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Missouri State

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Red-Hot Bears Return Home to Face Rival Salukis

March 24, 2021

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Missouri State Bears (3-1 MVFC) vs. #10 Southern Illinois Salukis (3-2 MVFC)
Date and Time Saturday, March 27, 2021 | 2:00 p.m. (Central)
Key Information Fan Guide | Game Program | Weather | No BearFest Village for this game
Location Robert W. Plaster Stadium (17,500) | Springfield, Mo.
Tickets MissouriStateBears.com | (417) 836-7678
Radio KWTO (101.3 FM) (Art Hains, Dennis Heim) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live
Television ESPN+ (Don West, Mike McClure) | Watch
Series SIU leads 22-20 | Last Meeting: SIU 37, MSU 14 (11/9/19) | Stats
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | Southern Illinois | MVFC | MSU Record Book 
Follow Athletics Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Football Facebook | Football Twitter | Instagram |   MSU Weekly Presser | #MSUBears | #BearsUnite | @MoStateFootball
Up Next The Bears travel to North Dakota on Saturday, April 3 at 11:00 a.m. (Central)

First and Ten
  • Winners of two in a row and three of their last four, Missouri State squares off with No. 10-ranked Southern Illinois on Saturday when the Bears return to Robert W. Plaster Stadium for a 2 p.m. kickoff. The Bears take a 3-1 conference record into the contest and are chasing a fourth Missouri Valley Football Conference win for the first time since 2013. Missouri State is also playing a ranked opponent for the fourth straight week.
  • The Bears received 60 votes this week in the STATS FCS Top 25 poll, which is the 27th-highest point total. The Bears also received 7 votes (32nd) in the AFCA Coaches Poll while ranking No. 18 in the Massey Ratings FCS index.
  • Cornerback Montrae Braswell (So., Avon Park, Fla.) has 3 interceptions in the last 4 games and is averaging 4.8 tackles per game in that span. He was named MVFC Defensive Player of the Week on March 14 after he scored a pair of touchdowns in MSU's win at South Dakota (36-yard interception return, 100-yard kickoff return).
  • Kicker Jose Pizano (So., Lehi, Utah) is this week's MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week after he converted a pair of critical field goals and the game's only extra point in MSU's 13-6 win at UNI. Pizano's 33-yard field goal with 4:30 remaining helped the Bears secure their first win at the UNI-Dome since 1998. For the season, he has converted 10-of-12 (.833) field goals and is a perfect 12-for-12 PATs, ranking 15th nationally in FG per game (1.43) and 21st in FG accuracy.
  • In league games, Kevin Ellis (Jr., Fort Worth, Texas) is averaging 1.0 sacks per game, which is tops among all MVFC defenders. Named the MVFC Defensive Player of the Week on March 1, Ellis is MSU's active career leader in sacks (9.5) and has brought down 100 ball carriers in 28 career games.
  • Jordan Murray (Jr., Lee's Summit, Mo.) has recorded a pass reception in 27 consecutive games, the fifth-longest streak in program history. For his career, Murray has 70 catches for 800 yards and 9 TDs.
  • Damoriea Vick (Jr., Oklahoma City, Okla.) has 441 receiving yards this season which ranks 10th nationally. In  league games, he leads the MVFC in receiving yards per game (86.5) and is 6th in receptions per game (5.5).
  • The Bears lead the MVFC in third-down defense, holding opponents to just a 28.6 percent conversion rate in league games and 28.7 percent (14th nationally) overall.
  • Missouri State's defense also ranks 7th nationally in take-aways (11), 20th in red zone defense (.696) and 25th in rushing defense (110.7).
  • Quarterback Matt Struck (Sr., Central Point, Ore.) made his first start for the Bears in last week's win at No. 10 UNI, completing 19-of-25 (.760) passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. Struck joined the squad in January after he started 11-of-12 games as a junior for the Idaho State Bengals, completing 164-of-320 (.512) passes for 2,334 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2019.
  • The Bears have 24 sacks on the season, just 1 shy of the official squad record (25), set in 2010. A total of 15 different players have contributed to the Bears pass rush this season, helping MSU rank 16th nationally and 1st in the MVFC in sacks per game (3.43). Kevin Ellis (5.5) and Isaiah Sayles (3.5) are the team's sack leaders.  
  • In his first year as the Bears primary punter, Grant Burkett (RFr., Joplin, Mo.) is averaging 42.4 yards per attempt, which ranks No. 8 nationally. He had a 75-yard punt at UCA on Oct. 17 and has 10 punts inside the 20.
  • Offensive lineman Daniel Allen (Sr., Miami, Okla.) has started 18 straight games.
  • Eric Johnson (Sr., Plainfield, Ill.) has played in 40 straight games, the team's top active streak. He is coming off 4 total tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and a sack in the Bears win at Northern Iowa last week.
  • Tyler Lovelace (LB, Lee's Summit, Mo.) shared team-high honors with 8 tackles in last week's win at UNI, a career-high for the senior. Among MSU's active players, he is No. 2 in career tackles with 129 stops in 35 games.  
  • A win for the Bears would mean ... team's first 3-game win streak since 2018; defeating 3 straight ranked foes for first time since 1989; first home win since Sept. 29, 2018 (Illinois St.); first 4-1 start in Valley play since 1992.
Coach Bobby Petrino
  • Missouri State University officially introduced Bobby Petrino as its new head football coach in a news conference at JQH Arena on the Springfield campus, January 16, 2020.
  • He is currently 122-60 (.670) in his 15th season as a head coach. He is 3-4 at Missouri State -- 3-2 on the road and 0-2 at Robert W. Plaster Stadium. He has never coached against SIU.
  • 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 32nd year of collegiate coaching in 2020. He has guided his programs to top-six final rankings in the Associated Press poll three times (2004, 2006, 2011), 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 at 49.8 points per game. 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, 22-20.
  • The Bears are 11-9 at home against the Salukis in the series, 9-12 in Carbondale and 0-1 in St. Louis (1968).
  • The teams have split the last four meetings with the Bears scoring 35 or more points in three of the last four contests between the clubs.
  • Last season in Carbondale, SIU defeated the Bears, 37-14, (11/9/19) | Stats


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