards, while Drew Kannely-Robles carries 22 times for a team-high 78 yards for the home side.
 
The Trailblazers finished 12-for-22 on third down and finished with 382 total yards.

Missouri State's defense racked up nine tackles for loss, four sacks and broke up seven passes with Tylar Wiltz (7) and Kevin Ellis (6) leading the tackle count.
 
Things started right on track for Missouri State as the Bears took the opening kickoff and marched it down the field for the game's opening score, putting three points on the board with a 39-yard goal by Jose Pizano to cap a 53-yard scoring drive. The drive was highlighted by a 48-yard run from scrimmage by Latulas that got the Bears in a position to score on their opening drive for the sixth straight game.
 
Dixie State counter-punched on its opening drive, converting a pair of third downs before a 45-yard field goal by Connor Brooksby split the uprights to knot the score with 8:18 to go in the opening period.
 
The Bears regained the lead for good early in the second quarter, covering 70 yards on 13 plays to push ahead 10-3. MSU converted two third downs and a fourth-and-short on the drive, including a 16-yard strike from Shelley to Scott to the Dixie State 19. Shelley carried 12 yards to the seven before Tobias Little punched it in for his ninth rushing touchdown of the season with 12:38 left in the opening half.
 
Missouri State turned up the heat from there, manufacturing three more scoring drives before the intermission to lead 27-3 at the game's midway point.
 
The Bears capitalized on a Dixie State fumble, forced by Kevin Ellis and recovered by Tylar Wiltz. A 60-yard pass from Shelley to Scott got the ball to the Dixie 10 before the visitors ultimately settled for a 25-yard Pizano field goal to make it 13-3. On the big pass, Scott eclipsed MSU's single-season receiving yards record, previously held by Jermaine Saffold (2011).
 
After forcing Dixie State punts on the Trailblazers' next two possessions, Latulas helped the Bears break it open with touchdown runs of 68 and 7 yards to give MSU a 24-point cushion at the 6:50 mark of the second.
 
The Bears rolled up 347 yards of total offense in the first half and held the Trailblazers to three punts a fumble and a missed field goal in the second quarter to pull away. For its part, Dixie State was 7-of-13 on third down in the opening half to extend some early possessions.
 
The No. 14-ranked Bears will await their postseason fate with Sunday's NCAA FCS Playoff Selection Show, which runs live on ESPNU at 11:30 a.m. (Central).